Guide Book of Treasure Trove of Poems

Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 7 Notes The Little Match Girl

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Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 7 Notes The Little Match Girl – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

EnglishMathsPhysicsChemistryBiology

ICSE SolutionsSelina ICSE SolutionsML Aggarwal Solutions

About the Author

Hans Christian Andersen was born in Odense, Denmark, on April 2, 1805. Andersen achieved worldwide fame for writing innovative and influential fairy tales. Many of his stories, including “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Princess and the Pea,” remain classics of the genre. He died in Copenhagen on August 4, 1875.

While the Andersen family was not wealthy, young Hans Christian was educated in boarding schools for the privileged. The circumstances of Andersen’s education have fuelled speculation that he was an illegitimate member of the Danish royal family. These rumours have never been substantiated.

In 1819, Andersen traveled to Copenhagen to work as an actor. He returned to school after a short time, supported by a patron named Jonas Collin. He began writing during this period, at Collin’s urging, but was discouraged from continuing by his teachers.

Andersen’s work first gained recognition in 1829, with the publication of a short story entitled “A Journey on Foot from Holmen’s Canal to the East Point of Amager.” He followed this with the publication of a play, a book of poetry and a travelogue. The promising young author won a grant from the king, allowing him to travel across Europe and further develop his body of work. A novel based on his time in Italy, The Improvisatore, was published in 1835. The same year, Andersen began producing fairy tales.

Despite his success as a writer up to this point, Andersen did not initially attract attention for his writing for children. His next novels, O.T. and Only a Fiddler, remained critical favorites. Over the following decades, he continued to write for both children and adults, penning several autobiographies, travel narratives and poetry extolling the virtues of the Scandinavian people. Meanwhile, critics and consumers overlooked volumes including the now-classic stories “The Little Mermaid” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” In 1845, English translations of Andersen’s folktales and stories began to gain the attention of foreign audiences. Andersen forged a friendship with acclaimed British novelist Charles Dickens, whom he visited in England in 1847 and again a decade later. His stories became English-language classics and had a strong influence on subsequent British children’s authors, including A.A. Milne and Beatrix Potter. Over time, Scandinavian audiences discovered Andersen’s stories, as did audiences in the United States, Asia and across the globe. In 2006, an amusement park based on his work opened in Shanghai. His stories have been adapted for stage and screen, including a popular animated version of “The Little Mermaid.”

Andersen sustained a serious injury in 1872 after falling from bed in his Copenhagen home. His final publication, a collection of stories, appeared the same year.

Around this time, he started to show signs of the liver cancer that would take his life. The Danish government began commemorating Andersen’s life and work before his death. Andersen died on August 4, 1875, in Copenhagen.

About the Story

‘The Little Match Girl’ or ‘The little girl with the matchsticks’ is a short story by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story, about a dying child’s dreams and hope, was first published in 1845. It has been adapted to various media, including an animated short film, a television musical, and an animated virtual reality story called “Allumette”.

‘The Little Match Girl’ is possibly one of the saddest holiday stories ever told. This story, by Hans Christian Andersen, is about a little girl who was sent out to sell matches on New Year’s Eve. No one has bought any of her matches, and so she is afraid her father will beat her if she goes home empty handed. She ends up huddled in a corner lighting match after match. With each match she imagines a beautiful scene. In one match she sees her recently deceased grandmother who takes the little girl to heaven with her. In the morning, the little girl is found frozen to death.

On a cold New Year’s Eve, a poor young girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is already shivering from cold and early hypothermia, and she is walking barefoot having lost her shoes. Still, she is too afraid to go home, because her father will beat her for not selling any matches, and also as the cracks in the house can’t keep out the cold wind. The girl takes shelter in a nook or alley and sits down.

The girl lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow she sees several lovely visions, including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward and sees a shooting star, she then remembers her dead grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone is dying and is going to Heaven. As she lights the next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother alive for as long as she can.

After running out of matches the child dies and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the girl dead in the nook, frozen with a smile on her face, and guess the reason for the burnt-out matches beside her. They feel pity for her, although they had not shown kindness to her before her death. They have no way of knowing about the wonderful visions she saw before her death or how gloriously she and her grandmother are now celebrating the New Year in Heaven

Plot

  1. Exposition: The exposition of the story is that the Little Maiden is left out on the streets, on a cold New Years Eve while every one is at home celebrating.
  2. Rising Action: The Rising action of the story is that the Little Maiden can’t return home because she hasn’t sold any matches. She doesn’t have anything to warm her up so she uses the matches to warm her up.
  3. Climax: When the little maiden lights up the matches to warm her up she notices that when she brings the matches close to the wall of one of the houses that it becomes transparent. Then she notices that there is an old sweet lady on the wall. She comes closer and then sees that the lady is her grandmother(who is dead and that is the only person that loved her). When she sees that the old lady is her grandmother she begs her to take her with her because she is suffering to much.
  4. Resolution: At the end of the story the little maiden is found dead by the wall that she found her grandmother and she is also found with a smile on her face. The little maiden leaves with her grandmother(which just means she dies at the end).

Theme

The story is a gentle reminder of the value of compassion and charity.
The theme of the story is that this little girl is trying to sell some matches so she can get money to bring back to her family, and it all depends on those matches but then at the end those matches help her to keep warm. The theme of this story has a lot to do with faith and her hope.Her hope is to get out of the cold for a little girl stranded in the cold she has a lot of faith and hope and that is what the author is trying to put out. to never give up hope or faith no matter what your situation bad or good keep thinking positive and never give up.

This story is about man vs. Nature. In the story the girl has to fight the weather but it is so cold. But in the corner, at the cold hour of dawn, sat the poor girl, with rosy cheeks and with a smiling mouth, leaning against the wall—frozen to death on the last evening of the old year.” And then again we are told,”In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet.” ..’’She crept along trembling with cold and hunger—a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing!”

Highlights of Speech/or Summary

“The Little Match Girl” is a sad story about a miserable young girl that touched the heart of many readers. The story begins on a cold winter night in which the snow never  stopped. It was a real, rough and cold dinner.

This small poor girl is trying to sell matches because she was ordered to do so by a strict father. He didn’t allow her to come home until it would not be done, otherwise she would get a beating. She was distracted by appetizing smells spreading from a house where a family was getting ready for New Year. She couldn’t resist the smell of freshly made turkey. The low temperature made it hard for her to be on the outside and she pressed herself against a corner, between two buildings and tucked her feet underneath herself to try to keep warm. The coldness was growing stronger and she couldn’t go home since she didn’t sell any matches. To get warm she decided to light up one match.When she lit each one of them, it pointed to those events that she always dreamed of.

After she light he match it reminded her of a fireplace. After the match burned out the cold came back. She lit up another match and then saw a beautiful set table with a lot of food. The turkey on the table started moving and went towards her but she never came to the girl because the match burned out. She decided to light up another one and saw a decorated Christmas tree and many candles around it. When she reached her hands to touch it the light went out. All of the candles started to rise towards the sky and one star fell down, leaving behind a mark. The girl thought that it meant somebody died and that it was their soul. In that moment she saw her grandma and in order to keep her near she lit up all of the matches. Her grandma took her with her to a place where hunger and coldness were gone. The next morning she was found frozen with a smile on her face. Everybody commented on her attempts to keep herself warm but nobody knew she waited for New Year with the prettiest pictures in her mind.

This is probably one of the saddest Andersen’s fairy tales set in the 19th century describing the unfortunate fate of a young child who is going through difficult times and dying of cold and hunger.

Characters

The little Match Girl

The little match girl is a main character. She is a major character in the story because the story is about her. She is also dynamic because she went from being alive to freezing to death. The little maiden at first had a pair of slippers but she lost them when two carriages were rolling down the street dreadfully fast. Then she was bear footed and dirty. “ When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but they were of no use.They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poop little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast.”

