“The Doll’s House” - Katherine Mansfield

“The Doll’s House”

-      Katherine Mansfield

       Kathleen Mansfield Murry (14 October 1888 – 9 January 1923) was a prominent New Zealand modernist short story writer who was born and brought up in colonial New Zealand and wrote under the pen name of Katherine Mansfield. She is best artist in portraying common human behaviors and emotions of humans. In her short story ‘A cup of Tea’, she has presented a jealousy of woman. 

 

     

      “The Doll’s House” is a short story written by her and published in 1922. In this story she has presented a class division in society and how it effects on innocent children of schools. There are five child characters in this story,  the Burnell daughters and the Kelvey daughters with school teachers. Children are innocent but elders want them to understand the norms of society and difference between poor and rich. Mrs. Hay had sent the Burnell children a doll's house which was very beautifully created. Burnell daughters have invited all students to see the doll’s house on the next day. They have not invited Kelvey sisters because they were very poor.

        

       The elder sister of Burnell wanted to talk with Kelvey sisters but her parents have not allowed her to do so. She also wanted to invite them to see the doll’s house be she was not able to do that. One day both Kelvey sisters came and saw the doll’s house with the help of Kezia (the elder Burnell daughter) but her aunt have insulted both Kelvey sisters and throw them out of house. Kezia was upset because she was not able to find the difference between her own sisters and Burnell sisters.

       

      This story clearly indicates the parenting process and how it effects on innocent mind of children. Parents, teachers and relatives design the mind of children to think in a particular way rather than make them think with their own understandings.

The Ant and the Grasshopper - Somerset Maugham

The Ant and the Grasshopper

-         Somerset Maugham

       William Somerset Maugham was known as W. Somerset Maugham. He was a British playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid author during the 1930s.

      We all have heard a fable of ant and grasshopper. This short story of Maugham has the same story but with different ending. Two brothers have replaced the role of ant and grasshopper.

      George Ramsay and Tom Ramsay are brothers. George is a man with sincerity and hard work. He has qualities of an ant. On the other hand Tom has a lazy nature. He gambles, passes times and do not care about future and savings. Tom accepts the wrong way to make money and he was also arrested for cheating a man. George as a lawyer saved him. George was very much concern for his family and reputation. At last Tom married an old rich lady and then Tom was....   Read the short story for suspense. 

        In this story, the end presents modern fable. The man who works and follows the morals was fooled by his younger brother. On the other hand Tom, who was a cheater, got a luxurious life. This story is a satire on modernity and beliefs that if we will be good with other then good would happen with us. A man with smart work exists in this world with good life than a morally good person.

Gateman’s gift - R. K. Narayan

Gateman’s gift

-      R. K. Narayan

     

     Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami,(R. K. Narayan) was an Indian writer, best known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi.

      

     The story Gateman’s gift is based on employee – boss relationship. It is a step upper than the master slave relationship. R. K. Narayan has presented the class distinction in the story by the behaviors of employee and boss.

     

      Gobind Singh is a retired gateman and spent his half life – almost 25 years in working. After retirement he had a lot of free time so he worked on his skills and started making different models. He has made the model of a market place and his old office. When Gobind come to know that General Manager is very happy to see this models, he was energizes with encouragement. He was very happy that General Manager has admired him. This feeling of happiness shows the respect of general Manager in Gobind’s heart. This we can compare with master slave relationship, he was happy because none other than his master has admired him. It has leads him towards madness.

       

       Govind Singh creates a model of the office and presents it. A few days later he receives a registered mail which makes him go into a state of panic. Read the story for suspense. The story contains small incidents with deep effects. The remote of small worker’s emotions is in the hands of high positioned employees. It is like when teacher admires students they get excited and work harder than before.

The Model Millionaire - Oscar Wilde

The Model Millionaire

-      Oscar Wilde

    Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie wills Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist, and poet. 

    This short story is about a young man Hughie Erskine with good profile but no profession. He was kind hearted and good looking but without money. In the starting of the story we could read...

“Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow Romance is the privileged of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed. The poor should be practical and prosaic. It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating. These are the great truths of modern life which Hughie Erskine never realised. He was wonderfully good-looking, with his crisp brown hair, his clear cut profile, and his grey eyes. He was as popular with men as he was with women, and he had every accomplishment except that of making money.”

     In the very first paragraph we could read that the difference of poor and rich as well as the perspective of world towards money rather than qualities is presented. Good qualities of Hughie Erskine have described but how the only one limitation of poverty overpowers all goodness of person.

