Questions and Answers from ' THE EPISODE OF WAR '

The Episode Of War
Questions and Answers Of 'THE EPISODE OF WAR':

1. Does this story fulfill the requirements of fiction or is it a mere sketch ? (के यो कथाले कथा साहित्यमा हुनुपर्ने गुण वा आवश्यकता पूरा गर्छ अथवा यो कथा एउटा छोटो रुपरेखा मात्रै हो ?)
Answer: A sketch is a simple description of a thing or an event. It does not have any logical sequence and its structure is not systematic and organized. Fiction, on the other hand, is a type of writing that describes imaginary events and people. It also has proper beginning, logical development and appropriate ending. It contains most of the elements of fiction. This story can be called a fiction because it fulfills most of the requirements of fiction. It contains a theme, it is about some event, it has characters and it has a plot. The plot of a fiction has the structure of exposition, conflict, climax and the resolution.
 
In this story, the lieutenant's position and his task in the beginning is its exposition. When he is shot in his right arm, it disturbs the equilibrium and initiates the action leading to conflict and the climax. He goes to hospital from where he can see the door at the old school. At that time he feels as if it was the door to death. In the hospital he asks the doctor if his arm will be amputated. Finally he goes back home after the treatment in hospital without his right arm. His family members cry out in terror but he tells them to be quiet because he does not think that hand is more important than anything else, life itself for example. He says " I don't suppose it matters so much as all that". In this way we can call this story a complete fiction.

2. What is the function of the relatively large amount of description ? (विवरण या बर्णनको मात्रा तुलनात्मक रुपले बढी नै हुनुको के प्रयोजन छ ?)

Answer: Description dialogue and commentary are the basic elements of a story by which we can evaluate it. In some stories narration is the essential quality. In others description is predominant (प्रमुख). In this story there is more description than narration. The description is life-like, elaborate. The intention of the story writer is to present a very inhuman picture of war. Almost all scenes in this story are taken from war, not only in the battle but also in the barrack and the hospital. Everywhere people are crying out and moaning (विलाप गरिरहेको). The lieutenant finds his soldiers showing great respect to him. When he went on the way he found a man scolding him because he was wounded in the war. At the hospital many wounded people were crying and moaning. When he returned home, his family members cried out on tears. Thus, the story writer has successfully presented the very inhuman picture of war by means of lively description.

3. The author has taken pains to indicate how the wound sets the lieutenant apart from his fellow. How do men regard him ? How do the officers regard him ? The surgeon ? Do these elements help to define a theme ? (घाउले लप्टन लाइ आफ्नो साथीबाट कसरी पर राख्यो भन्ने देखाउन लेखकले धेरै परिश्रम गरेका छन्। सिपाहीहरुले उनलाई कत्तिको सम्मान देखाउछन् ? अरु हाकिमहरुले उनलाई के कति मान्छन् ? डाक्टरले के ठान्छन् ? के यी कुराहरुले कथाको मूल भाव बुझ्न मद्दत गर्छन् ?)

Answer: The author has tried to present a very inhuman picture of war. He says that the wounded lieutenant has to leave the army and go to the hospital for treatment. It is the wound that sets the lieutenant apart from his fellow. When the lieutenant has wounded in his right arm, his men cry out and stand perplexed and silent. After some time they move forward automatically towards him when he tries to put the sword in the scabbard. One of them respectfully places the sword in the scabbard. He does it tenderly in case he might hurt the officer. He has turned into a kind of strange dignity.

On the way to the field hospital, several officers ask the lieutenant how he was wounded. They behaved as if he was wounded on his own will. One of them cuts the sleeve and bandages his wound with his handkerchief scolding him in the meanwhile. The lieutenant feels terrible pain physically as well as psychologically as others speak to him in such a way that he does not even know how to be correctly wounded. At the hospital the lieutenant is greeted by a surgeon with his smiling face. But when he sees the wounded lieutenant , his behaviour suddenly changes. He hates the officer and places him in very low social level. The surgeon talks to the lieutenant in such a way that he latter is a criminal.