The little Match Girl has barely anything to keep her warm and is bare-foot. As she walks, she finds herself in a corner between two houses. Unable to continue and afraid to go home for fear of her father, she curls up there in the corner. The girl lights a match to keep her hands warm. When she does, she sees many things that make her feel better. On the last bundle of matches, she sees her grandmother. The girls dies and goes to heaven with her grandmother.

The young girl selling matches is a very determined child. She keeps going even after it’s made clear that she’ll never sell any matches. She’s also very innocent, wandering around without faltering. She doesn’t give up and remains innocent till the end.

Father

Her dad is a minor character in the story. He is static because he doesn’t change. He is in the story because he kicked the girl out and said she could not come back until she sells matches.

Grandmother

The grandmother is a minor character. She is also static. She is there when the girl is dying.

Setting

The setting in manly in one spot. She’s is in the city. This story is typically pictured occurring in a large, busy city such as Copenhagen. The main setting of this story is the corner between two houses where this little girl sits huddled together so she can try and stay warm. It is very cold out side. It is like the coldest part of the winter. The story takes place on a late night, the last night of the year. It is snowy and cold, and most families were inside enjoying their meals. The setting clearly reflects the author’s intent on the story. He wanted to create a calm world that was comparable to the girl’s feelings after she settled on the ground in the corner of two houses.” Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening— the last evening of the year” More important are the places that this little girl imagines seeing with each match.

Critical Appreciation

The Little Match Girl is a little girl who was selling matches to earn some money. She had an evil father who beat her when she didn’t earn enough, so she was afraid to go home empty-handed. She lived in a cold attic, full of holes and drafts. The girl was good but miserable. She was freezing because it was poorly dressed and barefoot, and was very very hungry. When she lit a match to warm her up a little bit, she saw the beautiful scenes. First, a warm stove, a delicious goose, and beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Finally, she saw her dead grandmother. Although she did not know, the girl already had died, and the grandmother came after her soul. She took her somewhere where she will always be fed and warm.

The Little Match Girl is told in metaphors and with poetic license. One of the tools the author has used in Match Girl is to contrast everything from class structure to the contrast of emotions. At this time it is hard to think of a child dying, but it is a reality that has been present for quite some time. Those who have it all usually ignore those who beg for just one penny. Anderson’s story serves a good purpose in “reminding people to be charitable and help the poor during the holidays, and hopefully year round, to keep young children from suffering with poverty and death.” This isn’t much of a fairytale, more so a “folk tale for adults. These tales were often told orally during the times when the peasants could not read.

Child abuse was also common during that time. The girl is cold and hungry, she is also abused at home, increasing the pathos and stark reality of the story. As the girl lights her first match, she sees a vision of a large warm iron stove. Hallucinations are one of the symptoms of severe hypothermia which indicates that the match girl is slowly drifting away This shows that before the little girl has reached her fate the signs of mourning are already presenting themselves.                               –

During the Second vision Hans Christian Anderson wrote of a magical New Years Eve Feast that any poor hungry child would be overjoyed to partake in. During that time the poor could only dream of partaking in such an extravagant meal. Salaries were small and for some, times were very hard. This vision addresses how hungry the small girl truly is, and if she doesn’t freeze she shall surely starve.

The Third Vision of the night, only to be seen after the striking of another match, is a magnificent Christmas tree. It is brightly light and beautifully decorated. It was the sort of tree only to be found in a very wealthy home .The little girl then sees a star fall and claims ‘Someone is just dead!’ A Creole superstition states: ‘Shooting-stars are souls escaping from purgatory.’ This is almost as if the three visions before were wishes, but it is also thought, as for the timing of the short story that it either be the young girl’s soul ascending into heaven, or yet the cause for the final vision.

The small girl drew another match, and there her loving grandmother stood before her in the dark of the night, with no reservations, only kindness. The little girl knew that if the match were to run out her grandmother would disappear just like all her other wonderful visions, so in turn she struck the entire rest of the bundle on the wall, we now realize how truly close the small child is to freezing to death. The little girl pleads with her grandmother to take her back to heaven so “she took the little maiden, on her arm, and both flew in brightness and in joy so high, so very high, and then above was neither cold, nor hunger, nor anxiety—they were with God” Hans Christian Anderson believed this was a happy ending in his book. To relinquish the suffering of a little girl only to be joined with her one true relative and God, but many people don’t understand why a fairy tale would have such a sad ending.

Figurative language is used to contribute to the tone and theme. The overall theme and tone is similar to solitude and dreaming of a better life. The little girl is in solitude when she is lighting the matches and the figurative language directly contributes to this. It is also used to help readers comprehend the characters. Similes and metaphors are used to help you understand the character’s thoughts and actions.Example: “How it blazed, how it burnt! It was a warm, bright flame, like a candle.” “Where the light fell on the wall, there the wall became transparent like a veil.” “ And the matches gave such a brilliant light that it was brighter than at noon-day.” The author uses imagery to provide insight to the little girl and what she is experiencing on that cold night. The reasoning for this is most likely because she is the only character in the story and the story focuses around her actions. The author wanted us to feel what she felt and see what she saw.He clearly shows this by using the senses of sight and feel. Example: “She crept along trembling with cold and hunger…”

There are two symbols in this story. The first is the match, which symbolize warmth and hope. This symbolism is proven by how the child uses the matches to try and keep her hands warm. The second symbol is the cold itself. The cold is a symbol of sheer desperation and pure hopelessness. The cold freezes her feet and ends up killing the girl.

The conflict in the story is Human vs. Nature. Some examples are: “Cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bared headed, and with naked feet.” “The little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet, that were quite red and blue from cold.” The short story was written from the Third Person Omniscient limited point of view. This is justified because we only know the thoughts, actions, and feelings of one character. The narrator does not interact in any events in the story and knows every aspect of the little girl and her only. “… and she held a bundle of them in her hand.” The story takes place on a late night, the last night of the year. It is snowy and cold, and most families were inside enjoying their meals. The setting clearly reflects the author’s intent on the story. He wanted to create a calm world that was comparable to the girl’s feelings after she settled on the ground in the corner of two houses. “Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening— the last evening of the year” The author has used situational irony. This is because the little girl sells matches, which are meant to start fires and keep people warm. However, this girl has no shoes or gloves and is practically freezing to death. There is irony in the fact that the people find the girl and they find her with a smile on her face. This is weird because when people die they don’ die with a smile on their face. They don’t know why she had a smile on her face when she is found dead but we do. The author uses a flashback in the story to clarify the actions that the little girl sees when lighting a match. This essentially helps advance the plot. “ ‘Someone is just dead!’ said the little girl; for her old grandmother, the only person who had loved her, and who was now no more, had told her, that when a star falls, a soul ascends to God. She drew another match against the wall: it was again light, and in the lustre there stood the old grandmother, so bright and radiant, so mild, and with such an expression of love” The short story is about hope and belief in the future, belief that things will get better. In conclusion, Anderson’s short tale is not only a sad holiday story reminding us to give during the season, but a reality check. We all wish for things during the holidays, but for those that have nothing it is more of an actuality. Times may get hard but in remembrance of this small tale, you must be grateful for what you have.

Glossary

  1. Bitterly: strong and sharp in taste
  2. Apron: protective garment tied over clothes to keep them clean while cooking
  3. Perishing: to disappear, or to die because of harsh conditions or an accident
  4. Misery: great unhappiness
  5. Fancied: not plain, intricate and of high quality *6. polished : to make smooth or glossy
  6. Brass: a yellow alloy, metallic element, used to make items
  7. Vanished: to disappear suddenly
  8. Gauze: finely woven fabric, thin and almost transparent
  9. Halo: circle of light around the head or a religious painting, an aura of glory

For More Resources

Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 6 Notes An Angel in Disguise 

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Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 6 Notes An Angel in Disguise  – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

EnglishMathsPhysicsChemistryBiology

ICSE SolutionsSelina ICSE SolutionsML Aggarwal Solutions

About the Author

Timothy Shay Arthur was born in New burgh, New York on June 6, 1809. He had a very distinguished writing career, during which he wrote more than 150 novels and was an editor or the managing editor at over a dozen magazines. Being born to highly religious parents, many of T. S. Arthur’s works are moralistic in nature. He was also a strong proponent of temperance, and his most famous work is his essay, ‘The Nights in a Bar ­Room and What I Saw There’ (1854). His short story, ‘‘An Angel in Disguise’ features both his characteristic moral message, and his strong views on the consumption of alcohol.

