English 2nd Year Notes
Q1. Explain the importance of the label on Mrs. Oakentubb’s suitcase. Why does she hide it?
Ans.Frank Arthur has written this melodrama very beautifully, the label on Mrs. Oakentubb’s suitcase has importance. It shows her identity by her name "Mrs. Judy Oakentubb". When the man comes, put off his hat and coat and keep them on the bench, he comes to know who she is. But he does not show her that he has come to know her name.
When the man tells her, his experience of meeting a Korean Girl and changing his decision that he wanted to die and after seeing the girl that resembled his own daughter, decided to live and take his revenge from the woman who had killed his wife and daughter in a car accident. After knowing this she tries to hide her identity because she believes that he does not know her.
Q2. At what point in the play do we become certain that the man knows that the woman in the waiting room is Mrs. Oakentubb? When in fact do you think he discovered her identity.
Ans.We become certain that the woman in the waiting room is Mrs. Oakentubb when she gets up from her chair, strolls across the room and takes up a position in front of her suitcase. The man gives her chance, goes to the door, opens it and looks out. During this time she hid her label under cover. In this way, the man confirms that the woman in the waiting room is the same lady i.e. Mrs. Judy Oakentubb who had killed his wife and daughter in a car accident, who wagered. (educationsight.blogspot.com) Frank Arthur tells us in the very beginning of the melodrama, when the man comes the waiting room, he puts off his coat and hat. At this time, he sees the label on Mrs. Oakentubb’s suitcase and discovers her identity.
Q3. When is the audience likely to begin to suspect that she might be Mrs. Oakentubb?
Ans. The audience and the readers begin to suspect that she might be Mrs. Oakentubb for the following points that:
She replies, "I think I know what you mean."
When he says that she killed his wife and daughter, she defends Mrs. Oakentubb that she was not convicted of murder and even she was not charged with murder. Even she protests that she was not drunk.
During all this discussion, she hid her label under the cover and it was not visible.
For These points, the audience begins to suspect that the woman in the waiting room might be Mrs. Oakentubb.
Q4. What motive has the man for murdering her?
Ans. The motive for murdering Mrs. Oakentubb is to take revenge for killing his wife and daughter in a car accident. While she was driving her car very fast in drunken state because she had wagered with her friend for five pounds that she would drive from Stain Thorpe cross to the coast under fifteen minutes. The Frank Arthur makes it very clear that seeing distance, traffic, blind bends and corners; it can not be covered before half an hour.
Q5. Why, in your opinion, does the author make the porter a humorous character?
Ans. Frank Arthur is a good writer and he makes full use of his talent, skill and fun, He makes the porter a humorous character for the following points:
He wants to create charm, interest and laughter through the porter.
His main purpose is to relax the tension of the melodrama and the suspense.
He has tried to bring an end to the boredom which might cause the audience for the dialogues continuing between two passengers only. Whenever, he appears, he laughs, makes jokes like: This job is only fit for a shaggy dog!: and "you are all comfy here!" and etc.
Q 6.Suspense is an important element in a thriller. Briefly show how the author keeps the audience in suspense for the answers to two questions:
a) Will he find out who she is?
b) Will he kill her?
Ans. It is really great efforts of the author that he maintains suspense from the beginning to the end. Having come to know her name in the beginning, he moves the story psychologically building up tension and relaxing it. The male passenger acts so dramatically that at one place when he takes out the revolver and points at her saying: "You murdered my wife and daughter! You took their lives and wrecked mine. Haven’t I the right to take yours?" The audience becomes certain that he would kill her but as the porter enters the room, he puts his hand into the pocket holding the revolver. Again suspense is created what will happen next.
Q7. Give a brief character sketch of Mrs. Oakentubb.
Ans. Mrs. Oakentubb is just and ordinary woman. She is woman of cruel deeds. She enjoys the company of bad characters, She is a habitual drunk. She frequently participates in cocktail parties. She is mean, cunning and deceitful. Once she drives her car very fast in a thickly populated area just to win a bet. Her car gets out of control and she deliberately overturns it to a footpath to save her own life and kills a woman and her daughter. She being resourceful gets a slight punishment of 18 months. A gentleman (whose wife and daughter she had killed) meets her all alone in the waiting room of a small country in the stormy night. He recognizes the women to be Mrs. Oakentubb. At the time, she adopts a deceitful way and starts paying the role of a suffering woman. Her regret softens the heart of man and he gives up the idea of killing her. But as he goes out, she rises to her feet and makes faces at him just putting her finger in her nose. Suddenly, the door opens and the gentleman sees her in that contempt expression, he comes back and kills her with his revolver. She gets the punishment as she deserved so.
Q 8.Write a brief character sketch of the porter?
Ans. Frank Arthur introduces the porter as a humorous character. He is the source of humor, satire, enjoyment, relaxation from boredom and seriousness of the melodrama. He is very simple man and behaves in a natural way. He proves himself as a source of relief for the audience in the gloomy atmosphere of the play. He is very well aware of his hard job i.e. to provide comfort to the passengers and carry luggage etc. so he thinks: "this job is fit only for a shaggy dog."
To sum up, the porter is a very loving, kind, serving and a funny character.
Q9. Briefly discuss whether the play would have had a more satisfying ending if the man had not come back through the door, seen Mrs. Oakentubb’s vulgar and impenitent gesture and shot her — that is to say it had ended in Mrs. Oakentubb collapsing with genuine remorse and the man’s decision that he would be adequately avenged if she went on living in sorrowful condition.
Ans. It is true that the play would have had a more satisfying and pleasing end if she would have been very sincere in expressing her grief and sympathy with the man and he would have allowed her to live. In fact, he believed her false remorse and went out of the waiting room. But when came to carry his suitcase that he forgot, he found her grief false and making fun at him. Now, it was the call of poetic justice to kill her and punish her for her cruel, deliberate and heartless murder of two innocent pedestrians. Because, justice demands that punishment should be proportionate to the crime.
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