The Wish Summary
The story “The Wish” was written by a British writer Roald Dahl who was a novelist, short story writer and screen writer. In the story, he presents about a young boy’s fantasy in which his carpet is alive with snakes and fire. Using imagery and metaphor, the writer uses the character of a curiously imaginative young boy to help us reflect on the delicacy of our childhood innocence. The story goes inside the mind of a young child to explore his imagination. This is about a young boy who had a frightening event in his childhood.
There was a main character, the child and it was completely based on his imagination for a journey across the carpet. This story has presented imaginative acts of the child in an imaginative game of a red carpet. This story can be taken as a fictitious story because the names were not given to the characters. There was an appearance of the child’s mother at the end of the story and she was looking at the acts of his imagination. Otherwise, there was not any role of her in the story.
The title “The Wish” has created confusion among the readers because the child had a curiosity with the scab on his knees. Then he took it out and kept on his thigh and flipped with a finger that led the child to make an imaginative game upon the carpet where there were red and black coloured spots. He imagined that the red coloured spots of the carpet were fire and the black coloured spots were poisonous snakes like adders and cobras. He wanted to make a journey across the carpet where he had to face difficulty, danger and challenge. He was afraid at first because if he touched the red and black spots, he would be burnt and bitten by the fire and the snakes. But when he saw the yellow patches on the carpet, he thought that they were the places for his safety.
So he gathered his courage and began walking on the carpet. He balanced his body very carefully and confidently so that he would not touch those dangerous spots. He set up this journey to get a puppy as his birthday gift the next day. Unluckily, he fell in the black spot of the carpet and lost his imaginative game. Then he gave one piercing cry which had been looking at by his mother far away behind the house in the sunshine.
Understanding the text
Answer the following the questions.
a.What did the child do to the scab on his knee ?
Ans: The child took out the scab on his knee. He put it on his thigh and flipped with his finger.
b.What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?
Ans:The carpet had a different effect on the child because the different colours of it seemed to
brighten mysteriously and spring out at him in a most dazzling way. He was lost in his imagination with the bright colours.
C. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet ?
Ans: He was afraid of red and black spots of the carpet while walking across the carpet because he imagined that the red coloured spots were red-hot lumps of coal and the black coloured spots were poisonous snakes like adders and cobras. He was afraid to be burnt and bitten by burning coals and poisonous snakes if he stepped on those spots during his journey.
d.What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?
Ans: The puppy which was supposed to be given to him as his birthday present the next day motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey.
e.What did the child see as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet?
Ans: The child saw poisonous snakes like adders and cobras, thick like tree-trunk round in the middle, and if he touched one of them, he would be bitten and died before tea time as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet.
Reference to the context
a.The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they ?
Ans: They are the narrator’s voice and the child’s voice.
b.Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow.
…the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders mostly, and cobras, thick like tree-trunks round the middle, and if I touch one of them, I’ll be bitten and I’ll die before tea time. And if I get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow.”
i. What does ‘the black part’ mean??
Ans: The black parts are poisonous snakes which mean difficulty, challenges and possible sufferings of the child’s journey.
ii. Who is the speaker ?
Ans: The child is the speaker.
iii. Why doesn’t the speaker want to be burnt ?
Ans: The speaker does not want to be burnt because he wants to complete his journey successfully to get a puppy as his birthday gift the next day.
c.Which images and metaphors are used in the story ?
Ans: The images used in the story are:
i. Scab: It shows the boy’s curiosity and desire to begin his journey and face the challenges.
ii.Black parts of carpet (poisonous snakes): They represent hardships, difficulties, challenges and sufferings.
iii. Red patches (fire): It means red-hot lumps of coal (fire). It represents danger because it can burn a little child.
iv. Yellow patches (happiness/safety); The yellow patches of the carpet indicate relief, pleasure, hopefulness, happiness, and self-confidence and safety.
The metaphor used in the story is:
The carpet represents a conflict or challenge in his life. He may not be able to take a right decision or choose the right option because he may suffer a lot in case he chooses a wrong choice. If he chooses a right option, it leads him to the right path and he will not have to face any difficulty.
d. Summarise the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.
Ans: The story “The Wish” has been written by a British writer Ronald Dahl who was a novelist, short story writer and screen writer. In the story, there was a main character, the child and it was completely based on his imagination for a journey across the carpet. This story has presented imaginative acts of the child in an imaginative game of a red carpet. This story can be taken as a fictitious story because the names were not given to the characters. There was an appearance of the child’s mother at the end of the story and she was looking at the acts of his imagination. Otherwise, there was not any role of her in the story.
The title “The Wish” has created confusion among the readers because the child had a curiosity with the scab on his knees. Then he took it out and kept on his thigh and flipped with a finger that led the child to make an imaginative game upon the carpet where there were red and black coloured spots. He imagined that the red coloured spots of the carpet were fire and the black coloured spots were poisonous snakes like adders and cobras. He wanted to make a journey across the carpet where he had to face difficulty, danger and challenge. He was afraid at first because if he touched the red and black spots, he would be burnt and bitten by the fore and the snakes. But when he saw the yellow patches on the carpet, he thought that they were the places for his safety. So he gathered his courage and began walking on the carpet. He balanced his body very carefully and confidently so that he would not touch those dangerous spots. He set up this journey to get a puppy as his birthday gift the next day. Unluckily, he fell in the black spot of the carpet and lost his imaginative game. Then he gave one piercing cry which had been looking at by his mother far away behind the house in the sunshine.
e.The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?
Ans: It is certain that the child presents the story in more interesting and effective way than the narrator for the readers because the child was curious with the spots of the carpet to face the challenges. He undertook the journey and faced the difficulties and challenges that he might be burnt and bitten by the burning coal and the poisonous snakes. He was confident enough to complete the journey because he was so careful to step on the yellow patches so that he would be safe and would get a puppy as his birthday gift the next day. This becomes the child’s own experience to present whereas the narrator presents other’s experience.
f.Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.
Ans:Yes, the story, “The Wish” is all about self-confidence and overcoming fear or about greed. This story can be taken as a story of motivation and inspiration because the child was inspired by the scab. He was also ready to face difficulties, challenges and sufferings to get a puppy as a birthday