The Lumber - Room
by Saki (Hector Hugh Munro)
COMPREHESION
1. Answer the following questions.
a. Why did the aunt decide to sent the children to Jagborough? Why was Nicholas not included in the party?
= The aunt decided to sent the children to Jagborough as a special treat.
Nicholas was not included in the party as he was in disgrace.
b. What was the aunt in the habit of doing when any one of the children fell from grace?
= When any one of the children fell from grace, the aunt used to rigorously debar him or her from the festival occasion improvised by herself.
c. What did the aunt do when all the children had done something wrong?
= When all the children had done something wrong, they were suddenly informed of a circus in a neighbouring town and were taken to that.
d. How did Nicholas get the better of his aunt when the other children set off on the expedition?
= Nicholas got the better of his aunt when the other children set off on the expedition by merely shedding a few decent tears to bid them good bye.
e. What did the aunt think to herself when she saw the look of obstinacy on Nicholas' face (after she had said he must not enter the gooseberry garden)?
= When she saw the look of obstinacy on Nicholas' face (after she had said he must not enter the gooseberry garden), the aunt thought that he was determined to get into the gooseberry garden only because she had told him not to do so.
f. Why did Nicholas make many trips into the front garden? Why did the aunt spend so much time in the garden, although she had other work to do?
= Nicholas made many trips into the front garden to make his aunt believe that he intended to enter into the gooseberry garden and she got busy to keep an eye on him.
The aunt spent so much time in the garden, although she had other work to do, to keep a watchful eye on the two doors that led to the forbidden paradise i.e. the gooseberry garden.
g. How did Nicholas spend his time in the lumber-room?
= In the lumber-room, Nicholas spent his time by observing many items stored there. First and foremost, he took his attention to the framed tapestry picture. He was imagining the possibilities of the scene of the painting. Then quaint, twisted, snake-shaped candlesticks took his attention.
Then he discovered a teapot fashioned like a china duck. And there were a carved sandalwood box packed tight with aromatic cotton wool, and between the layers of cotton-wool were little brass figures, humped necked bulls, and peacocks and goblins, delightful to see and to hand. Then Nicholas got mesmerised by a large square book with coloured pictures of birds inside it.
h. Did Nicholas really think his aunt was the Evil One?
= No, Nicholas did not really think his aunt was the Evil One. He was just trying to beguile her to catch him entering into the Lumber-room.
These questions are more difficult. Discuss them first.
i. Pick out the most amusing sentence (or sentences) in the story describing an incident. Say why you think it is amusing.
= 'Your voice doesn't sound like Aunt's,' objected Nicholas; 'you may be the Evil One tempting me to be disobedient. Aunt often tells me that the Evil One tempts me and that I always yield. This time I'm not going to yield.
I think, the above sentences are the most amusing sentences in the story describing an incident. The Aunt kept on guarding in front of the gooseberry garden. Then she went into it to look for Nicholas. But Nicholas was shrewd to beguile her and went to the lumber-room. The Aunt had slipped into the rainwater tank and confined there. She was calling Nicholas from there and he intentionally addressed her as the Evil One who tempted her to do evil things. But this time he would not listen to her and come to rescue her. Nicholas took revenge against his Aunt's deeds very wittily.
j. Nicholas is involved in a number of incidents and conversations. Give examples to show the following:
i. his intelligence.
= At the terminating time in the lumber-room, the Aunt was calling him. There was a possibility for somebody to come quickly. Nicholas shut the book, restored it carefully to its place in a corner, and shook some dust from a neighbouring pile of newspaper over it. Then he crept from the room, locked the door and replaced the key exactly where he had found it. He did all this very intelligently so that no one can suspect anything.
ii. his creativity.
= The gooseberry garden had two doors by which it might be entered. Nicholas could slip in there and disappear from view amid the masking growth of artichokes, raspberry canes and and fruit bushes.
iii. his imagination.
= Nicholas saw some extra features in the piece of framed tapestry and the possibilities of the events painted there. He saw that four galloping wolves were coming in the huntsman's direction through the wood. There might be more than four of them hidden behind the trees, and in any case would the man and his dogs be able to cope with the four wolves or not if they made attack. The man had only two arrows left in his quiver, and he might miss with one or both of them. Even at the end of the story, while Nicholas was at the eat table, he was imagining that the huntsman would escape with his hounds while the wolves feasted on the stricken stag.
iv. his dislike of authority.
= That morning Nicholas had refused to eat his bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there was a frog in it. Older and wiser and better people had told him that there could not possibly be a frog in his bread-and-milk and that he was not to talk nonsense. He did not like this authority of the the older, wiser and better people. To prove them profoundly wrong, he put a frog in his basin of bread-and-milk.
2. Answer the following with reference to context.
a. "The dramatic part of the incident was that there really was a frog in Nicholas' basin of bread-and-milk."
i. When did the incident take place?
= The incident took place in that very morning on which the Aunt had decided to sent the other children to the sand at Jagborough.
ii. What were the other parts to the incident?
= That morning Nicholas had refused to eat his bread-and-milk on the seemingly frivolous ground that there was a frog in it.
iii. What was the result of the incident?
= By doing this, Nicholas fell from disgrace. As a result of it, the Aunt did not send him to the sand at Jagborough. He was not to be of the party. He had to stay at home along with the Aunt.
iv. Did everyone believe that Nicholas was telling the truth?
= Older and wiser and better people had told him that there could not possibly be a frog in his bread-and-milk and that he was not to talk nonsense. He did not like this authority of the the older, wiser and better people. To prove them profoundly wrong, he put a frog in his basin of bread-and-milk.
b. "He told you twice, but you weren't listening."
i. Who is speaking and to whom?
= Nicholas is speaking to the Aunt.
ii. What, according to the speaker, had been told twice?
= According to the speaker, Bobby had told her that his boots were hurting him as they were too tight.
iii. What did the listener do immediately after hearing this statement? Why?
= The listener forbade Nicholas to go into the gooseberry garden immediately after hearing this statement.
Nicholas had already fallen from disgrace that day by putting a frog in his basin of bread-and-milk. In addition to that he is accusing the Aunt that she often didn't listen to them when they tell them important things. This made the Aunt angry and she took the decision.
About the Author:
The author of 'The Lumber-Room', Hector Hugh Munro (1870-1916), wrote under the pen name Saki. He had a distinct style of his own and many of the authors of short stories after his time tried to imitate his style. Saki's stories are full of wit and humour and his very sharp attacks are directed mainly towards the upper-middle classes of his time (the Edwardian era).
In this amusing short story you would have seen how a young boy, Nicholas, wins a battle of wits fought against his extremely bossy 'aunt'. You should have noticed that Saki's style of writing is quite different from the writing of other authors whose work is included in this book.