Grade XI Compulsory English | Unit: 4- The Wish | (XI-English ) by- Roald Dahl

Summary of "The Wish by Roald Dahl" Class 11 English

Short Summary:

This short story "The Wish" has been written by an English writer Ronald Dahl. This story is completely based on the imagination of the main character who is a child. This story has presented imaginative acts of this main character in an imaginative game of a red carpet. This story itself is a fictitious story where the characters are unnamed. This story has also mentioned this main character's mother at the end of the story. 

The title "The Wish" has created confusion among the readers. Here the main character has expected to get a puppy in his birthday after coming across the red carpet and reaching inside safely. But the long for the puppy in Birthday finishes as the child falls in the black spot of the carpet and loses his imaginative game. 

This story has presented the setting of house front door's stairs and inside the hall where the huge red carpet has been placed. This imaginative game is about crossing the hall's red carpet stepping on the right colours and been placed. This imaginative game is about crossing the hall's red carpet stepping on the right colours and reaching inside from outside front door's stairs. 

Main Summary:

In the very first scene, we find an unnamed child looking at his kneecap's scab. He was sitting alone on his front door's stairs. He had an old cut on his kneecap and its scab was brown. He bent forward to examine it closely.

After pondering much, he decided to pick that scab from his wound. He picked his scab gently with his nail and put it on his thigh. He rubbed his wound's circle and flipped the scab with his finger. 

The scab fell upon the edge of the red carpet. When he moved near the scab, different colours of the carpet attracted his attention. He imagined different things in those colours of carpet. He creatively imagined a game plan using different colours of the carpet. In his imagination, he supposed the red coloured spots as the lump of coals, that could burn him. The black coloured spots were the poisonous snakes, that could bite him and leave him to die. The yellow coloured spots were only the safe zones for him where he could step and cross the huge carpet to get inside. If he could get inside, he would be gifted a puppy for his birthday. 

The child imagined very tough and terrible game plan to reach his goal (The Wish of completing his game and getting a puppy). The child started to move ahead in his imaginative game. He moved ahead stepping on the yellow coloured spots only. He kept on moving ahead very carefully stepping o the safe zone (Yellow colour).

As he reached the halfway across, he started to wobble around. He balanced his body by waving his arms. He didn't get a proper step ahead. He started to panic because there was no turning back due to his body position. The black coloured spots (Poisonous Snakes) ahead made him so panic. 

He remained there on the yellow safe zone for a long time. He waited and thought about the possible ways to move ahead. The fear of not getting the puppy compelled him to continue his way ahead. He made proper use of his mind, paused himself and stepped further quite carefully. 

Just a step ahead of the halfway, the child had to make a decision. He had to choose an option whether to move on the left or the right. 

The left side was more difficult for him to step, but there were less black spots there. So he decided to move ahead using the left side. 

He took his next step on the yellow spot. He happened to touch the black spot which was a centimetre close. He felt so panic because he was nearly going to be bitten by a snake. But his luck saved him.

Again he had an option to choose. He could have gone right but he went left instead because he feared about black poisonous snakes. 

In his imagination, the snake looked up to see if he touched it or not. In a very panic tone, the child said, "I'm not touching you! You mustn't bite me! You know I'm not touching you!"

He continued his journey ahead. His next step was quite far. He decided to step slowly over. But when he jumped ahead, his feet fell on the spots so wide. He tried to get back but couldn't. He tried to shift all his weight to his front foot, but he couldn't. He was properly stuck. 

The snakes started stirring underneath his feet. He started to wobble being panic. He tried to balance himself by waving his arms however it didn't work. He slowly started to fall towards the black. He gave a loud cry as he touched the black. His mother was looking for him far behind the house outside in the sunshine.

 Understanding the text 

Answer the following questions.

a. What did the child do to the scab on his knee?

➜ The child examined his knee cap's scab at first. He pondered much and decided to pick it up. He gently picked that scab with his fingernail and put it on his thigh. Finally, he flipped it with his finger.

b. What kind of effect did the carpet have on the child?

➜ The child becomes extremely amazed to see the red carpet. He had never really noticed it before in such a way. The different colours of carpet seemed to brighten mysteriously and spring out at him in a most dazzling way. He was thoroughly lost in those colours and his imagination.

c. What was he afraid of while walking across the carpet?

➜ While walking across the carpet, he was afraid of red and black coloured spots of the carpet. He supposed the colours of carpet as different things in his imagination. He thought the red colour spots as the lumps of burning coals and the black colour spots as the black poisonous snakes. He was afraid to be burnt down as well as bitten by burning coals and poisonous snakes during its journey. So, he stepped very carefully only on yellow coloured spots which he thought to be a safe zone.

d. What motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey?

➜ His wish of getting a puppy on his birthday or as a birthday gift motivated and encouraged the child to start and continue on his journey.

e. What did the child see as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet?

➜ The child saw different colours brightening mysteriously. He was lost in different colours' spots. He kept on thinking in his imagination about the colours and their different forms. 

Hence, the child saw the poisonous snake with the oily body of snake arising to catch or bite him as he looked down on the black patterns of the carpet.

 

 Reference to the context 

a. The writer creates two voices in the story. Who are they?

➜ Yes, the writer creates two voices in the story and they were (a narrator) and the voice of the young boy i.e the child.

b. Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow. “…the black parts are snakes, poisonous snakes, adders mostly, and cobras, thick like tree-trunks around the middle, and if I touch one of them, I'll be bitten and I'll die before tea time. And if I get across safely, without being burnt and without being bitten, I will be given a puppy for my birthday tomorrow.”

i. What does ‘the black part’ mean?