Due to poor health, Arthur had little formal education. He grew up hearing Bible stories and many tales about his grandfather who was an officer in the Revolutionary War, from his mother. Arthur educated himself through reading and became an apprentice for a Baltimore craftsman. Later on he became an editor for the Baltimore Athenaeum and Young Men’s Paper. Three years later he started the Baltimore Literary Monument. It was during this period that Arthur learned of the Washingtonian Temperance Society, which inspired him to write many novels on prohibition. His novels were such a success that during the decade after the civil war, the only author that outsold him in American fiction was Harriet Beecher Stowe with “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. The older T.S Arthur got, the worse his eyesight became, his world narrowed during the early years of the 1880s, although he continued editorial work with the aid of amanuenses. By February 1885, he was unable to leave his home and died on March 6th, 1885. He was buried in Philadelphia’s old Chestnut Street Cemetery.

T.S. Arthur was often regarded as a litterateur of unrefined taste, and lack of brilliance, which was claimed to have been the reason why he was not as well known as most American authors, during the 19th century. However, despite the derogatory assessment, T.S. Arthur was also appraised for his realism, simplicity, and sentimental/ moral poignancy in his genre of nonfiction and fictional stories, that many found reassuring. All of these qualities mentioned are apparent in one of his more demure, yet enchanting works, An Angel in Disguise.

About the Story

“An Angel in Disguise” was written in 1851 by TS Arthur. This time period consisted of many historic happenings including: Failure of the Wilmot Provisio to pass in the US Senate, which could have prohibited slavery in all territories acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American War. The prohibition era of the United States, in which many Americans protested to ban alcohol completely. Children’s Labor laws began to be established. For example, children were forbidden to work for more than ten hours per day and many national institutions, such as the New England Association of Farmers, began to condemn child labour.

Plot

  1. Introduction: Three children: John, Kate and Maggie are left alone, when their mother dies in a drunken fit right in front of their eyes.
  2. Occasion: The occasion that causes this story to unfold is the death of a single mother of three children who are left alone as orphans. The mother’s cause of death is alcoholism, and her children are left with no where to go, since it was unexpected.
  3. Rising Action:After the funeral, John and Kate were taken separately by two villagers while nobody wants to take care of the sick Maggie; until Mr. Thompson takes her in for the night.
  4. Climax: Mr. Thompson arrives at his house carrying Maggie but his wife doesn’t like it and wants the child to be sent to the poorhouse.
  5. Falling Action: Mr. Thompson finds his wife talking to Maggie. After their supper he talks Maggie and then later on Mrs. Thompson arrives with the child’s food. Mrs. Thompson decides to let Maggie stay.
  6. Resolution: Mr. Thompson doesn’t see the Guardian of the Poor. They decides to let Maggie stay and live with them at their house.

Theme

This short story has an amazing message or theme. It tells of how three children were sadly orphaned with their mother dying. Their mother hated by the village, died leaving the children without any other family or friends because the mother had no friends. The first born child, a stout 12-year-old boy by the name of John, was taken in by Farmer Jones for the fact that he could work. Then the second born child, 10-year-old Kate, was a “bright, active girl”. She was taken in by Mrs. Ellis, who was looking for a bound girl (indentured servant). Then finally there was Maggie, the youngest. She had sustained serious injuries to her back/spine and had been rendered unable to move from her bed without her mother’s help. This being so no one in the village wanted the orphan sick child. Except for one sympathetic, compassionate wheelwright man. His name was Joe Thompson. He takes her to his home, to his bitter and cold wife not knowing what to expect. After establishing the fact that he plans on taking her to the poor house possibly the next day and tactical words from Joe,his wife settles down from her riled up state. Joe pleads with his dour wife, “Look at her kindly, Jane; speak to her kindly,’’Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life.”After spending the day/night with the small child, Mrs. Thompson’s heart softened with every moment while she tended to the small orphan. Not having a child of her own or any interests or things to take care of had made her less compassionate. Caring for the orphaned child gives her a sense of purpose and meaning in her life. Thus, changing not only her attitude but also her life. The little girl brought light and joy into their home. Unveiled the theme shows that ‘Good comes to people who do good.’

Besides the above given theme the subject of this short story is also disease. The story begins by displaying the negative things that disease brings with it, like the mother’s death due to her addiction and Maggie being stuck alone because no one wants to adopt the child who cannot walk. Conversely, the end of the story demonstrates the happiness that accepting disease can bring, when the Thompsons take Maggie in and are finally happy.

Highlights of Speech/or Summary

Outside of her home, a woman drops dead of excessive alcoholism. Everyone saw it coming, and really, she wasn’t all that well liked in her community. But now what must the village do with her three children? Her two eldest are old and fit enough to be put to work in one way or another but the youngest, Maggie, is chronically ill and of no use to anyone for anything. The general consensus is that she must be taken to the poorhouse if she has no relations to take her in, and no charitable heart around her to fill the role of guardian. Everyone is quick to sentence poor Maggie to her fate, however, no one is willing to actually drop her off into a life of assured misery. A man named Joe Thompson finally goes to check on her, he is instantly charmed by her cherubic demeanour and innocent look. He decided to take her in for the night but planned on bringing her to the poor house the next morning, because he knew his wife would not approve of her. When Joe brought Maggie home in his arms, his wife Mrs. Thompson was enraged that he had brought that “sick brat” into her house. Joe convinces the dour Mrs. Thompson to take poor Maggie in for a short while. He says, Joe begged her to “Look at her kindly, Jane; speak to her kindly,”, “Think of her dead mother, and the loneliness, the pain, the sorrow that must be on all her coming life.” While Joe was out at work Mrs. Thompson spent the day with Maggie and grew very fond of her. The Thompsons ended up keeping Maggie, and she became a blessing, “It had been dark, and cold, and miserable there for a long time just because his wife had nothing to love and care for out of herself, and so became soar, irritable, ill-tempered, and self-afflicting in the desolation of her woman’s nature. Now the sweetness of that sick child, looking ever to her in love, patience, and gratitude, was as honey to her soul, and she carried her in her heart as well as in her arms, a precious burden” – Maggie was an angle in disguise.

Characters

The writer reveals all the characters by means of both direct and indirect characterisation. For example, at the very beginning of the story the author introduces us some characters by direct characterisation: ‘This woman had been despised, scoffed at, and angrily denounced by nearly every man, woman, and child in the village judging by these words, we may assume that the woman’s life was very hard, there was nobody to support her, to help her.

Maggie

Maggie is the youngest of her family, and is tragically crippled from falling from a window two years prior. She is unable to leave her bed unless carried in someone’s arms. Maggie symbolizes innocence and dependency, because she literally cannot survive without the love and care of someone else. This is seen as a burden at first glance, but Maggie turns out to be a blessing in the Thompson home because she gives Mrs. Thompson purpose. Maggie’s character illustrates the main theme of the short story,that humans cannot survive without other humans to love and care for them.

