Should Wizard Hit Mommy Class 12 | John Updike | Chapter 5 | Vistas |

Should Wizard Hit Mommy Summary | Class 12 | John Updike | Chapter 5 | Vistas | Class 12 |

Should Wizard Hit Mommy Summary

Should Wizard Hit Mommy Summary: This chapter highlights the difference between a child’s perspective and an adult’s perspective. According to the narrator both think from their own angles and have different outlook towards the same situation. Besides, it highlights the childish attitude of a four year old girl who is inquisitive and used to putting up a lot of questions while listening to a story from her father.

The chapter begins with Jack’s (Father) telling story to his four year old daughter (Jo) in order to make his daughter fall asleep. Jack, who feels out of mind after telling the same story again and again for the last four years, has a common theme to his story. In his every story, a creature namely Roger has a problem who goes to a wise owl followed by a wizard to get his problem solved.

Jack begins today’s story with a creature namely Roger Skunk who has an awful smell therefore no one plays with him. In order to get his problem solved, Roger goes to a wise owl who sends him to a wizard to get his awful smell altered into roses. Having changed the smell, the wizard demands 7 pennies which Roger fails to arrange. But, the wizard himself shows him the way whence he can arrange rest of the pennies. Having taken the money, Roger goes to his home where everyone starts playing with him.

Having heard all this much, Jo thinks that the story is over but Jack gives it a different angle. He adds the context of Roger’s mother to this story saying that she doesn’t like her son smelling like a rose and gives a nasty expression of disdain. She goes to wizard’s house and hits him with an umbrella on his head.

Jo does not like wizard being hit by the mother. She immediately brings her father story to a halt and objects Skunk’s mother hitting the wizard. She adds that she wants to listen to the same story with a different ending. Jack objects and adds that there is no story wherein mother is hit back. Then, he goes downstairs to help his pregnant wife who is painting up the furniture. He doesn’t want to talk, touch and deal with her. 

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Short Answer Type Questions of Should Wizard Hit Mommy

Q1. Why was story telling a tiresome task for Jack especially on Saturday and Sunday?

Story telling was really a tiresome task for Jack especially on Saturday and Sunday because his daughter Jo never felt asleep without listening to a story for her naps. Besides, she used to put up a lot of questions which disturbed her father a lot.

Q2. What made Jack a great story teller?

Jack had been narrating stories to his daughter since she was two. Undoubtedly, he was a great story teller. Although he had a common theme for all his stories yet he used vivid expressions to make his story more interesting in order to make his daughter sleep.

Q3. What is a Skunk? Why does no woodland creature play with him?

Ans. Skunk is a black and white American animal which smells awful. The leading character of Jack’s story, Roger Skunk, has the same problem  therefore no body plays with him. As a result, he always remains sad and crying all the time.

Q4. What was common theme of all Jack’s stories?

Jack was an experienced story-teller who created all the stories out of his mind. In all his stories, he had a creature namely only Roger who would have a problem. Later, he would go to the wise owl and the wise owl would send him to the wizard for the solution. More importantly, in every story, the wizard would solve his problem charging some pennies from Roger.

Q5. Why did little skunk go to the wise owl?

Little Skunk had an awful smell which didn’t let him play with other woodland creatures. Therefore, as per the custom of Jack’s story, he went to the wise owl to get it altered. Besides, he knew that only the wise owl could solve his problem.

Q6. What piece of advice was given to Roger Skunk by the wise owl?

Roger was in dilemma how to get rid of his awful smell. He went to the wise owl but he redirected the skunk to the wizard for the solution of his problem. It happened in all the stories, the wise owl would send him to wizard if skunk had any problem.

Q7. How did the wizard help Roger skunk in getting rid of his smell?

The wizard was a tiny man with flowing-white beard who lived in a house across the crick. When Roger Skunk reached his home and shared his problem with the wizard, the latter took his magic wand, cast a spell and changed his awful smell into the smell of roses. In exchange, he demanded seven pennies from Roger skunk for that task.

Q8. What made Roger skunk cry even after his smell was altered? How was his problem solved?

Though Roger’s smell was altered into the smell of roses by the wizard yet he cried for he was running out of three pennies to be paid to the wizard. Later on, the wizard showed him the way (Magic Well) whence he could arrange rest of the money.

Q9. Why was Roger so much excited after his smell was altered?

No woodland creature played with Roger when he smelled awful. Having transformed his smell into roses, he was on cloud nine. All the creatures, who earlier shooed him away, had started playing with him. He played many games with them like pick up sticks & football. The sudden change in his smell brought happiness to his life.

Q10. What did Roger’s mother notice unusual about her son? How did she react to it?

When Roger returned home, his mother noticed that he smelled strangely. She asked him about the person who had altered his natural smell into roses. At first, Roger denied but later he disclosed everything when forced by her. Having heard the entire story, she lost her cool and moved towards the wizard’s home to revenge. In fact, she hit the wizard with an umbrella for changing his natural smell.

Q11. How did Jo want the story to be ended?

When Jo heard that the mother had hit the wizard with an umbrella on his head, she got furious and asked her father to narrate the story from scratch but with a different ending. She wanted the the mother to be hit back for it was not, at all, the fault of wizard. He had merely altered Roger’s smell on latter’s request.

Q12. How did wizard respond to the Roger Skunk mother’s fury?

The wizard had no idea what was happening to him when hit by Wizard’s mother. Consequently, he did not respond even after being beaten. He stood silently instead of replying back to her and restored Skunk’s smell.

Q13. Who was Clare? Why did she want Jack to come downstairs as soon as possible?

Clare was Jo’s mother & Jack’s wife. While Jack was narrating the story to his daughter, she was painting up the furniture downstairs. She was pregnant by six months and needed Jack’s help badly. Therefore, she wanted him to end up his story as soon as possible and come downstairs to extend his hand.

Q14. What ugly middle position was Jack caught in?

Jack was caught in an ugly middle position while telling the story whether to stay with his daughter until she sleeps or to go downstairs to help his pregnant wife who was painting the furniture downstairs and needed his help badly. 

Q19. Why was Jack hesitating in going downstairs and help his wife?

Jack was dead tired after narrating skunk’s story to his daughter. He felt out of mind and ran out of required energy to support his wife who was pregnant by six months and needed his help badly. Therefore he was hesitating in going downstairs to help his pregnant wife in painting up the furniture.

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Long Answer Type Question of Should Wizard Hit Mommy

Q1. How is child’s perspective different from that of an adult? Relate this with chapter “Should wizard hit mommy”?

Undoubtedly, there is a world of difference between the perspective of a child and an adult. A child has his own world which is full of happiness and there is no space of sense. He/she has no limits and usually raises immoral questions whereas an adult thinks maturely and takes his decisions according;y. As we went through in this chapter that Jo, a-four-year child, raises many immoral questions while listening to stories. In fact, she has a different ending of the story in her mind. She wants Roger’s mother to be hit back with an umbrella for she thinks that it’s her fault. But being a mature father, Jack does not respond to her stubbornness. He tells her that mothers are never hit back because they always think for the betterment of their children. Seeing their behavior, we can conclude that there a great difference between the thinking of an adult and a child.

# Should Wizard Hit Mommy Summary

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