Second Year English Notes Sindh Board THE DEVOTED FRIEND

THE DEVOTED FRIEND

(Oscar Wilde)

SUMMARY

One fine morning, an old water-rat came out of his hole and saw a mother duck, trying to teach its ducklings, how to swim. But the ducklings were not listening to their mother. On this, the water-rat said, “what disobedient children; they really deserve to be drowned.”

On hearing this remark, the mother duck said, “parents have to be very patient with their children”. To this, the water-rat replied that he knows nothing about the feelings of parents. Being a bachelor, he valued friendship most. So, the green linnet narrates the story on, Devoted Friendship.

There were two friends, little Hans, a gardener and the Miller. The Miller used to visit Hans every day and take flowers from him and never gave him anything in return. But he never visited Hans during the Winters as Hans had no flowers. He used to tell his wife, “when people are in trouble, they should be left alone and not be bothered by visitors”.

After one winter, the Miller visited Hans and on learning that Hans had sold his wheelbarrow he got very angry with him and then offered his broken wheelbarrow to him. He then said, as I have given you my wheelbarrow, you will give me your plank of wood. So, he took the plank of wood and flowers and went home.

The next day the Miller visited Hans, with a large sack of flour on his back, and asked him to sell it in the market. And he said, “Considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, you should do something in return.” So, Hans just could not refuse.

Early next morning the Miller came, to get the money for his sack of flour and scolded him for being in bed. Hans replied that as he was very tired, he laid in bed for a little longer and listening to the birds sing, as he always worked better after hearing the birds sing. The Miller grabbed the opportunity and asked him to come over to his mill and mend his barn- roof for him, Again, Hans could not say, no.

The next day he sent Hans with his sheep, to the mountain for grazing When Hans got back, he was so tired that he went off to sleep in his chair and did not wake up, till it was broad daylight.

One evening little Hans was sitting by his fireside, when the Miller came over He asked Hans to get the doctor for him, as his son had hurt his leg Hans agreed to go, and asked him for his lantern as it was so dark But the Miller refused to give him the lantern saying, it was new, and he would spoil it in the rain So, Hans went without the lantern.

After three hours he reached the doctor’s house and asked him to go to the Miller’s house as he needed his services. So, the doctor rode off towards the Miller’s house, while Hans went on his way. Because of the storm and the rain, Hans lost his way, and fell into a large pool and got drowned.
At Han’s funeral, everyone was very sad. The Miller shed crocodile tears and pretended to be very sad. He said that he had as good as given him the wheelbarrow and now did not know what to do with it He said, in future, he would not be generous because one suffers for being generous.

Thus, the moral of the story is, that, one should not be so stupid as little Hans and get exploited by the Miller.

Quotations by Oscar Wilde:

A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise, they’ll kill you.

Questions Answers

Q1.      Briefly explain why the story of Hans and the Miller was applicable to the Water-rat?
Ans.    Hans and the Miller are the central characters in the story ‘The Devoted Friend’, written by Oscar Wilde. This story is told by the Linnet and is definitely applicable to the Water-rat. The Miller is extremely egocentric (=self-centered). He manipulates little Hans, always taking advantage of his naiveté (=innocence) and generosity, and never giving anything in return. Similarly, the Water-rat wants his friend to be devoted to him, but he does not understand what it means to return the favor. In theory, both the Miller and the Water-rat hold friendship in high regard, but in practice, they represent one-sided friendship and they are always at the receiving end.

Q2.      How did the Miller justify his not asking Hans to share some of his good things during the winter?

Ans.    Hans and the Miller are the central characters in the story ‘The Devoted Friend’, written by Oscar Wilde. Poor Hans used to suffer a good deal from cold and hunger in winter because there were no fruit or flowers in his garden. The Miller never came to see little Hans. Scolding his son, the Miller justified himself on the basis of his so-called concern for Hans and self-serving theory of friendship. The Miller says that Hans might get envious of their warm fire, good supper, and a great cask of red wine. Secondly, Hans might ask to have some flour on credit which the Miller could not give because he does not want to confuse friendship with flour.

Q3.      What was the supreme manifestation of the Miller’s selfishness which caused Hans to lose his life?

Ans.    Hans and the Miller are the central characters in the story ‘The Devoted Friend’, written by Oscar Wilde. The Miller promised his old wheelbarrow to little Hans. He sent him off on long errands (=journeys) and got him to help at the mill, but never carried out his promise. However, the Miller’s selfishness was supremely manifested when he sent Hans to bring the doctor for his son but refused to lend him his new lantern. The Miller said that it would be a great loss if something happened to it, but he never realized that the dark, stormy night and the dangerous moor with a lot of deep holes might claim Hans’s life. While returning from the doctor’s house, Hans lost his way and wandered off on the moor, and there he drowned.

Q4.      Comment briefly on the Miller’s claim to have been Hans’s best friend.

Ans.    Hans and the Miller are the central characters in the story ‘The Devoted Friend’, written by Oscar Wilde. The Miller’s claim to be Hans’s best friend cannot stand examination. He said “Real friends should have everything in common”, but he never shared anything with poor Hans when he was starving in winter. He said “when people are in trouble, they should be left alone”, but when the Miller’s son fell off the ladder, he came to poor Hans for help. When the Miller promised that he would give little Hans his old wheelbarrow, the Miller said: “generosity is the essence of friendship”. However, he never carried out his promise. Rather, he expected a great of generosity from poor Hans. In return of the worthless wheelbarrow, the Miller first took a big plank of wood, then flowers then sent him on long errands, then got him to work at his mill, and finally sent him to bring the doctor for his son. Even at Hans’s funeral, the Miller demanded the best place on account of being his best friend.

Q5: When do we first suspect that the miller was not really a very good friend to Hans?

Ans. We first suspect that the miller was not really a very good friend of Hans when he condemns his life saying that he would not go to Hans until snow lasted and that he would go when spring comes so that Hans should have enough flowers to give them.

Q6: How did the Miller’s wife reveal that she too was ready to exploit the generosity of Hans?

Ans. The Miller’s wife also revealed that she too was really to exploit the generosity of Hans because when her husband intended to visit Hans to visit in spring seasons she admired her that he was a good and kind-hearted person. She also gave a basket to him and advised to bring primroses from Hans garden.

Q7: How did the miller persuade Hans to carry the large sake of flour to market?

Ans. When Hans was busy in his garden in nailing up the creepers and watering the plants the miller came up and asked Hans to take the sake of floor. When Hans excused him that he was busy the miller persuaded him by saying that he would give him in wheel-barrow.

Q8: How did the miller justify his rebuke to Hans for staying in bed a little later than usual after his tiring expedition to the market?

Ans. When the miller found Hans lying on his bed a little later than usual after his turning expedition to the market he scolded him for being lazy and sluggish. He justified his that sort of behavior by saying that laziness is a curse and he did not want his friend to be the victim of that evil.

Q9: Why was Hans unable to look after his garden? What promise was the miller constantly holding out before him? 

Ans. Hans was unable to look after his garden because miller always sends him on long errands or kept him busy in his mill. He always promised to give him his wheelbarrow.

Q10: What is the effect of the Miller’s disclosure that the wheelbarrow was totally worthless?

Ans. The worthless and good-for-nothing wheelbarrow which the miller used for his selfish even did not give him reflect his selfish and mean nature.