Maggie, is described as a weak person, but quite experienced. She didn’t talk a lot, the author pays special attention to her personality indirectly, but very masterfully. From the very beginning of the story one can feel how much Maggie was afraid to stay alone: ‘But no one said ‘[’11 take Maggie’. Pitying glances were cast on her wan and wasted form and thoughts were troubled on her account. Mothers brought cast-off garments and, removing her soiled and ragged clothes, dressed her in clean attire. The sad eyes and patient face of the little one touched many hearts, and even knocked at them for entrance’. She kept silent, her eyes told more. By all means, she understood that “But none opened to take her in. Who wanted a bed-ridden child?’, thus the author shows us a remarkable piece of realistic character drawing. The author renders the atmosphere of her loneliness very artfully.Usage of such words as ‘tearful’, ‘scarcely’, ‘a sobbing farewell’, ‘refraining from a look’, ‘alone’ evoke an emotional response and the reader gets the vivid notion of the situation described. ‘O, Mr. Thompson!’ she cried out, catching her suspended breath, ‘don’t leave me here all alone!’, it has a very specific emotional colouring and the author conveys much while saying little. The author gives a very bright indirect characterization of Maggie’s personality: ‘…somebody’s arms must carry her, and mine are strong enough for that task’. On the one hand, this example shows how weak and helpless Maggie is and, on the other hand, the example demonstrates Mr. Thompson’s responsibility, his strong character. Besides, the author uses speech characterization to reveal Maggie’s personality. There is a dialogue which shows the personality of a small child, who is in despair, who has just lost her family but now has other parents, who is happy and sad at the same time, who doesn’t know what to expect next. In the dialogue Maggie gives very short replies. For example: “Yes, sir’, ‘He used to come’, ‘No, sir’. She is very polite,always said ‘sir’.

Mrs. Thompson

Mrs.Thompson is first introduced as a very cruel harsh character with little compassion * for Maggie, calling her a “sick brat”. Mrs Thompson was a bitter and angry person before Maggie came into her life.She had nothing to love and care for out of herself, and so became sore, irritable, ill-tempered, and self-afflicting in the desolation of her woman’s nature. But after spending time with Maggie, Mrs. Thompson is transformed and decided she wanted to take care of Maggie for a few more days, which eventually turned into the rest of her life. Mrs Thompson ends up falling in love with Maggie, and finds purpose in taking care and looking after her. Maggie and her love changed Mrs Thompson. The sweetness of that sick child, looking ever to her in love, patience, and gratitude, was as honey to her soul, and she carried her in her heart as well as in her arms like a precious burden. Mrs. Thompson’s character illuminates the theme of caring, and how caring for and loving others can bring the best out of someone and give someone a purpose for living. T. S. Arthur tells,‘Joe Thompson’s wife, who happened to be childless, was not a woman of saintly temper, nor much given to self-denial for others’ good…’. As for this phrase we may predict that Mr. and Mrs. Thompson are likely two poles apart.

Mr Thompson

‘Though rough in exterior, Joe Thompson, the wheelwright, had a heart, and it was very tender in some places. He liked children, and was pleased to have them come to his shop… ’ judging by this phrase we get to know that Mr. Thompson is really a kind-hearted sort of person, who loves to spend his time with children. Mr. Thompson is a strong man, but the experience with Maggie touched him greatly, that’s why he cried a little bit. And what is more, those tears proved that he was happy that his wife changed.

Minor characters

Farmer Jones and Mrs. Ellis, are minor characters and presented in the story, so to say, just directly: ‘Farmer Jones, after the coffin was taken out, placed John in his wagon and drove away, satisfied that he had done his part.

Mrs. Ellis spoke to Kate with a hurried air, ‘Bid your sister good by,’ and drew the tearful children apart ere scarcely their lips had touched in a sobbing farewell’.

‘ However, we may imagine what kind of people they are. They weren’t interested in Maggie’s life, they took children as things. They left Maggie alone and no one cared about her future life, to send Maggie to the poorhouse was the easiest way out.

Title

The title of the story “An Angel in Disguise” is symbolic. Maggie is an angel in disguise. She has some problem with her health but she makes the life of other people more interesting, happier and fills of sense. She gives a speck of happiness for Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. She is as a honey to Mrs. Thompson’s soul. She is a little girl with a pure, clear and light soul. Maggie was the angel who came into their house. She came disguised as a sick, helpless, and miserable child, and filled all its dreary chambers with the sunshine of love. The author says she is disguised because her true self of love and beauty was hidden from the eyes of everyone and only when the Thompsons selflessly cared and loved her did the angel shower them with happiness in their lives.

Setting

The events of the story happen in the village, where every man or woman knows each other. The setting of the events is presented in a general way. The setting of the events is realistic. The author doesn’t describe the place, but we can imagine this place from the context. This village is dark and gloomy, because all descriptions in the story are in dark colors. But at the end of the story this description changes and the author uses in description words with positive semantic.

Style

The speaker in this story is a third person omniscient narrator (all-knowing). The story is in the third person narration, because the narrator is not an active participant of events and does not have any special insight into the characters’ perceptions. This technique is used when the author wants to make the narration more objective and free from any personal attitude, positive or negative.

The narrator has a bias toward the children, especially Maggie, due to her predicament of being an orphan whom everyone is reluctant to take in. The narrator demonstrates this bias when he describes Maggie as having “sad eyes and a patient face”, that once you’ve read it, it stays forever engraved in your heart.

Critical Appreciation

‘An Angel in Disguise’ is a story about love, kindness, human feelings and bereavement. This story is about an angel with open heart and pure soul. At the beginning this story is very sad, because three children: John, Kate and Maggie are left alone, when their mother dies in a drunken fit right in front of their eyes. Maggie is the youngest child. She is hopelessly diseased, because two years before her mother’s death, she had fallen out of a window and had injured her spine. No one wants to take her to their house; no one wants to bother with her, except Mr. Thompson.

The title of the story “An Angel in Disguise” is symbolic. Maggie is an angel in disguise. She has some problem with her health but she makes the life of other people more interesting and happier. She brings a spark of happiness for Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. She is as a honey to Mrs. Thompson’s soul. She is a little girl with a pure, clear and light soul.

The author’s message is to help other people, because we should be kind, sympathetic and tender, because there maybe an angel in disguise for us. The main theme of the story is that people can change and feel love for others.

The story is in the third person narration, because the narrator is not a participant of events. So the narrator is not an active participant in the story and does not have any special insight into the characters’ perceptions. This technique is used when the author wants to make the narration more objective and free from any personal attitude, positive or negative.

The author uses a neutral vocabulary but there are emotionally positive words (love, tender, sunshine of love etc.) and negative words (idles, vice, burial and others), high-flown words (farewell, chord, garments) and low word (brat). All these words make the story bright and interesting. There are some dialectal words: ‘tis, ‘ere, sha’n’t they help us to get to know about the character’s social status and occupation.

The author uses metaphors: ‘Though rough in exterior, Joe Thompson’ (the author uses it to make the description of Joe brighter, to show that he has a kind heart), ‘white face’ (to show Maggie’s inner condition, to show her paleness), ‘pity took the place of anger’ (to show the feelings of people to these children more vivid). One more example of the metaphor is ‘he wrapped her with the gentleness almost of a woman’ (it is used to describe the real feeling of Mr. Thompson.). ‘Her voice struck a chord that quivered in a low strain of music’ (it is used to show how the little girl is afraid). The author uses the metaphor to encourage us to draw a comparison between seemingly unrelated things.

The author masterly uses rich and vivid epithets, such as ‘a decent interment of the body’, ‘a bound girl’, ‘sobbing farewell’, ‘miserable work’, ‘pitying glances’, ‘a rough man’, ‘a sad place’. The epithets make the images described by the author more creative and interesting.

The author uses personifications ‘… love was springing into life’, ‘a few words came’ (they are used to help us understand the situation better), ‘a soft feeling crept into the heart’, ‘a weight lifted itself from his heart’. The personifications are used to make plain sentences more interesting.

There is one example of oxymoron: ‘death touches the spring’ (in most cases spring means that everything revives, come to life, but in this case it means death). The author uses it to create an ironic sense.

There are some examples of repetition: the end of the sentence is repeated: ‘Now, it is a small thing for us to keep this poor motherless little one for a single night; to be kind to her for a single night; to make her life comfortable for a single night’. It is used to make the story more interesting and pay attention to the last word.

The author uses elliptical sentences, such as: ‘Right soon’, ‘Yes, sir’, ‘But not lately?’, ‘Take her to the poorhouse’. They are used to avoid unnecessary words, be brief and draw our attention to more necessary words.