The attitude of these people help to discover the theme of the story., that is, war is inhuman and cruel. Whether in the battlefield or in the barrack or in the hospital, war is dreadful. Also, wounded people are hated by everybody. When the lieutenant goes back home his family members cry out in terrors to see him armless. This shows that how formidable war can be. For the lieutenant himself, it is the most shameful event to lose his right arm. These all indicate that war is unwelcome and hateful.

4. What elements of contrast are employed in the story ? (कस्ता विरोधाभासपूर्ण कुराहरु कथामा प्रयोग गरिएका छन् ?)

Answer: Different elements of contrast are shown in the story. The first contrast is shown in the exposition scene. When the lieutenant is dividing the coffee in equal heaps to distribute to other soldiers, he is shot in his right arm. Then everybody is surprised. The incident here is the shooting amidst, the calm and quiet atmosphere. This is the contrast of appearance and reality.

The second scene of contrast is seen on the way to hospital. The lieutenant thinks that he knows many things about war. But he finds many other people who have known quite a lot about war although they have not taken part in war. The war-wounded people are generally thought to be dignified and respected. Here, however, unwounded people including army officers hate the lieutenant. One of them scolds him when he puts his handkerchief over his wound. He behaves as if the lieutenant did not exactly know how to be wounded.

The third contrast is seen at the hospital where the doctor hates the patient. A doctor is surprised to be loving, sympathetic and helpful to the wounded ones. But here the surgeon hates the lieutenant because he is wounded in war. Then his family members despise him when they see his right arm amputated. They should have loved him and fell sympathy on his loss of the hand. These are some contrasts seen in the story.

5. What is the significance of the last line ? (यस कथाको अन्तिम हरफको के महत्व छ ?)

Answer: The last line shows that the wounded lieutenant is a practical man. He had gone to the battle perhaps because he thought he would become a war hero. Later on he was disillusioned when he was badly wounded in the war. He considered himself to be strong, he wanted to establish himself as a brave and courageous man. When his right arm was wounded, he still felt that his hand would not be amputated. But on the way to hospital he found army officers who despised (हेला गर्यो) him because the lieutenant did not exactly know how to be wounded. At the hospital the surgeon hated the lieutenant. When he went back home, his family members cried out to see his arm amputated. At that time the officer knew that war was meaningless but more important than was life itself. Thus, he realized that he at least did not lose the whole world because he could survive (बाँच्नु) amidst the terrible scene of the death. By losing one arm, he could at least survive in the world of life. So he said that he did not suppose it mattered so much as all that happened in the war.

6. Is there any reason for Crane's refusal to give the lieutenant's name ? (लेखकले लप्टनको नाम नदिनुको के कारण छ ?)

Answer: The author has not given the name of the wounded lieutenant. It can have at least two meanings. Firstly, the author has not described specific war. The characters present in the story are not the real persons. The events of the story are imaginary. The author has created the events and characters to present an inhuman picture of war in this story. In short, this is a story, not history.

Secondly, the author wants to show that man loses his identity in time of war. The soldiers are killed. The officers are wounded or killed but there is no account of their death. Everyone becomes public, nothing remains private. Man becomes unimportant. What is important is war in such situations. These are some reasons for Crane's refusal to give the lieutenant's name.

7. What are the implications of Crane's comparison of the actual battle to "a historical painting" ? (लेखकले वास्तविक लडाइलाई ऐतिहासिक चित्रसँग तुलना गर्नुको कुनै अर्थ छ ?)

Answer: Stephen Crane compares the actual battle to "an historical painting" to indicate that war is universal. The author has captured a moment of war that makes it eternal. The author's comparison of the actual battle to "an historical painting" signifies (जनाउँछ) the similarity between war and immortal art of painting. Art is immortal and war is indefensible. In that sense they are similar. War memories can be immortalized by making them into art or painting. War took place in the past and artists made the painting of it to immortalize it. By looking at the painting the future generation will know what had happened in the past. The author intends to say that historical events are repeated. Many people take war as a brave and courageous activity. They glorify it but never see its horrible and cruel aspects. Those who experience war can understand its terrible aspects but others are like the persons in the historical painting.

See More Important Question Answers From "The Episode Of War":

"THE EPISODE OF WAR" IMPORTANT QUESTION ANSWERS