The Summary of the Chapter 4
Mr. Cuss Interviews the Stranger
Dear
students, up to now, you have made an impression about the stranger’s odd
personality. He was an eccentric type of person, who remained busy for most of
his time in doing experiments in his room usually locked from inside.
During this
time, there were a number of quarrels with Mrs. Hall on the issue of breaking
domestic discipline. But every time he settled the issue by paying her money as
compensation.
Mr. Hall did
not like the stranger since the day Teddy had created doubts in his mind. So he
always tried to advise his wife, Mrs. Hall, to get rid of the stranger who was
staying in her inn. He also tried to conceal his dislike for the stranger so
that she would not think it interference in her matters. She also told Mr. Hall
to wait till summer comes, when more guests start coming to the village.
The stranger
remained so much busy in his experiments that he did not even visit the church.
There was no difference for him between Sundays and the other days of the week.
There was irregularity in his activities. Sometimes he would remain busy while
some other day, he would rise late and walk in his room feeling weary, speaking
to himself for hours together. He would smoke for some time and then sleep in
his armchair. His temperament was also uncertain.
For once or
twice, the things were snapped,
torn, crushed or broken because of his deep chronic irritable nature. He also
kept talking to himself in a very low voice. He avoided going out when it was
broad daylight. He preferred going out muffled up after the sunset not caring for the
weather hot or cold outside.
Q1. What irregularities do you notice
in the Invisible Man’s activities as mentioned in the chapter 4 of the novel?
He chose the
loneliest paths, overshadowed by trees and banks. His goggling spectacles and
bandaged face seemed unusual to the home-coming labourers.
One night,
Teddy Henfrey was scared to see the stranger’s skull-like head. He was walking
lost in his thoughts by keeping his hat in his hand. Then suddenly the light
came from the opened door of the inn fell on his head and revealed it. Thus he
became the topic of the town.
The children
who happened to see him started dreaming of ghosts in their sleep.
The opinion
of the people was divided on the issue of his occupation. Mrs. Hall would very
cautiously tell the people that he was an ‘experimental investigator.’ When
asked by people as to what he experimented about, she would answer in a
round-about way that he ‘discovered things’. She would also defend the stranger
that he had met with an accident which temporarily discoloured his face and
hands. As he is man of sensitive nature, he avoided showing himself to the
people.
Mrs. Hall
did not know that the people had also different opinions about the stranger.
According to
a view which was generated by Teddy Henfrey, he was a criminal who was running
away from being caught by the police. That was the reason he concealed his
identity from the public.
Mr. Gould,
the probationary assistant in the National School was of the view that the
stranger was an anarchist in disguise preparing explosives and waiting for the
appropriate time for his operation.
Mr.
Fearenside, the cart-man, also created a group of people who believed in his
piebald view in ditto or with the same view with some modifications.
Yet there
was another view about the stranger. According to this view, people thought him
a harmless lunatic.
Another
group of people included the waverers and compromisers who had some
superstitions about him. The idea was first whispered in the village of Iping
after the events that happened in the early April.
Q1.What stories about the invisible Man were
invented by Teddy Henfrey, Mr. Gould, Mr. Fearenside and some other people?
But the
people in Iping on the whole disliked him. His irritable nature was also an
amazing thing for these quiet loving
Sussex villagers. His strange activities i.e. his dramatic gestures and his
walking after the nightfall were not acceptable to the public. People would
close the doors, pull down the curtains, put out the candles and lamps if they
saw him coming. If people met him on the way, they would get aside and let him
pass by. The young boys humorously would keep their coat collars up in the same
fashion as the stranger did. They also kept their hat brims down. They would
also follow him nervously imitating his odd habits.
A song ‘The
Bogey Man’ became very much popular in the village. Mrs. Statchel sang it at
the school-room concert. Since then, whenever two or more villagers gathered at
one place and the stranger appeared there, they whistled the tune of the song.
Some children also started calling ‘Bogey man’ after him.
Q2. How did the young men and
children of the village Iping do in imitation of the Invisible Man?
Now the
stranger became the talk of the town. At this time a public practitioner, Mr.
Cuss became curious to talk to him. The bandages excited his professional
interest and also one thousand and one bottles also aroused his interest in the
stranger.He had to wait for the opportunity to meet him through April and May,
but could not get any. At last towards Whitsuntide (the seventh Sunday after Easter), he
could not stop himself. He invented an excuse to meet the stranger. It was
about collecting subscription for the village nurse.
Mr. Cuss was
surprised to note that Mr. Hall did not know his guest’s name. At this, Mrs.
Hall tried to defend her husband saying that the stranger had told her his
name. But she had not heard it properly.Cuss was determined to interview the
stranger, so he rapped at the door of the parlour and entered. There was a
fairly audible curse that came from the room as he stepped in. Mr. Cuss, first
of all, asked for forgiveness for entering the room in that way. But then, the
door was closed and that made Mrs. Hall unable to listen to the rest of the
conversation that went on between them. She could hear only the murmuring sound
for some minutes. Then she heard a cry of surprise, a stirring of feet, a chair
that was flung aside, a crazy laughter and the quick steps running towards the
door. Cuss appeared out of the room quite white faced, his eyes staring back
over his shoulders. He left the door opened behind him and without looking at
Mrs. Hall, who was standing outside the room, walked across the hall taking
long strides and went down the steps. Mrs. Hall also heard the sound of his
feet hurrying along the road.
The stranger
carried his hat in his hand stood behind the door, looking at the open door of
the parlour. Then Mrs. Hall heard the stranger laughing quietly. She could not
see the stranger’s face and then the parlour door was slammed and the place was
silent again. After that Cuss went to the village priest, Mr. Bunting, to tell
about his strange experience. He told the priest that he had entered the
stranger’s room to get subscription for the Nurse Fund. He also told the priest
that he saw bottles, chemicals, test tubes and other equipments everywhere in
his room. Then he asked the stranger if he would subscribe for the fund. At
this, he replied in positive. After that, he asked the stranger a direct
question if he had been researching. He again replied in yes. Then the stranger accidentally took his hand out of his pocket and then he was able to see down the
empty sleeve to the elbow. Next he questioned the stranger if he was moving the
empty sleeve. At this he had laughed and then extended his empty sleeve towards
his face and pinched his nose. After hearing this Bunting began to laugh.
Q3. Who was
Mr. Cuss? Why was he so much curious about meeting the stranger? Tell something
about his experience of meeting with the stranger and what story did he tell to
Mr. Bunting about his interview with the Invisible Man?
………………………………………………..
No comments:
Post a Comment