➜ The black path means the difficulty, challenges and suffering in the journey.

ii. Who is the speaker?

➜ The speaker was a young boy i.e the child.

iii. Why doesn’t the speaker want to be burnt?

➜ The speaker doesn't want to be burnt because he wants to get a birthday gift as a puppy tomorrow.

c. Which images and metaphors are used in the story?

➜ Images:

i. Scab (knee of the boy).

- It represents the boy's curiosity, desire, interest to go ahead in his journey.

ii. Black parts of carpet (snake).

- It depicts hardship, difficulty, suffering and troubling in life.

iii. Read patches (fire)

- it shows about fire i.e danger because it can burn a little child.

iv. Yellow patches (happiness)

- the yellow patches of the carpet represents relief, pleasure, hopefulness, happiness, and self-confidence in his life.

Metaphors:

The carpet represents a conflict in his life. He may be unable to take the right decision or choose the right option. We may suffer a lot due to the wrong choice. If we go with the right option, it leads to the right path and we do not have to feel any difficulty in our life. Otherwise, we will suffer if we take the wrong decision or path at the wrong time.

d. Summaries the short story “The Wish” in about 200 words.

➜ Read the above given for the short summary of about 200 words.

e. The story shows the events through the eyes of the narrator and the child. Comparing the two styles, who presents a more interesting or effective view for the readers? Why?

➜ The child represents the story in more interesting and effective where are view than the narrator because the child was a hardship. He faces and won all the challenges. Birthday gift as a puppy motivated and encouraged him to continue his journey. He was strong enough to complete his journey. Not only he faced all the challenges, but he also won them too.

f. Is “The Wish” a story about self-confidence overcoming fear or about greed? Give your arguments.

➜ "The Wish" story is all about self-confidence and overcoming fear. We can take this story as a motivational story too because the child completed his journey or challenges as birthday gift encouraged him. The child seems fearful while watching his scab. He thinks much about picking it. He raises many questions with himself. He picks out his scab being panic. But when he sees the carpet his fear increases high. He imaginatively makes a game plan. He gathers his confidence to cross the carpet. He creates his obstacles supposing the colours as coals and snakes. He even puts his goal across the carpet. He moves on bravely on the carpet wishing for a puppy on his birthday as a birthday gift. He tries his best to overcome his fear. His self-confidence and his wish end as he falls down in black colours.

 Reference beyond the text 

a. Do you think our wish can be fulfilled? Why or why not?

➜ Not all the wants, desire and wishes are fulfilled. We need hard and complicated practise to fulfil our wish, want, desire, interest. We should be calm while making every decision. The right decision leads to the right path that only can fulfil our needs and desire.

When we desire something that is called wish. Hard work is needed for wish to be fulfilled. But all our desire can't be fulfilled at all. All are not happy because their wish and desire are not fulfilled and when the wish will not fulfil they will be upset. Almighty helps in every condition.

Therefore, to fulfil our wish, needs, desire and satisfaction we should practice a lot then only we can be happy.

b. Why do you think some people might have a frightening nature? What would you suggest to them to overcome it?

➜ Some people might have a frightening nature because they do not have self-confidence.

I would suggest the following points to overcome it:

- Learn more about your fear, this first step can be the hardest one but it's also absolutely necessary.

- Use your imagination in positive ways.

- Use your brain in a different way than usual.

- Focus on your breathing.

- Practice mindfulness.

- Use nature as your therapist.

c. Write a folktale that you have heard or read.

➜ Folktale (Nepali: Dantya Katha) is a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. Write one you have heard or read.

Source: https://www.hari570.com.np/2021/01/the-wish-by-roald-dahl-summary-class-11-english.html 

Plot Description

To be honest, I’ve never really known what to make of this story. It’s very short, only a few pages, yet it’s incredibly vivid and suspenseful. Are the snakes only in the boy’s imagination? What is “the wish” that the title refers to? Has he really disappeared into the snake pit? Is it all just a metaphor? I don’t know.

Spoiler warning! The story opens with a small boy picking a scab off his knee. As he sits on the stairs, he becomes aware of the large red, black, and yellow carpet that stretches to the front door. He decides that the red patches are red hot lumps of coal that will burn him up completely, and the black parts are poisonous snakes that will bite him and kill him. If he can make it all the way across without getting burnt or bitten, he will get a puppy for his birthday tomorrow.

The boy begins his quest. The first part is easy going, but he reaches some difficult parts and has to take long strides. He wobbles but stretches out his arms to steady himself. He reaches a turning point and goes left, because although it seems more difficult, there’s less black. (He’s very afraid of the snakes.) He reaches the halfway point and knows he can’t turn back or jump off. He begins to feel panic rising in his chest. He takes another step to the only close yellow piece, and his foot is only a centimeter from a black patch. A snake stirs and raises its head to watch him. “I’m not touching you! You mustn’t bite me!” he thinks. Another snake rises as well, and the child is frozen with terror for several minutes. The next step is a very long one, too long to jump. The child manages to get one foot across and transfers his weight. He tries to then bring up his back foot but can’t. He was doing the splits and he was stuck. He looked down at the oily bodies of the snakes writhing beneath him. He began to wobble, but this time waving his arms only made it worse. He was starting to go over. “The next thing he saw was this bare hand of his going right into the middle of a great glistening mass of black and he gave one piercing cry as it touched. Out in the sunshine, far away behind the house, the mother was looking for her son.”