    Hughie was in love with Laura Merton and wanted to marry her, she was the daughter of a retired Colonel and the colonel has a condition for marriage that he would only allow them to get married if Hughie has ten thousand pounds of his own. Hughie tried a lot but failed and finally went to his painter friend who was painting a beggar. Hughie felt bad for the beggar and gave him a coin. At that evening his painter friend told him that the man who was the model of beggar was a millionaire named Baron Hausberg and on next day he got an envelope with a cheque of Ten thousand pounds as a wedding gift by Hausberg.

    Wilde has started the story as if money matters a lot than the goodness and kindness, but at last Hughie’s kindness brought him what he wanted. The qualities of a person are more important than the bank balance. At last Alan said…

“Millionaire models,' remarked Alan, 'are rare enough but model millionaires are rarer still.”

                                                                          

The Proposal - By Anton Chekhov

The Proposal

                    -  By Anton Chekhov

         I have studies this play in my graduation and now sharing a brief overview of the play.

       Anton Chekhov was a Russian playwright and short story writer, he has chosen his career to be a doctor and practice medicine but his interest in literature made him writer. He has contributed well in the world of literature, he is known as a great short story writer. His plays were become very famous and favourite among Russia as well as other countries.

       He has written dramas on such issues with funny and witty way. Anton Chekhov has used underline satire with humorous language which makes reading even more interesting on the part of readers. Anton is a writer who has a strong belief that people should accept people with their all negative and positive aspects. He has said,

“Medicine is my lawful wife and literature is my mistress”

The Proposal

   

        “The Proposal” is one act farcical comedy with satire on vanity of human. Natalia Stepanovitch and Ivan Vassiliyitch Lomov both are neighbours and wants to marry each other but the problem between them is their ego, both wants to show their self superior than the other one.

        Stepan Stepanovitch Chekhov has very interestingly shown human nature, Lomov is the protagonist who has come at the house of his neighbour Chubukov, with the marriage proposal for his daughter Natalia. Lomov and Chubukov have cold war between them because of an ownership of meadows.  Lomov is very wealthy so Chubukov is very happy for his daughter, here dramatist has keep his eyes on human feelings that how Chubukov has forgotten the problem because of marriage proposal.  Natalia is not aware with this fact of proposal; she talked with Lomov as he has come to get ownership of meadows. Natalia and Lomov both shows greed when they quarrel about an ownership of land and superiority of their dogs, thus the talk of proposal turns into the quarrel. Chekhov has shown here that how silly things can create a big problem in life. The proposal has remained on side and they have started fighting.

        The protagonist, the hero of play is Lomov, a thirty five year man who is a common but rich man of society and lacks heroic qualities like strength, power and self confidence. Natalia is a heroin who is ten years younger than Lomov. She is aware of fact that Lomov is physically weak and she takes advantage of this to satisfy her ego as she verbally attacked on Lomov that he is good for nothing and he only fit for kitchen work only. By this comment of Natalia expresses that in early nineteenth century, still women have been considered as weak because they were fit for house hold works, and Lomov felt insulted because Natalia has attacked on his masculinity by comparing him with women.

        Natalia was abusing and making fun of Lomov without knowing that he has came with a marriage proposal for her, when she came to know this, she suddenly forget all issues between them and accepts the proposal. The only reason behind this is Wealth, Lomov is very rich and this is enough for Natalia.

        The humorous presentation of situations forces us to think twice about the facts which has described in play. Lomov is only thirty five year old and though he has heart problem, loose tongue and he is unable to handle any situation properly.  Chubukov is another character who represents a typical nature of father. He hates Lomov but when he come to know he wants to marry Natalia he kisses him and accepted the proposal but when he saw that Lomov and Natalia is fighting, he also started fighting with Lomov.  Natalia insulted Lomov very badly and she also abuses Lomov’s ancestors and Chubukov told him to get out of his house, but when Natalia came to know about proposal she calls him back and accepted the proposal and after accepting the proposal  they started fighting on superiority of their dogs, and while fighting Lomov has fainted and after few minutes he regains consciousness and Natalia’s father forced them to accept proposal with kissing each other, but even after kissing they have started fighting.

         Thus the play has facts with humour. Chekhov has presented realism and expressionism in his witty style. He has presented his hero and heroine with different than archetypal hero-heroine, they are pure and real human beings with faults. Greed and ego is a feeling which all have in their nature, characters are changing their perspective because of their advantage is also an important fact.