Interpreter of Maladies




Question #2: How does the plot help to illuminate the differing cultural viewpoints of Mr. Kapasi and of Mrs. Das? Which cultural viewpoint is presented with greater sympathy?

Answer: It helps because they are both interested in the same thing during the story. I think the Indian culture was because that’s were they were and they toured places in India.

Question #8: What does the ending suggest about Mr. Kapasi’s future? Has his encounter with the Das family created any permanent change in his outlook on life or his view of himself? Is the ending happy or unhappy?

Answer: I think that he will respect the American culture more and he has a little crush on Mrs. Das. That he can like people and not the one he is suppost to marry. The ending is unhappy because Bobby gets hurt by the monkeys.

The Desctructor


Question #1: Who is the protagonist in this story----- Trevor, Blackie, or the gang? Who or what is the antagonist? Identify the conflicts of the story.

Answer: I think that the protagonist is the gang. The antagonist I think is Old Misery. The gang wanted to brake into the house and completely destroy it. They locked Old Misery in the loo so that they could completely destroy it.

Question #5:Of what significance, if any is the setting of this story in blitzed London? Does the story have anything to say about the consequences of war?

Answer: I think that setting is kind of like the older and kind of poorer part of the city. I didn’t catch anything that said something about war.

Hunters In The Snow


Question #3: Which is the most sympathetic of the three characters? The story deals, in part, with the power struggle among the characters. Which character is the most powerful? Do the balance of power and alliances between the characters shift as the story proceeds?

Answer: The most sympathetic of the three is Frank. I think that Tub is the most character because if one of the guys pick on him he tells them to back off and they do. Yes because in the beginning Frank and Kenny are picking on Tub and that’s when they have most power and then at the end if switches and Tub shoots Kenny for being a jerk and tells Frank to back of or else.

Question #4: How do the physical descriptions of the characters help us to understand them? For example, how is Tub’s obesity relevant to his character?

Answer: I think it helps us a little bit. With Tub it shows he has feelings about people making fun of his weight and him all together. So in the end you can tell he is strong and not just fat because he pretty much pins Frank against the fence because of a comment Frank made.

Question #7: What is the purpose of the scene in which Frank and Tub stop at the tavern for food and coffee, leaving the wounded Kenny in the back of the truck? During their conversation, Frank analyzes his own character and expresses remorse. Are his insights and remorse genuine? Why or why not?

Answer: The purpose of the scene is to show that leaving him there was giving less chance of survival and when they got in the car and took the blankets off him and kept going realizing they had taken a wrong turn you know Kenny did not survive. I think they are because he is talking about how the kids like Nancy but that he thinks he is going to leave her. He needed to talk to someone and needed a friend and Tub was there for him. He feels bad because his kids really like her but he isn’t sure if he loves her anymore.

Question #3: Discuss the characterizations of Rainsford and Gerneral Zaroff. Which one is more fully characterized? Are both characters plausible?

Answer: I think that Gerneral Zaroff was more fully characterized because you really needed to know details about him in order to get how creepy and weird he really is. I think that both characters are plausible. I feel that Rainsford is a little more plausible just because anyone could fall off a boat and swim to the closest island. I think that if you were in Rainsfords place you wouldn’t always meet a guy that needs a new animal to hunt so it becomes you. I think Zaroff would be a little harder to find in reality. They were both such different characters but they fit together well in the story.

Question #7: As you go through the story a second time, do you find more significance in any of the action or description than you noticed during the first reading?

Answer: I say yes because I felt like the first time you were just getting used to the story and what it is about. The second time through I think is you realize like all the little traps and tricks they play on each other. You already know the story so it is easier to focus on the details and find them in the text. The action I think is more intense because now you can focus on details more the second time.