WET SATURDAY | John Collier | Question And Answers

Question Answers Of "Wet Saturday". "Wet Saturday" is a short story written by John Henry Noyes Collier.

John Henry Noyes Collier was born on May 3, 1901 and died of a stroke on April 6, 1980. He was a British-born author and screenwriter best known for his short stories, many of which appeared in The New Yorker from the 1930s to the 1950s. Most were collected in The John Collier Reader (Knopf, 1972); earlier collections include a 1951 volume, the famous Fancies and Goodnights, which won the International Fantasy Award and remains in print. Individual stories are frequently anthologized in fantasy collections. Near the end of his life, John Collier wrote,

"I sometimes marvel that a third-rate writer like me has been able to palm himself off as a second-rate writer."

Among the several short stories of John Collier, "Wet Saturday" including "Back for Christmas" and "De Mortuis" were adapted for the television series 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'.

"Wet Saturday" is an example of evil deeds men can do or can intend toward one another. The story sharply observes the psychological will that men and women intend toward each other. People want to wield power over his/her family or society. They think evil of other and sometimes even kill like Millicent has done in the story.

"WET SATURDAY" By John Collier | Question And Answers

Question No. 1: What is the tone of the story "Wet Saturday". ("Wet Saturday"कथाको स्वर कस्तो छ?)

Answer: Wet Saturday is written objectively. The writer "John Collier" presents the events in story without any emotion or passion. In this story, there is no role of sentiment and it is described as if it is the real happening. The purpose of writer on being so objective is to present the evil psychology of people in the society as it is.

Question No. 2: Mr. Princey wants to save Millicent. Why? (Mr. Princey ले Millicent लाई बचाउन चाहन्छ। किन?)

Answer: Mr. Princey's daughter Millicent had killed Withers. She killed Withers without thinking it's consequences and it was a great crime. They may hang Millicent or may send her to the madhouse. Such kind of punishment would be the greatest disgrace for Mr. Princey because people would call him the murderer's father. If so, he will have to leave the house, which was not possible. By this reason, Mr. Princey wants to save Millicent.

Question No. 3: What completes Mr. Princey's isolation from life? (Mr. Princey को जीवनमा हुने एक्लोपनालाई केले पुरा गर्छ?)

Answer: Mr. Princey used to think his early childhood's photograph's memories. These pleasant memories would complete his isolation. He remembers how he would come into the orangey and find his lost wooden horse, the tunnel in the box hedge and the little square of light at the end of it.

Question No. 4: How are the reader's sympathies involved with Mr. Princey? Think about the characters of the daughter and the murdered man in answer to this question. (Mr. Princey प्रति पाठकको सहानुभूति कसरी जान्छ? यस प्रश्नको उत्तर दिँदा छोरी र मारिएको मानिसको चरित्रको बारेमा विचार गर्नुहोस्।)

Answer: Mr. Princey was an innocent father. Saving his daughter was his first duty and a father can not be isolated from the problems of his daughter or son. He regarded his daughter's problem as his own and decided to help. In another side he is also defending his reputation among the people by saving his daughter Millicent. His daughter, Millicent, was very stupid and killed Withers because Wither said that he would marry another girl - Ella. Without thinking any consequences, Millicent hit him and killed him. Mr. Princey was innocent in this regard. When he knew that his daughter killed Withers, he was worried about it. This event would be great disgrace for him. So, he thought of saving her. Our sympathies go on him because he played the role of noble father from the family point of view.

Question No. 5: What do you think of Mr. Princey's character from the point that he likes his house and position in the village but detests his family? (घर र गाउँमा भएको आफ्नो प्रतिष्ठालाई मन पराउने तर परिवारलाई घृणा गर्ने भन्ने तथ्यबाट Mr. Princey को चरित्रको बारेमा तपाई के सोच्नुहुन्छ?)

Answer: Mr. Princey likes his house and the position in the village but hates his family. This point shows that Mr. Princey is not a practical and responsible guardian and but he is selfish. He needs his house to live although it is not so attractive. He is respected by the villagers. He had a son who is very big and unattractive. His daughter called Millicent is very stupid and had killed Withers. He hates both of them. He wants to save his daughter only because it will be a great disgrace to him and will have to go away leaving village if she was sent to madhouse or was hanged.

Question No. 6: What makes John Collier's story a detached factual narrative? (के ले John Collier को कथा वस्तुगत कथानक बन्छ?)

Answer: In this story "Wet Saturday", the writer (John Collier) describes the events very objectively and frankly. The writer never hides the secrets of the character. He says Mr. Princey loves house and position but hates the family. His character and background are not concealed by the writer. Writer never takes side of any character. The narrative is neither sympathetic nor critical. It is neutral we find the quality of impersonality. Therefore, it is the narrative technique that makes the story a detached factual narrative.

Question No. 7: Is this a comic or tragic story? What do you think? (यो सुखान्त वा दुखान्त कथा के हो? तपाईलाई कस्तो लाग्छ?)

Answer: The story "Wet Saturday" presents a serious event. It is not a funny story nor does it end happily. The story ends sadly. Hence, the story "Wet Saturday" is a tragic story.

Question No. 8: Do you think the story would have better ended without the last paragraph? What does the last paragraph tell us is going to happen to Capt. Smollett? (के तपाइको विचारमा अन्तिम अनुच्छेद नभएको भए कथा अझ राम्रो हुने थियो? क्याप्टेन स्मलेटलाई के हुँदैन भनेर अन्तिम अनुच्छेदले भन्छ?)

Answer: I think the story would have ended without the last paragraph. But I assume that ending would not be a good ending. There would not have been justice to the characters. In my view, the good characters should be rewarded and the bad characters should be punished accordingly. If the criminals are left unpunished, there will be no value of innocence. The last paragraph indicates that the police would come and arrest the criminal to investigate the reality. The police would arrest Smollett because of this finger print and other proofs. But he is the living proof, so he would help police find out the reality.

Question No. 9: Discuss "Wet Saturday" as a psychological story. (Wet Saturday एउटा मनोवैज्ञानिक कथाको रुपमा छलफल गर्नुहोस्।)

Answer: In this story "Wet Saturday", the writer wants to explain the evil psychology through the characters. It is connected with the events that are more psychological. The writer presents us the probability that real man and woman might feel and do such evil things. Millicent, when she knows that Withers loves and is going to marry another woman, her psychological temper rises and she decides to kill him immediately. This shows her weakness, mainly psychological weakness. Similarly, Mr. Princey intends evil to captain Smollett when he knows that captain might have seen his daughter killing Withers. At this point also we find Princey's evil intention towards Captain Smollett.

Question No. 10: Do you think a human being can be as cold as Mr. Princey? (Mr. Princey जस्तै मानवजाति मानवताहीन हुन सक्छ भन्ने ठान्नुहुन्छ?)

Answer: We are social being. We cannot live without society and family affection. We love our family and think family's happiness is our own happiness. We cannot be cold and passionless. We become happy when our family members do something good. We can't be indifferent to them and their action. I think Mr. Princey is very unsocial man and human being cannot be as cold as he is. He regards only his house and position, not the family. He hates human being and is very selfish.