Exclamatory sentences are used: ‘She was alone!’, ‘O, Mr. Thompson’. ‘Women’s hearts are not half so hard as men’s!’, ‘How his heart swelled in his boson!’ They are used to put a great importance to these sentences and draw our attention to these sentences.

Rhetoric questions are used_not only to draw our attention, but to touch the soul of every reader.: ‘Who wanted a bed-ridden child?’.

Inversion is used to point out the most prominent part of a sentence: ‘On entering, Joe did not go immediately to the little chamber’.

This short story seems to target both an audience of alcoholics and those who discriminate against handicapped or disabled people. It targets alcoholics because it displays the tragedy that alcohol can inflict on a family. It also targets those who discriminate because the story illustrates the joy and love that disabled people can bring to ones life, and how valuable their life truly is.

The tone of the short story begins as a melancholy one, because a woman, who no one seemed to previously care about, has passed away and the townspeople suddenly act as if they are in mourning. This tone continues as the narrator reveals that the children are orphans, and especially when none of the townspeople are willing to take little Maggie in. Once Joe Thompson takes Maggie to his house, the tone shifts from melancholy to hopeful; although Mrs. Thompson wants to send Maggie to the poorhouse, her kindness toward the child foreshadows a possible change in mind. Finally, once Mrs. Thompson realizes that Maggie is bringing the couple happiness, the tone ultimately shifts to loving and optimistic for the future.

The recurring motif of disease or sickness which begins with the mother’s alcoholism and continues with Maggie’s injury and sickness demonstrates that a simple character flaw can cause positive and negative things to occur in one’s life. T. S. Arthur wrote this short story in order to illustrate the importance of caring and loving for others. Not only does Maggie need the care and love of another to survive, but Mrs. Thompson also needs Maggie as someone to care and love for to live a happy purposeful life. This displays that humans cannot survive without other humans to give them purpose and direction. T. S Arthur proves that love is essential for human survival.

Glossary

  1. Idleness: the state of being indolence; laziness
  2. Temperance: Moderation of passion; patience; calmness
  3. Scoffed: to jeer; laugh at with contempt and derision
  4. Poorhouse: a charitable institution where poor or homeless people are lodged
  5. Saintly: like a characteristic of a saint
  6. Mended: to repair
  7. Shrink: to become smaller
  8. Apt: suitable, appropriate; fit
  9. Errand: a trip to accomplish a small mission or to do some business
  10. Countenance: Appearance, esp. The feature and expression of the face

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Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 5 Notes A Face in the Dark

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Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 5 Notes A Face in the Dark – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

EnglishMathsPhysicsChemistryBiology

ICSE SolutionsSelina ICSE SolutionsML Aggarwal Solutions

About the Author

Ruskin Bond was born on 19 May 1934in a military hospital, to Edith Clarke and Aubrey Bond, in Kasauli. He is an Indian author of British descent. He lives with his adopted family in Landour, in Mussoorie, India. The Indian Council for Child Education has recognised his role in the growth of children’s literature in India. He got the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, for his published work in English. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 and Padma Bhushan in 2014

When Bond was eight years old, his mother separated from his father and married a Punjabi Hindu, Hari. Ellen lived in Ludhiana until she died in 2014.

Bond spent his early childhood in Jamnagar (Gujarat) and Shimla. At the age of ten, Ruskin went to live at his grandmother’s house in Dehradun after his father’s death that year from jaundice. Ruskin was raised by his mother and stepfather. He did his schooling from Bishop Cotton School in Shimla, from where he graduated in 1950 after winning several writing competitions in the school including the Irwin Divinity Prize and the Hailey Literature Prize. He wrote one of his first short stories, “Untouchable”, at the age of sixteen in 1951.

Most of his works are influenced by life in the hill stations at the foothills of the Himalayas, where he spent his childhood. His first novel, The Room On the Roof, was written when he was 17 and published when he was 21. It was partly based on his experiences at Dehradun, in his small rented room on the roof, and his friends. On writing for children, he said, “I had a pretty lonely childhood and it helps me to understand a child better.” Bond’s work reflects his Anglo-Indian experiences and the changing political, social and cultural aspects of India, having been through colonial, postcolonial and post­independence phases of India.

Being a writer for over 50 years, Bond experimented with different genres; early works include fiction, short stories, novella with some being autobiographical. Later, he tried out non-fiction, romance and books for children. He said his favourite genres are essays and short stories. He considers himself a “visual writer” because for short stories, he first imagines it like a film and then notes it down.

About the Story

  Ruskin Bond once famously remarked that while he does not believe in ghosts, he sees them all the time—in the woods, in a bar, in a crowd outside a cinema. Not surprising, then, that in his stories, ghosts, jinns, witches—and the occasional monster—are as real as the people he writes about. He makes the supernatural appear entirely natural, and therefore harder to ignore. This story brings together all of Ruskin Bond’s tales of the paranormal. It opens with perhaps his best-known story, the unforgettable ‘A Face in the Dark’ is set in a pine forest outside Simla, A Face in the Dark is the perfect story to have by your bedside when the moon is up.

A Face in the Dark is a short story with the theme of the supernatural bind. The supernatural and Bond’s classically beautiful descriptive and matter-of-fact writing style spin out a story that does not aim to scare the day lights out of you; it merely indulges in various accounts of what and how the supernatural may or may not exist as a part of our everyday life.

A Face in the Dark is one of Bond’s more famous stories, having been a part of Indian school’s English Lit. books for a long time now. This story is short and crisp and has one of those beautiful endings that say very little but tell a lot. The story is eerie, leaving one haunted in a melancholy sort of way, and is beautifully written.

Face In The Dark offers some semblance of escape for readers. It is able to “raise the possibility of another layer of life outside our material selves – something of the soul-force, the aura of a person that lingers on after the body is no more.” And so lingers on long after it has been read.

Plot

A Face in the Dark is a short story by Ruskin Bond. It’s the story set on a windy night when Mr Oliver, an Anglo-Indian teacher, dares to walk through the pine forest on his way back to the school after an evening at Simla Bazaar. He comes across a weeping boy who lifts his face, which is not a face but a flat something without eyes, nose or mouth. Mr Oliver runs only to bump into a watchman who again had a face like that of the faceless boy.

Theme

The story a Face in the Dark exhibits Bond’s interest in the supernatural. It deals with the paranormal depicting the story of a school teacher who while returning from the Simla Bazaar takes a shortcut through the forest and encounters a faceless weeping boy. The boy has no nose, ears or eyes. Mr Oliver runs in fear but to his horror meets the watchman who is also without a face.

Highlights of Speech/or Summary

A Face in the Dark is a short story by Ruskin Bond. It’s the story set on a windy night when Mr Oliver, an Anglo-Indian teacher, dares to walk through the pine forest on his way back to the school after an evening at Simla Bazaar. The Simla Bazaar was about three miles from the school. Mr Oliver, was a bachelor and would generally go to the town to while away time and then return using a shortcut through the pine forest.

At night when winds blew forcefully they would make an eerie sound which frightened most people and they preferred to take the main road. But Mr Oliver was not a nervous man . He took the forest road carrying a torch. The battery was low so the gleam moved fitfully down the road.

And then he saw a figure. It was a boy sitting alone on a rock. He stopped next to the. boy as boys from the school were not supposed to be out after dark. Inorder to see him better, Mr Oliver moved closer and said, ‘ What are you doing out here boy?’ The boy seemed to be crying. Mr Oliver asked him to look up and to his horror the boy had no face, ears, nose or eyes. There was just a cap over a smooth, round head. Mr Oliver gets horrified and drops the torch and runs for the school, crying for help.

He collided with the watchman who asked, ‘What is it, Sahib? Has there been an accident? Why are you running?’

Mr Oliver told him about the faceless boy he had seen in the forest and to his shock and utter horror the watchman raised the lamp to his own face which was like the boy’s with no ears, eyes or nose. A faceless man. And then the wind blew out the lamp.

