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- ##fa fa-bookmark## Play 3: The Oyster and the Pearl
- This chapter is from the 1st Year English book 3 and it has been written by William Saroyan. we have presented the important questions and main idea of this chapter for the intermediate (part 1) fsc fa ics i.com first year students.
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- ##fa fa-info-circle## Summary
- The Oyster And The Pearl is a comedy. The setting is countryside in which the members of the community are closely-knit together. The people are generally poor and they share the virtues and vices that go with poverty. As a whole, however, they are sincere and caring. The story is without a hero. The author has successfully demonstrated that even commonplace characters, settings and incidents can arouse readers' interest. The Writer can see and is able to demonstrate that basically human beings are good. In countryside, people are even more good-natured and have a good sense of humour. The writer conveys this message through different characters namely, Harry, Clay, The Girl, Clark and the Man. Harry is a barber. He is a very social and caring person. He gives poor people haircuts free of charge. Generally, he accepts whatever his customers give him. He entertains his customers and friends by his witty remarks.
Clay, a young boy, is very close to Harry. Clay is good-natured. He is very much concerned about his father who had left the house owing tri family dispute.
Clay's father, Clark, is also a caring person. Though he had left the house owing to a dispute, he still cares a lot about his family. He gives thirty dollars to Harry for his family. He also asks him not to tell his family who had sent the money.
The Girl, a schoolteacher, adds to the attraction of the play. She is young and beautiful, but unlike young girls she thinks more of others than of her ownself. She is a devoted teacher. She wants to appear like the people of the countryside so that she is accepted by the community. She does everything needed for helping the children to learn. For this she renders a great sacrifice.
The Man is also a very decent and generous fellow. He could not have his haircut, still he gave the barber a dollar. All the people we meet in the play believe in take-it-easy philosophy of life. They are simple, modest and caring. They have strong emotional attachment with their friends and family. Almost all of them have a good sense of humour. The play begins and ends on a happy note.
Q: Where does the play take place?
The play takes place in a town O. K-by-the-Sea in California. Most of the action occurs in Harry's shop.
Q: Why is Harry sitting in the barber's chair?
Clay, a young boy, is giving Harry a haircut. That's why Harry is sitting in the barber's shop.
Q: How does Harry bring merriment to tired human heart?
Harry believes that activities such as composing music, painting, book-writing and knowledge sharing make Sad Souls happy.
Q: What is Harry's philosophy of life?
Harry believes in take-it-easy philosophy of life. He is of the view that you can make people happy by keeping things simple.
Q: How much did Harry pay for his shop?
Harty told the seller of the shop that he had only eighty dollars. The seller sold him the shop for seventy five dollars.
Q: How long has he been in O.K-by-the-Sea?
Harry bought the shop twenty-five years ago. This is the time when he came to O.K-by-the-Sea. This means that Harry had been in O.K-by-the-sea for twenty-five years.
Q: How many barbers are their in O.K-by-the-Sea?
O.K-by-the-Sea is a small town. Harry is the only barber in the town.
Q: How much does Harry charge for haircuts?
Harry generally charges a dollar for a haircut. In some cases he charges less. He gives some others even free haircut.
Q: Where is Clay going?
Clay tells Harry that he intends to go to the beach. He wants to look for good stuff at the beach.
Q: Why does the writer not open the oyster?
The writer does not open the oyster. He thought if he opened the oyster Clay and his friends will know that there is not pearlin it. This will make them sad.
Q: Why does Clark return?
Clark reads the ad from his family in which the family had requested Clark to Come back. After reading this ad in "Gul" Clark returned home.
Q: What does the writer do with the oyster?
The writer bought the oyster just to help Clay and his family in a respectable way. Apart from this, he did not have any specific purpose in getting the oyster.
Q: Do you think it is right to allow Clay to believe that there is a pearl in the oyster?
There are two points of view on how to present truth. Miss McCutcheon believes that one should look at life scientifically, and should present facts objectively. Harry, on the other hand, maintains that human considerations are more important. Harry knew that there was no pear in the oyster but he did not disclose this fact to Clay. Harry was of the view we should see when to present bitter facts and when not to. Life is not a scientific formula. It is a complex and a sensitive reality. Harry is right in suggesting that we should not present plain truth to the troubled ones.
Q: Why is the writer willing to buy the peari? What does he mean by saying. "As far as I am concerned, the whole thing is a pear"?
The writer comes to know that Clay needs financial help. His family conditions are very miserable. The writer is a caring and refined fellow. He wants to help Clay in a very respectable way. He wants to buy the pear to give three hundred dollars to Clay. When he says that for him the whole thing is a pearl, he means that he is buying it for a great cause. There is nothing more valuable than helping a troubled child in a dignified way.
Q: What has attracted Harry and other people at O.K-by-the-Sea? Does this town appeal to you?
Harry and other residents of the town like the town because it is quiet and peaceful. People lead a simple life. They are loving and caring. Although they are poor, but they have the wealth of contentment. I would like to live in Such a town. It is true that modern facilities play an important role in the life of a town. Likewise, good social relationship also play an important role. I think that social aspect is more important than the physical facilities.
Q: Discuss Harry's "take-it-easy" philosophy. OR What is author's view of life?
