More Related Content
What's hot (20)
Similar to Should wizard hit mommy (14)
Recently uploaded (20)
Should wizard hit mommy
- 1. Should Wizard Hit Mommy? By John Updike
- 2. .
- 3. . John Hoyer Updike (18 March 1932 27 January 2009) was an American novelist, poet, short story writer and art and literary critic. His most famous work is his Rabbit Series. He has focused on the concerns, passions and sufferings of the average American. He is considered as one of the greatest American writers of his time. He published more than twenty novels, more than a dozen short-story collections, as well as poetry, art and literary criticism and children's books during his career.
- 4. The story revolves around Jack who is a father to two kids -- Joanne (Jo) and Bobby. His wife Clare is carrying their third child. Jack has a habit of telling his daughter, Jo a story every evening and on Saturday afternoon naps. This time when he is telling her a story, she interrupts him and asks him questions whenever she feels that things that are being told are not right. So Jack now finds himself in a fix and doesn't know how to resolve Jos questions. Parents feel that children should do or think exactly what they are told. They should believe whatever they are told by their parents. But is this the right attitude? This moral question is raised by the story and left for the readers to decide what should be done.
- 5. As we all know that little children absolutely love to hear stories during bedtime from adults. Moreover, the stories they hear are also fables and carry no logic. Further, to put kids to bed, the parents also make up stories to make them sleep. However, for the little ones, they are not made-up but very much true. This also affects the child growing up and they start questioning things. Thus, when they start getting older, they need to know about the reason behind why things happen and how. Similarly, parents sometimes discourage such questions. But, is it appropriate to act in such a way? This is exactly what this story will tell us. It raises a moral issue which the readers at the end may decide for themselves.
- 6. The story begins by telling us about Jack has two little kids. The kids are Jo and Bobby. His wife, Clare was pregnant with their third one. Thus, to put his daughter to bed, Jack would make up stories for her. This story-telling tradition started when Jo was 2 and thus continued ever since. Jack makes sure that he tells a different story every time. However, a small creature was always common, Roger. For instance, it was either Roger Fish or Roger Chipmunk. Roger goes to the wise old owl with problems that would send him to a Wizard. Thus, the Wizards spell would solve the problem after payment of pennies.
- 7. Now that Jo is growing up, it is getting difficult to put her to bed for nap time in afternoons. Thus, one day Jack decides to tell her a story about Roger Skunk. In this story, there is a little skunk that always smells very bad. It is so bad that no animals play with him and he is always alone. Thus, Roger Skunk decides to go to the wise old owl. As usual, the owl sends him to the Wizard. The Wizard with his spells asks Roger Skunk about his wish. He expresses his wish to smell like roses to which the Wizard agrees. After that, all the animals start playing with the Skunk and he plays till it gets dark. Finally, Roger Skunk goes home to his mommy. Jo thinks the story is over when Jack continues.
- 8. After reaching home, the mommy notices the awful smell and asks him that who made him smell like that. Roger Skunk tells her that he does not like the way he smells so he asked the Wizard to help him smell like roses. This infuriates the mother and tells him to accept himself for what he is. She goes to the Wizard all angry and asks him to return the skunk smell after hitting him on his head.
- 9. Thus, the Wizard reverses his spell and Roger Skunk is back to smelling like he did before. However, this new ending does not please Jo. She wants that her father should tell her that the next day the wizard hits the stupid mommy back and refuses to change the skunks smell back. Jack tells her that the main point of the story is that the skunk loves his mother more than any other animal in the woods and that mommy knows what is right for him. But Joe is not convinced with this new ending. Then Jack tells her that he will see . He then tells her to sleep as her baby brother is also sleeping. He, then closes the door and goes downstairs.
- 10. His wife is painting the chair rail. Clare asks him that it was a long story and to that he replies the poor kid. Then he watches his wife do the painting and working but is very tired to help her. Then he starts looking at the woodwork around him and relates it to his life. He is looking at it and thinking that although both of them (Jack and Clare) are caught in a cage like situation in their marriage, there is no solution to it. Neither he wants to talk to her nor speak or touch her.
- 11. To sum up, Should Wizard Hit Mommy? summary, we learn about the moral quandary parents often face when the children start growing up and thinking independently, it helps us get a glimpse into their innocent minds and adult authority over it.
- 12. Important questions and answers Que1. How does Jo want the story of Roger Skunk to end? Ans: In the original story Rogers mommy hits the wizard on the head with an umbrella. So the wizard makes Roger smell bad again. Jo wants the story to end the other way round. She wants the wizard to hit on the head of stupid mommy. She holds Rogers stupid mother responsible for making Roger smell bad again and so she wants her to be punished. Que2. How does Roger Skunk pay the wizard? Ans: The wizard demands seven pennies as fee to make Roger Skunk smell like roses. Skunk has only four pennies. The wizard tells him how and where to find the rest of the three pennies. Roger follows the wizards instructions and finds the three pennies in the magic well and pays the wizard the full amount.
- 13. Que3. What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most and why? Ans: Jack enjoyed narrating the part of the story where Roger goes to the Wizards house. He imitated the Wizards voice by scrunching up his face and somehow whining through his eyes. He felt being an old man suited him. He enjoyed the part where he mixed his own childhood humiliations and experiences with the narration of the story. Que4. How was the Skunks story different from the other stories narrated by Jack? Ans: Jo had never opposed the ending of any other story narrated by Jack. She had never challenged her fathers authority and never interrupted his narration earlier. Through this story, Jack wanted to prove that parents always know what is right, but Jo entirely disapproved of the ending of the Skunks story.
- 14. Que5. Why does Jack insist that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother? Ans: Jack insisted that it was the wizard that was hit and not the mother because he wanted to prove a point to Jo that the little Skunk loved his mother more than he loved all the other little animals and his mother knew what was right for him. Que6. How are Jacks views on life different from those of Jo? Ans: Jo is a child and her views on life are rather different from those of her father. She lives in a make-believe world where beauty and friendship are the supreme rulers, unlike Jack, who is an adult, and has a mature perspective and can see beyond the superficial aspect of a situation.
- 15. Thank