Character

Mr Oliver

Mr Oliver was an Anglo- Indian teacher working in a boy’s boarding school near Simla. He had been at the school for several years. He was a bachelor and liked to stroll to the Simla Bazaar in the evening. He was a man who prided himself on not being fearful of the dark and was unafraid. Hence he often returned to the school in the late evening via the shortcut through the pine forest. But seeing the faceless boy in the forest scares and horrifies him and in panic he drops his torch and runs towards the school meeting the watchman on the way. But to his dismay the watchman too is without a face. Maybe it was all his imagination, his inherent fears being conjured to frighten him face to face in the dark.

Title

The title of the story ‘A Face in the Dark’ is very appropriate as it suggests to the reader a theme which is got dark or paranormal connotations. The story revolves around Mr Oliver and his strange and frightening encounter with a faceless boy in the eerie forest in the darkness of the night. Mr Oliver stumbles into a faceless watchman when he runs towards the school. So the emphasis is on his strange experience with people who are weird in the sense they have no face. These are supernatural experiences, extensions maybe of Mr Oliver’s subconscious fears.

Setting

The setting of the story is a deep and dark pine forest on the outskirts of the north Indian hill- station, Simla. Mr Oliver, a bachelor often visited the Simla Bazaar in the evening and then took a shortcut through the forest to, the school. But on a particular night as he returned through the forest he saw a boy sitting on a rock and crying. When he asked the boy to raise his face , he saw in the flickering light of his torch a faceless round head with a cap perched over it. In fear he ran towards the school only to encounter another faceless entity in the form of the watchman. The setting of the story thus is mysterious, eerie and supernatural.

Style

Ruskin Bond stories are not horror they are like experiences. None of the experiences he describes are dangerous, life threatening or altering – they are just different. All his stories are good hearted, honest and believable. And even in this story Ruskin Bond yet again proves he is a master story teller and more than that a master story collector.

In order to suit his theme and make the story more impactful Ruskin Bond adopts a simple, lucid and straightforward style. The story is narrated in the third person by an omniscient author. The author has used apt and appropriate imagery and language to create an atmosphere of eeriness and super naturalism and is catering not only to the imagination of adults but also of children. The dialogues are crisp and short and the descriptions of the scenes and setting very vivid and graphic which all enhance the mysterious and weird atmosphere which the author aims at creating.

The author adroitly uses language to create his mysterious and strange atmosphere. . He opens the story with a everyday, normal occurrence and through the use of words and phrases like ‘sad,’ ‘eerie sounds,’ ‘racked with silent sobbing,’ ‘shook convulsively’ succeeds in creating an atmosphere replete with supernatural and fearful connotations.

Critical Appreciation

A Face in the Dark is a short story by Ruskin Bond. It is a story that is set in a strange and mysterious setting and atmosphere. On a windy night when Mr Oliver, an Anglo-Indian teacher, dares to walk through the pine forest on his way back to the school after an evening at Simla Bazaar he is faced with a weird experience. The Simla Bazaar was about three miles from the school. Mr Oliver, was a bachelor and would generally go to the town to while away time and then return using a shortcut through the pine forest. In the forest in the dark he comes across a weeping boy who lifts his face, which is not a face but a flat something without eyes, nose or mouth. Mr Oliver runs only to bump into a watchman who again had a face like that of the faceless boy.

In this story Ruskin Bond yet again proves he is a master story teller. He draws on his travels, interactions with people, and his bonding with them gives them the confidence to share their stories with him which then he presents in the same tone and style bringing his silent listener’s great talent in it. His writing skill lies in the way he graphically uses his language and imagination to transport us to the hills and watching the sun setting beautifully and the dark night enveloping the forest with the wind howling in the trees to create an eerie and strange atmosphere. The imagery abounds in super naturalism and paranormal scenes. The image of a lonely boy in the night in a dark forest amidst the howling wind and rustling leaves, sitting on a rock ‘racked by silent weeping’ not only evokes a feeling of strangeness, of impending horror but also of sympathy for a weeping child. Thus a mastery of language helps him to achieve this effect. Ruskin Bond stories are not horror they are like haunting experiences. The experience is not dangerous, life threatening or altering -it is just different. It is honest and believable.

The tone is straightforward and objective without melodrama. The author with his consummate simplicity of style puts one at ease as if feel one is spending a weekend on a hill station and then late at night next to the bonfire everyone starts telling you about the stories they have heard from strangers with haunting experiences. His tone and style gradually make make the reader warm like the bonfire burning, and attention is only diverted when shadows move in the vicinity or leaves rustle as if someone far is listening. One is transported into the world of paranormal activities without realising but the story is in no way macabre.

Bond builds the atmosphere from the ordinary to the surreal. He opens with the description of the ordinary school teacher’s routine, then introduces the eerie atmosphere of the dark forest with the howling wind, then a surprise element of sympathy and anger at the boy out after dark leading to the horror of the faceless entity, a surreal and weird encounter. The narrator writes, ‘He carried a torch -on the night I write of, its pale gleam, the batteries were running down – moved fitfully over the narrow forest path. When its flickering light fell on the figure of a boy, who was sitting alone on a rock, Mr. Oliver stopped.

Boys were not supposed to be out of school after seven p.m. and it was now well past nine.’ This detail about the torch suggests that something is not right and makes us wait expectantly for the unusual. And such an effect speaks of the superior writing and storytelling skills of Ruskin Bond.

Glossary

  1. Outskirts: parts of a town away from the center.
  2. Strolled: to walk in a relaxed manner.
  3. Eerie: mysterious, frightening, strange.
  4. Nervous: anxious.
  5. Miscreant: a person who has done something wrong.
  6. Distinctly: clearly.
  7. Scrambled: moved quickly.
  8. Stumbled: tripped.
  9. Gasping: breathing heavily and in a fast way.
  10. Horrible: terrible.

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Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 4 Notes Hearts and Hands

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Treasure Trove A Collection of ICSE Short Stories Workbook Answers Chapter 4 Hearts and Hands – ICSE Class 10, 9 English

EnglishMathsPhysicsChemistryBiology

ICSE SolutionsSelina ICSE SolutionsML Aggarwal Solutions

About the Author
0.Henry (1862 – 1910) was born under the name William Sydney Porter in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1862. This Amercian short story writer has a rich canon and his short stories are well known through out the world; noted for their witticism, clever wordplay, and unexpected twist endings.

Like many other writers, O. Henry’s early career aspirations were unfocused and he wandered across different activities and professions before he finally found his calling as a short story writer. He started working in his uncle’s drugstore in 1879 and became a licensed pharmacist by the age of 19. His first creative expressions came while working in the pharmacy where he would sketch the townspeople that frequented the store. The customers reacted warmly to his drawings and he was admired for his artistry and drawing skills.

O.Henry’s prolific writing period began in 1902 in New York City, where he wrote 381 short stories. He wrote one story a week for The New York World Sunday Magazine for over a year. Some of his best and least known work is contained in Cabbages and Kings, his first collection of published stories, set in a central American town, in which sub-plots and larger plots are interwoven in an engaging manner. His second collection of stories, The Four Million, was released in 1906. The stories are set in New York City, and the title is based on the population of the city at that time. The collection contained several short story masterpieces, including The Gift of the Magi, The Cop and the Anthem, and many others. Henry had an obvious affection for New York City, a reverence that rises up through some of these stories.

O.Henry’s trademark is his witty, plot-twisting endings, and his warm characterization of the awkward and difficult situations and the creative ways people find to resolve them.

Unfortunately, O. Henry’s personal tragedy was heavy drinking and by 1908 his health had deteriorated and his writing dropped off accordingly. He died in 1910 of cirrhosis of the liver, complications of diabetes, and an enlarged heart. The funeral was held in New York City, but he was buried in North Carolina, the state where he was born. He was a gifted short story writer and left us a rich legacy of great stories to enjoy.

About the Story

“Hearts and Hands” by O. Henry is a story about two acquaintances who meet on a train. When Mr. Easton encounters Miss Fairchild, he is handcuffed to another man. One passenger on the train, however, realizes that things are not as they seem.