Harry believes in take-it-easy philosophy. This is also author's own point of view. This means that we should keep things simple. People should not show off. They should not have double standards in life. Even in difficult situations, people should be patient and contented. Life can be made easy by mutual caring and sharing. love, sympathy and sacrifice can make one happy even in difficult situations. Literature and fine arts also play an important role in bringing happiness in the life of troubled poeple.
Q: How would you like to describe this play to a friend?
This is how I would like to describe this play to my friend. There was a barber, Harry. He lived in a town where people lived a simple and happy life. They were poor, but they had the wealth of Contentment. Harry was a very caring and friendly person. He was a friend of a young boy, Clay, and his father. Clay's father had left the house because of dispute with his wife. He could not earn enough money so he left the house to try his fortunes elsewhere. Harry planned to help them in a respectable way. Incidentally, Clay found an oyster. He thought there was a pearl in it which was worth three hundred dollars. Miss McCutchan, a school teacher, told Clay that there was no pear in it. He should not have false beliefs. Harry, however, did not tell this fact to Clay. He wanted to put a pear in it. A visitor came to know this. He himself bought the oyster for three hundred dollars. Thus, Harry and the visitor helped Clay in a respectable way.
Q: Do you think this would be a good play to produce?
The play 'The Oyster and the Pear' is quite suitable for production. They play coes not have a lot of action, but there is a variety of characters. Moreover, the sualty of dialogues is superb. The setting is natural. There is also a reasonable s-scense in it. For these reasons this is a good play for production.
Q: Write a brief note on Harry, the barber.
Harry is barber by profession. He is a very Social, sacrificing and caring person. i.es poor people haircuts free of charge. Generally he accepts whatever his c-scrers give him. Harry advocates 'take-it-easy' philosophy of life. This means zeecrg things simple, and enjoying life even in challenging situations. He also ce e.es that philosophy and fine arts are great sources of happiness. Activities sc as composing music, painting, book-writing and knowledge sharing can rage sad Souls happy. Harry plans to help Clay by asking WoZWeek to put a pear the oyster. Harry has a fine sense of humour. He entertains and educates the reacers by his witty remarks.
Q: Write a note on Miss McCutcheon.
Miss co-cheon is a young pretty girl. Unlike girls of her age she is very mature and scies Her contribution in the play is twofold. She brings purposefulness to the play, and brings a great attraction to it. She is very Social, sacrificing and caring. She thinks more of others than her own self. She wants to appear like the girls of the country side so that she is accepted by the community. She is a devoted teacher. She is very keen to stay in a modest town and teach the young ones. She shares with the children some bitter things rather affectionately. She does everything needed to help the children learn. For this she renders a great sacrifice. Like Harry, she has a good sense of humour She inspires the readers by her witty remarks.
Q: Write a brief note on Clay.
Clay is a young boy of nine or ten. He is a very obedient boy. He is very close to Harry. He works at Harry's shop on saturday. On the weekends he goes to the beach to get some stuff. Clay's family circumstances are very disturbing. His parents are not on good terms. His mother thinks that her husband is not earning enough to help the family lead a decent life. Clay's father left the house. Clay is very much concerned over this. He does everything possible to bring his father back. Unlike children of his age, he keeps on thinking about earning money by bringing things from the beach. His efforts are finally rewarded.
Q: Write a brief note on Clark.
Clay's fatehr, Clark, is also a very sacrificing and caring person. Though he left the house as a result of family dispute, he still cares a lot about his family. He leaves the house after a family dispute. He works hard in a gas station to earn money for his family. He gives Harry some money for his family and requests him not to tell them who had given the money. When the financial crisis is over, he returns to the family after reading the ad.
Q: Write a note on the Man, the writer.
The Man is writer by profession. He is also named as "the writer in the play. He is a very decent and generous fellow. He could not have his haircut, still he gave the barber a dollar. When he came to know that Harry had planned to help Clay by putting the pearl in the oyster, he took a big decision. He himself bought the oyster for three hundred dollars. He created on impression that there was a pearl in it. He did so in order to protect Clay's self respect. In a way this was helping Harry as well. He knew that it would be very difficult for Harry to arrange three hundred dollars for a pear so he himself bought it.
Q: What is the theme of the play 'The Oyster And The Pearl'?
The play "The Oyster And The Pearl" shows that human beings are basically good. With reference to the life in the countryside the writer shows the blessings of a simple, loving and caring life.
Q: What type of play The Oyster And The Pear is?
The play 'The Oyster And The Pearl' is a sentimental comedy. The play has humour, a happy ending, and implied wisdom. The play has social Orientation.
Q: What is the setting of the play?
The play is cast in countryside setting. It is a seaside. Most of the action takes place in Barber's shop. Comment on the language of the play. Like the people in O.K-by-the-Sea, the language of the play is very natural and simple. The main source of the charm of the play lies in Crisp, beautiful and humorous dialogues.
Q: Which characters are there in the play?
There are nine characters in the play. There is Harry who is a barber. Clay works on Saturdays. Then there is Clay's father, Mr. Clark, a schoolteacher, a writer and some minor characters.
Q: Briefly describe Harry.
Harry is a barber by profession. He is very social, caring and quite talkative. He has a good sense of humour.
Q: Briefly describe Clay.
Clay, a young boy, is very close to Harry. He works on Harry's shop on Saturdays. He is an obedient boy. He is very much concerned about his father who left the house owing to family dispute.
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