Keeping It From Harold

Keeping It From Harold

BY :- V!$#@L

Writer P.G. Wodehouse

• Full name :- Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse• Born on 15 October 1881• Nationality :- British, American• Career :- Novelist, Playwright and Lyricist• Died On :- 14 February, 1975

• Nicknamed as “Plum” Wodehouse, this legendary comic novelist is most famous for his fictional characters of Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves.

• Apart from the various eminent works of fiction, Wodehouse had been successful in earning recognition as a lyricist by largely contributing to various musicals in collaboration with Jerome Kern. With as many as 200 novels, 15 plays, 250 lyrics, 30 musical comedies and numerous short stories under his kitty.

Keeping It From

Harold

IntroductionP.G. Wodehouse’s “Keeping It From Harold” is an interesting story that highlights the psychology of a ten-year old boy called Harold and his parents who feel their child is a “prodigy” and don’t want him to know that his father is boxer, fearing it would hurt his sensitive mind. However, the child has normal interest in sports specially boxing.

Incidentally, the “Young Porky” (public name of his father as a boxer) is his favourite boxer. The story narrates how in spite of their best efforts, the boy gets to know of the secret and feels hut and cheated not because, his parents had lied to him but because he could not take due pride in his father being a well-known Boxer…

Theme…

The story is built around the theme of differences in the view points of parents and their children. Most parents unnecessarily worry about the growth and development of their child and go all lengths to ensure that their child does not have to face anything bad, objectionable or hurtful life.

They keep worrying themselves to death as, to what is appropriate for their child to learn and know about. Although they would want him/her to be truthful, they do not mind telling lies themselves to closely guard certain ‘secrets’ they think their child must not know. In doing so, they often end up teaching their child wrong values or depriving him/her of something he/she

Might have reasons to be proud of. In short, the story suggests that children must be allowed to grow up as naturally as possible and should be told that there is nothing undignified about their parents profession or economic status. Besides excellence in academics, a lot of self-esteem should be instilled into them.

SUMMARY

• Mr. and Mrs. Bramble were immensely proud of their son, Harold, 10 year old an exceptional child.

• Very classy so superior that even his parent develop a complex.

• Mr. Bramble, his father - a professional boxer kept this secret ever since Harold was born.

• Harold was told that his father was commercial traveler.

• His parents little afraid of their son and did not wish to fall in his esteem.

• Mr. Bramble decide to have his last boxing match and then retired.

• One day in Harold’s absence Mr. Bramble and Major Percy stokes- Brother of Mr. Bramble stepped in

• Mr. Bramble told that he had decided not to fight as it may lead to his son discovering the secret.

• Mrs. Bramble found his decision unacceptable as he could win a fortune which was necessary for Harold’s education.

• Jerry Fisher – trainer – was shocked when he discovered that he had decided to back out at eleventh hour.

• Jerry begs and tempts Bill but remains unsuccessful.

• He told secret of Mr. Bramble to Harold to take a revenge.

• When Harold discovered that his father was withdrawing from his last match’ surprised everyone by saying he was betting.

• He said that his friends would have been proud of him if they would know that his father was a ‘Young Porky’.

• This encourage ‘Bill and Jerry Fisher’ to complete his training and Harold reverts back to playing games.

IMPORTANTCHARACTERS

OF THE CHAPTER

Harold• Harold was ten years old,

a prodigy and an exceptional child by all standards.

• An intellectual, he won prizes in competitions. He was very classy and so superior that even his parents developed a complex.

• Harold was a model of excellent behavior and he respected his parents a lot.

Mr. Bill Bramble• Mr. Bramble was a

proficient professional boxer who was proud of his skills and liked to be admired and appreciated for his technique in boxing.

• Bill was somewhat rash in taking his decision and he could be easily influenced by others.

• Bill earned a lot of name and fame but lived with a false identity for the sake of Harold.

Mrs. Bramble• Mrs. Bramble was a wife of

Mr. Bramble’s wife and Harold’s wife and Harold’s mother.

• This caring wife and doting mother was all the time busy in catering to the needs of her husband and son.

• She was a truth- loving woman, she didn’t mind resorting to falsehood to save her son from the embarrassment of being known as a boxer’s son.

Now, you have watched the full presentation…

So, Answer My

Questions

Read the following extracts and answer the questions.

“You do study so hard, dearie, you’ll give yourself a headache. Why don’t you take a nice walk by the river for half an hour, and come back nice and fresh?”

1. Who speaks these lines to whom?2. What does this extract show

about the characters of the speaker and the listener?

3. When does this conservation take place?

Answers…1. Mrs. Bramble to her son.2. The speaker is very loving, caring

and doting mother and the listener is a very serious and hardworking student.

3. The conversation takes place in the beginning of the story when Harold was just recited the poem to his mother.

I’ve never known you do such a thing. You such a pleasure to train as a rule. It all comes

of getting with bad companions.

1. ‘I’ and ‘you’ here stand for ……2. By ‘such a thing’ the speaker

means?3. The speaker’s expression ‘bad

companions’ obliquely refers to ……

Answer…1. Jerry Fisher, the trainer and Bill

bramble, the respectively.2. Bill Bramble’s leaving the boxing

training session at the eleventh hour.

3. Major Percy Stokes, Bill’s Brother-in-law.

“How about money?” repeated Mrs. Bramble. “Goodness knows I’ve never like your profession , but there is this to be for it, that it’s earned you

good money”

1. What Money is Mrs. Bramble is talking about?

2. What does Mrs. Bramble not like Bill’s profession?

3. How has Bill’s profession been useful in a particular way?

Answers…1. She is talking about the money

that boxing with Murphy would fetch Bill.

2. She doesn’t like Bill’s profession because it was too violent to be considered respectable.

3. The money Bill has earned from his professional boxing has been instrumental in funding his son, Harold’s education.

Short Answer Question

1. What was the constant source of amazement to Mrs. Bramble regarding her son Harold?

2. What sort of relationship did the mother and child enjoy?

3. Why was Bill and Mrs. Bramble a little afraid of Harold?

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WATCHING…