Like many of 0. Henry’s short stories, a surprise ending awaits at the end of the story in ‘Hearts and Hands.’ The story is set on a train to Denver. An elegantly attired woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. It quickly becomes apparent that the woman knows one of the men.

She speaks to this man, Mr. Easton, and then she is rather surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. As Easton greets the young woman, ‘He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left one of his companion.’

Evidently, the man with Easton senses Easton’s embarrassment and volunteers an explanation: Easton is the marshal, and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison. ‘It’s seven years for counterfeiting’ Easton says. As the conversation continues, the woman is surprised to learn that Easton has discarded his life in Washington to become a marshal out west, but she finds the west agreeable as well.

The young woman continues to chat with her acquaintance, but she continues to stare at the handcuffs. To ease her concerns, the scruffy looking older man tells her, ‘Don’t you worry about them, miss,’ said the other man. ‘All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr. Easton knows his business.’ As the two men stand to go to the smoker car, the young woman bids Mr. Easton goodbye.

All the while, two passengers seated nearby have listened to the conversation. One remarks on Mr. Easton’s appearance, saying that he seems too young to be a marshal. The other eavesdropping passenger corrects the mistake—one that the young woman and readers have likely made as well. Mr. Easton is not the marshal; he is the counterfeiter. ‘Oh! didn’t you catch on?’ the passenger says. ‘Say—did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?’ The ending comes as a surprise and this is what makes the story remarkable.

Plot

The story opens in Denver, with the boarding of passengers on the eastbound B.M. Express into one of the coaches where, “a very pretty young woman,” sits. Miss Fairchild (the young woman) recognizes Mr. Easton (the young man) and strikes up a conversation with him. The handcuffs, however, worry Miss Fairchild, but the “prisoner” soothes her worries, explaining that Mr. Easton is a marshal taking him to prison. The two converse untiTthe men depart to the smoke room at the prisoner’s request.

  1. Exposition-Miss Fairchild is on a train and she sees one of her old friends, Mr.Easton, who is handcuffed to a prisoner. She is puzzled.
  2. Rising Action-They both start talking to each other and she finds out that he is a marshall as she is informed by the other man.
  3. Climax-They tell each other about their lives and how they miss one another. The story cuts to another set of passengers who had been listening in on the conversation. One comments on the marshal’s good character. His companion comments on the young age of the marshal. The other seems confused before replying, “did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand.
  4. Falling Action-Mr.Easton goes and takes the prisoner to the smoking room. The conclusion is ambiguous because the story leaves the reader to connect the dots without telling what happened after the other passenger’s comment.Mr. Easton told Miss Fairchild that he needed to go to Leavenworth, but he didn’t say whether he would be going as a marshal or a prisoner. He also said, “ My butterfly days are over,” hinting at his future imprisonment. Miss Fairchild, however, thought he was referring to his social days. Mr. Easton uneasiness and shyness a the beginning of the story also foreshadow the conclusion.
  5. Resolution-Mr.Easton says goodbye to his old friend Miss Fairchild. The other passengers discuss the improbability of Mr Easton being the Marshall and the story ends on a note of ambiguity.

Theme

The theme in the story‘Heart and Hands’ is the idea that people are not always as they appear. We realize at the end of the story that one has been misled to believe that Mr. Easton is the marshal when in reality he is the prisoner and a criminal. This information shocks since it is a complete surprise.

Another theme is that kindness can be applied in any situation and to anyone, criminal or not. The marshal is compassionate toward Mr. Easton and helps him out of an embarrassing situation even though he does not have to.

An important idea suggested is that money is not everything. The author also wants to tell us that one must never forget our origins or where we came from. The story also puts forward the idea that one may run into old friends in the most unlikely of places. ‘Well Mr. Easton if you will make me speak first I suppose I must. Don’t you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the west.’

Highlights of Speech/or Summary

A pair of men handcuffed together board a Denver train. There is a very elegant lady who happens to know one of the handcuffed men. The pair sit across from the elegant lady who asks if the man remembers her. The lady is horrified when she sees the handcuffs but he explains to her that he is the Marshall and is transporting the prisoner to Leavenworth prison. Mr Easton, who is acquainted with Miss Fairchild explains that money was tight and he took a job transporting prisoners. The prisoner explains that all marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away after Miss Fairchild takes a nervous glance at the handcuffs. The prisoner says that he hasn’t had a drink and hasn’t smoked all day. They leave Miss Fairchild to go into the smoking car. One of the other passengers claims ‘Pretty young to hold an office like that, isn’t he?’. Another passenger says ‘why-Oh! didn’t you catch on? Say-did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?’ This is O. Henry’s way of telling the reader that Mr. Easton was actually the prisoner aiuj the ‘prisoner’ was actually the

Marshall transporting Mr. Easton to a new prison. The two men switched roles because Mr. Easton did not want Miss Fairchild to know that he was going to prison.

Like many of O. Henry’s short stories, a surprise ending awaits at the end of ‘Hearts and Hands.’ The story is set on a train to Denver. An elegantly attired woman named Miss Fairchild is seated on the train when two men arrive and take the seat facing her. It quickly becomes apparent that the woman knows one of the men.

She speaks to this man, Mr. Easton, and then she is rather surprised to discover that he is handcuffed to the man seated beside him. As Easton greets the young woman,’He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining ‘bracelet’ to the left one of his companion.’

Evidently, the man with Easton senses Easton’s embarrassment and volunteers an explanation: Easton is the marshal, and the two are headed for Leavenworth prison. ‘It’s seven years for counterfeiting’ Easton says. As the conversation continues, the woman is surprised to learn that Easton has discarded his life in Washington to become a marshal out west, but she finds the west agreeable as well.

The young woman continues to chat with her acquaintance, but she continues to stare at the handcuffs. To ease her concerns, the scruffy looking older man tells her, ‘Don’t you worry about them, miss,’ said the other man. ‘All marshals handcuff themselves to their prisoners to keep them from getting away. Mr. Easton knows his business.’ As the two men stand to go to the smoker car, the young woman bids Mr. Easton goodbye.

All the while, two passengers seated nearby have listened to the conversation. One remarks on Mr. Easton’s appearance, saying that he seems too young to be a marshal. The other eavesdropping passenger corrects the mistake—one that the young woman and readers have likely made as well. Mr. Easton is not the marshal; he is the counterfeiter. ‘Oh! didn’t you catch on?’ the passenger says. ‘Say—did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand?’

Characters

Mr Eastou

Mr. Easton is a handsome young man with a “bold, frank countenance and manner.” He is a good liar, possibly likes Miss Fairchild, and cares about his reputation. He is a flat character who is directly characterized. He is described as having a handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance. Throughout the story, Miss Fairchild speaks to Mr. Easton as if he is a hero because he is marshal. “And so now you are one of thee dashing Western heroes, and you ride and shoot and go into kinds of dangers.” However, at the end, the reader finds out that he is not a hero at all. Fie uses dramatic irony with the misleading descriptions of t he marshal and Mr. Easton which cause the reader to believe that the marshal is the prisoner and the prisoner is the marshal. When Mr Easton was accosted by Miss Fairchild he was initially surprised but was quick enough to rouse himself sharply at the sound of her voice, and smart to cover his slight embarrassment instantly, and then graciously clasped her fingers with his left hand.” It’s Miss Fairchild,”he said, with a smile. “I’ll ask you to excuse the other hand; “it’s otherwise engaged just at present.”

He slightly raised his right hand, bound at the wrist by the shining “bracelet” to the left one of his companion. This shows that he was a man who could use his wits to cover his real self and was accustomed to fool people with his handsome looks. When he saw that Miss Fairchild was upset on seeing his handcuffs he tried to cover up with a little laugh, as if amused.

Easton was a thick skinned con man who did not have qualms about hiding his identity from his friend “My dear Miss Fairchild,” said Easton, calmly, “I had to do something. Money has a way of taking wings unto itself, and you know it takes money to keep step with our crowd in Washington. I saw this opening in the West, and—well, a marshalship isn’t quite as high a position as that of ambassador, but—”

Miss Fairchild

Miss Fairchild is gullible, pretty, and fair skinned. She is possibly uneducated. She is a flat character who is directly characterized. She is the protagonist.

