NOTES PREPARED BY
ASHAQ HUSSAIN BHAT
TEACHER SCHOOL
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
PAPPACHI'S MOTH (LESSON NO 6)
Q.1: - Outline the characters of Pappachi and Mammachi
(Outline of Pappachi's character)
Papachi was a retired government official. He worked in the British era. He worked as an imperialist entomologist. When the British left, he became the director of the Department of Entomology. He never got the credit for discovering the species of a moth Ben . It left a deep bitterness in his head when Papachi came to live at his home in Ayemugam after his retirement. Now his wife has started making pickles on a commercial scale, Puiuas is quite successful in his business. Papachi became jealous of his growing popularity. He was a bale before retirement but now he beats his wife - almost every night with a brass vase. Once his son saw him doing this. He warned his father never to do that again. Papachi never touched his wife again. But he never spoke to her. He often sat on the porch, pretending to sew his shirt buttons. He did it to show that no one cared for him. Papachi died of a heart attack. His wife wept at his funeral. It was because she had become accustomed to it, not because she loved it. She had become accustomed to being beaten.
(Outline of Mamachi's Character)
Mamachi was Papachi's wife. She was 17 years younger than her husband. When her husband came home to live after retirement, she still looked young. She started making pickles on a commercial scale. She worked hard and her business grew day by day. Papachi never helped her in her work. He used to stay here and there in the verandah. He considered it less than dignity to help his wife make pickles. He even beat her almost every night with a brass vase. Momachi has always been a victim of Papachi's bad temper, but She never protested. She patiently endured all his oppression. Once her son saw Papachi beating her with a brass vase. He warned him never to do that again. When Papchi died, Mamachi wept at his funeral..
Q2:- I never want this to happen again he told his father. 'Ever'. Who says it and why?
Ans :-Papachi's son, Chicha says these words. When he was at home from the stord for the summer holidays, he sees Papachi beating Mamachi in the study. Chicha grabbed the papachi and twisted his hand around his back to warned him not to do it ,again.
Q3 :- 'Ammu told the twins that Mammachi was crying more because she was used to him than because she loved him? In the light of the statement of Mammachi's daughter, comment on the relationship between Mammachi and Pappachi.
Ans:-Mammachi and Papachi's relationship was not particularly good after Papachi's retirement. He did not like the trade of pickles. He never bothered to help her in any way. He considered it against his dignity. He never said a word of love to his wife. He would beat her every night with a brass flower vase . She patiently endured all the cruelty of her husband. She had become accustomed to being beaten by her husband. She never complained about her husband's mistreatment. She was a loving and faithful wife.
04:- How does Mammachi stand out as an independent and resilient woman i n the text?
Ans:-In the text, we find two contradictory aspects of Mamachi's character. On the one hand, we consider her a very unfortunate and oppressed woman. She patiently endures all the beatings and cruelty of her husband. But, on the other hand, she proves herself to be a very determined and confident woman, she starts making pickles on a commercial scale. She works hard alone, she doesn't get any help from her husband. Despite this, she sticks to her plans and makes a name for herself. Her husband is jealous of her. But she doesn't care. She continue her business of making pickles with full dedication.
Q5:- Pick out the elements of Irony in the lesson.
Ans:-Irony means that which is against expectations The main elements of Irony in the lesson are the following
(I.) The discovery of a new species of moth by pappachi is ironic. He hoped the moth would be named after him, but named after a man who was much younger than Pappachi and whom Papachi never liked..
(ii) Papachi broke his favorite chair, but ironically, it had no effect on anyone. Now no one cared what he wanted or did not want. So that too is an irony.
( iii) When Mammachi started a small pickle business, she did not expect his business to grow exponentially. But her business flourished and she remained busy all year. She never expected her husband to turn against her. This too is all ironic.
Q6:-Identify instances of humour in the story.
Ans:- Humour means something that makes us laugh. The instances of amour in story are:
(i) Pappachi was older than his wife by 17 years. He felt Jealous of his wife, who looked to be in full youth.
(ii) Pappachi had a car but he wouldn't allow Mammachi or anyone else in the family to use it or even sit in it. He always liked to impress others while driving.
(iii) In the evenings when he knew visitors were expected, he would sit and sew buttons although every button was intact on his his shirts.
(iv) When a moth fell into his glass of wine. picked it up and put it in the sun for alcohol to evaporate.
Writing work
Q1:- Do you agree that the lesson is a reflection of male chauvinism ?Write a short paragrapleto your answer.
Ans:- Yes, I agree that the pappachi Moth is a reflection of masculine chauvinism. This lesson reflects a society that is completely male dominated. In this kind of society, men do not want women to enjoy any kind of freedom. The man treats the woman not as an equal partner in life but only as a slave. Woman is a weak vessel for him. He has given her many beautiful namesnames, A man calls his wife his better half. They are also known as the fairer sex. We call them deviis (Hindi word) But these are just sugar coated words. Man uses such words as bait to mislead this beautiful creation of God. He commits all kinds of atrocities against her. He also abuses her physically, sexually, mentally, economically and politically. He uses it only as a plaything gadget, as a tool to fulfill his animal desires. This is because man is Physically stronger than a woman. He knows that a woman cannot win a muscle war. So he kept her in slavery for the rest of her life...
Q2.- How does the author succeed in raising crucial issues not through open criticism but through suibtle suggestion?
Ans:-In the lesson, the author of 'Pappachi's Moth' manages to raise important issues not through open criticism but through suitable advice. The main social issues raised by the story are oppression of women, their inequality and economic insecurity. They are considered inferior in almost every sphere of social life. The privileged man always rules over the woman.
In this story, the condition of a woman at the hands of a man is shown through the relationship between Pappachi and Mammchi. Papachi does not give any respect to his wife. He does not care about meeting the family income. On the contrary, he shows his muscular ability by hanging it from a brass flower vase almost every night...
E and OE
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