Miss Fairchild is a very pretty young woman dressed in elegant taste and surrounded by all the luxurious comforts of an experienced traveller. She appears to be rich, materialistic and self engrossed. At first she appears disinterested in the two new passengers who board the train as her ‘glance fell upon them with a distant, swift disinterest; then with a lovely smile brightening her countenance and a tender pink tingeing her rounded cheeks, she held out a little gray-gloved hand.’ Her voice was full, sweet, and deliberate, and it showed that its owner was accustomed to speak and be heard.”Well, Mr. Easton, if you will make me speak first, I suppose I must. Don’t you ever recognize old friends when you meet them in the West?”

Miss Fairchild was a lady who liked to play safe and did not want to get involved in anything wrong. So she was upset to see Easton handcuffed to the other man.’The glad look in the girl’s eyes slowly changed to a bewildered horror. The glow faded from her cheeks. Her lips parted in a vague, relaxing distress’

At heart she loved the life in the west and says, “I love the West.”. Her eyes were shining softly. She looked away out the car window. She began to speak truly and simply without the gloss of style and manner.

The Marshall

‘ The Marshall is a ruffled, glum faced person, heavily built and roughly dressed. He was a man with keen, shrewd eyes. He is a flat character who is directly characterized.

The marshal is kind-hearted and compassionate toward Mr. Easton and helps him out of an embarrassing situation even though he does not have to. When he sees that Easton is embarrassed from his friend he helps out by saying that Easton is the Marshall.

“You’ll excuse me for speaking, miss, but, I see you’re acquainted with the marshall here. If you’ll ask him to speak a word for me when we get to the pen he’ll do it, and it’ll make things easier for me there. He’s taking me to Leavenworth prison. It’s seven years for counterfeiting.”          ‘

“Oh!” said the girl, with a deep breath and returning color. “So that is what you are doing out here? A marshal!”

Other Passengers

The other passengers are flat characters who are indirectly characterized.

Title

The title, Of Hearts and Hands, is significantly suggestive and appropriate because it refers to the conclusion of the story where the true identities of Mr. Easton and the marshal with the knowledge that a marshal always cuff’s prisoners to their left hand. Mr. Easton is handcuffed on his right hand. It may also refer to the marshal’s good heart and the helping hand he offered Mr. Easton in relation to Miss Fairchild. It may also have something to do with the flirtatious relationship between Miss Fairchild and Mr. Easton.

Setting

The setting of this story occurs on the B&M express also known as the Denver train. It takes place during the time in American history known as the wild west, or the early colonization of the west coast. The majority of the story takes place in one of the coaches. The story feels engaging and busy with a casual, unassuming atmosphere. The passengers have a light conversation and then go their separate ways.

Style

In the story, the point of view and narrative is of the third person. The reader can tell because the narrator is subjective towards each character. This is the best point-of- view for the story to be in because it allows the reader to be surprised at the end. If it was omniscient, the reader would know Mr. Easton’s thoughts. For example, ‘Oh man, I hope she is going to believe that I’m a marshal!’ If it were omniscient, then the surprise would be ruined.

Critical Appreciation

The story opens in Denver, with the boarding of passengers on the eastbound B.M. Express into one of the coaches where, “a very pretty young woman,” sits.

Miss Fairchild (the young woman) recognizes Mr. Easton (the young man) and strikes up a conversation with him. The handcuffs, however, worry Miss Fairchild, but the “prisoner” soothes her worries, explaining that Mr. Easton is a marshal taking him to prison. The two converse until the men depart to the smoke room at the prisoner’s request.

The story cuts to another set of passengers who had been listening in on the conversation. One comments on the marshal’s good character. His companion comments on the young age of the marshal. The other seems confused before replying, ‘did you ever know an officer to handcuff a prisoner to his right hand.’

The conclusion is ambiguous because the story leaves the reader to connect the dots without telling what happened after the other passenger’s comment. Mr. Easton told Miss Fairchild that he needed to go to Leavenworth, but he didn’t say whether he would be going as a marshal or a prisoner. He also said, ‘My butterfly says are over,’ hinting at his future imprisonment. Miss Fairchild, however, thought he was referring to his social days. Mr. Easton uneasiness and shyness at the beginning of the story also foreshadows the conclusion.

This short story has three main characters and two characters who reveal the short story’s irony. Irony in literature occurs when writers portray an event or character in a surprising and unexpected way. The three main characters are Miss Fairfield, her acquaintance Mr. Easton, and the marshal. All the characters in the short story are on a train bound for Denver. Perhaps running into Easton in this manner seems like a fortuitous meeting to the young woman, and she misses the clues that might have indicated the truth of Easton’s situation. Easton is described as having a ‘handsome presence with a bold, frank countenance and manner.’ The author uses irony of situation in the fact that Mr. Easton is handsome, but he is a criminal, and the marshal is rough-looking, but he is not a criminal .An example of verbal irony is when Mr Easton says, ‘My butterfly days are over, I fear.’ He knows lie’s not talking about social days with Miss Fairchild; he’s talking about being locked up and not being free. This also denotes dramatic irony which is created when the protagonist knows the opposite of what you know; the audience knows, but Miss Fairchild doesn’t.

Throughout the story, Miss Fairchild speaks to Mr. Easton as if he is a hero because he is marshal. ‘And so now you are one of the dashing Western heroes, and you ride and shoot and go into kinds of dangers.’ However, at the end, the reader finds out that he is not a hero at all. O Henry uses dramatic irony with the misleading descriptions of the marshal and Mr. Easton which lead us to believe that the marshal is the prisoner and the prisoner is the marshal.

The handcuffs symbolize a lower standard of living, especially compared to Miss Fairchild’s standard of living. When Mr. Easton points them out, Miss Fairchild is horrified and quick to judge the situation.

The tone of the story is casual and unassuming, with the majority of the story consisting of ligh-thearted conversation between the passengers There is nothing extremely suspicious to prematurely lead us to the conclusion of the story until the surprise is revealed.

The title, Of Hearts and Hands, is significant because it refers to the conclusion of the story where the true identities of Mr. Easton and the marshal with the knowledge that a marshal always cuff’s prisoners to their left hand. It may also refer to the marshal’s good heart and the helping hand he offered Mr. Easton in relation to Miss Fairchild. It may also have something to do with the flirtatious relationship between Miss Fairchild and Mr. Easton. The conclusion is ambiguous because the story leaves the reader to connect the dots without telling what happened after the other passenger’s comment.

The author makes use of personification: T think the air agrees with me.’ And then hyperbole when the marshal says: ‘I’m half dead for a pipe.’ Imagery is also adeptly employed by O Henry : ‘The young woman’s glance fell upon them with a distant swift disinterest then with a lovely smile brightening her countenance and tender pink tingeing her rounded cheeks she held out a little gray gloved hand.’

Glossary

  1. Influx (noun): an arrival of a large number of people or things
  2. A passenger car of a train
  3. Here, “B. & M. Express” is likely a reference to the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, an American railroad company in the west from the late 19th century.
  4. Frank (adjective): honest and straightforward in speech or attitude; outspoken or blunt
  5. Countenance (noun): a person’s face or facial expression
  6. Glum (adjective): looking or feeling gloomy
  7. Vacant (adjective): empty
  8. Deliberate (adjective): purposeful; planned or decided ahead of time
  9. Rouse (verb): to stop being inactive and start doing something; to become excited or emotional; to get up
  10. Distress (noun): a state of extreme sorrow, suffering, or pain
  11. Shrewd (adjective): having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute
  12. Acquainted (adjective): familiar (with)
  13. A marshal is a federal or municipal law officer
  14. Slang for a penitentiary jail or prison
  15. Counterfeiting- refers to the illegal practice of manufacturing fake money.
  16. Irrelevantly (adverb): not connected with what you are discussing or dealing with
  17. Sidle (verb): to walk in a quiet or cautious way

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