SHOULD

MOMMY WIZARD HIT

—John Updike

Chapter Analysis

Question Type Year & Marks 2016 2017 2018

D OD OD D OD

SA 1 2 LA 1 1 1

Introduction:

In 'Should Wizard Hit Mommy?' John Updike presents the worldview of a little child. Jo warmly responds to her father's story-telling. But she can't excuse Roger Skunk's mother for making poor little Roger smell bad again. Her hero must smell like roses and must not stink at any cost. So she wants her father to make a little change in the story. She wants him to tell a different story in which the wizard takes a magic wand and hits Roger Skunk's mommy.

Summary:

1. A Two-Year Old Custom of Story Telling

Jack used to tell stories to his daughter Jo in the evenings and for Saturday naps. Every story was a product of his head. This custom began when she was two. Each new story was a slight variation of the basic tale. Every story had a small creature usually named Roger. It could be Roger Fish, Roger Squirrel or Roger Chipmunk. In every story, Roger went to the wise owl and the owl would send Roger to the wizard.

2. Story of Roger Skunk

Today's story was about Roger Skunk. It was a new animal. They must talk about it at the nursery school. Jack had got a new hero. He started the story: "Once upon a time, in the deep dark woods, there was a tiny little creature by name Roger Skunk. He smelled very bad. He smelled so bad that the other little creatures would not play with him. They would run away from him. Roger Skunk would stand there all alone. Two little round tears would fall from his eyes. Little Jo could already guess what would be the storyline next. She asked "Won't he see the owl"? Jack continued. There lived a big wise owl in the tiptop of a tree. Roger Skunk told him his pathetic tale. The wise owl advised him to go to the wizard.

3. Roger Skunk Meets the Wizard

At last, Roger Skunk came to a little white house after crossing the dark woods and the swamp. A little old man came out. He had a long white beard and a pointed blue hat. Roger Skunk told the wizard how all the little animals ran away from him. He smelled very bad. The wizard asked Roger not to get very close to him. Inside the house, all magic things were jumbled together in a big dusty heap. The wizard demanded seven pennies. Roger had only four. He started crying. The wizard sent him to a magic well where Roger found three pennies. He took them back to the wizard. The wizard was happy and made him smell like roses. All other little animals gathered around him. Now, he smelled so good. They played games and laughed all afternoon.

4. Roger Skunk's Mommy doesn't like the Change

Roger Skunk's mommy asked him what that 'awful smell' was. Roger replied that he himself smelled like roses. The wizard made him smell like that. She told Roger that they were going right back to "that very awful wizard". But Roger cried that he smelled so bad earlier that all other little animals ran away. The mother said that she didn't care for that. Roger Skunk would smell the way a little Skunk should smell. They went to the wizard and he made him smell very bad again.

5. Jo wants the Story Changed a Little

Jo didn't like the end of the story. Poor little Roger Skunk was made to smell bad again. She wanted her father to make a little change in the story. She wanted her father Jack to tell her that the wizard took "that magic wand and hit that mommy." She insisted on making that change in the story.

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Oswaal CBSE Chapterwise & Topicwise Question Bank, ENGLISH CORE, Class-XII

Short Answer Type Questions

[2 marks each]

(Answer the following questions in about 30-40 words each.)

Q. 6. Why does Jo call the Skunk's mommy stupid?

[HOTS] [Comptt., 2015]

1. 1. Why did Roger Skunk want to change? OR [Outside Delhi Set-II, 2014]

Ans. Roger Skunk used to smell very bad. Because of this, no animal would play with him and he had no friends. He, thus, wanted to change his smell. 2

Ans. Value Points: Jo finds mum stupid:

- mum should not have spanked wizard

1. 2. Why did Roger Skunk go to the owl? What advice did he get? [Delhi Set III, 2015]

OR - as insensitive, cruel, unfair

[CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014-15] 2

[CBSE, SQP I, 2013, Delhi Comptt., 2010]

Why did Roger Skunk visit the owl? What did the owl advise him?

Ans. Roger Skunk visited the wise owl to get some wise idea for help. The owl advised him to go to the wizard. 2

Q.3. Why did Roger Skunk go to see the owl? [Outside Delhi Set-I, 2014]

Ans. Value Points: To get rid of his foul smell. AI Q. 7. Why does Jo want Wizard to hit Mommy?

[CBSE Marking Scheme, 2014] 2 [Comptt., Outside Delhi Set-III, 2017] OR Detailed Answer: Roger Skunk was an animal who was avoided by his friends due to his bad smell. So he went to see the old owl, expecting that he might help him with the problem.

Q.4. Why did Roger Skunk go in search of the wizard? [Comptt., Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2012, SQP 2013, 2011]

[Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2013] OR Why did Jo insist that her father should tell her

the story with a different ending?

[Outside Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2013] OR Ans. Roger Skunk went in search of the wizard because everyone made fun of him as he emanated a bad smell. He was very upset about this as he wanted to play with the other little animals. He met the owl who advised him to go to the wizard who would help him and give him a pleasant smell. 2

Commonly Made Error

• A few of the students write the reason for which Roger Skunk went to see the owl and not the wizard.

Answering Tips

[CBSE Marking Scheme, 2017] 2

• Roger Skunk went to see the wizard to get rid of his problem on the advice of the owl.

1. 5. How did the wizard help Roger Skunk? [Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2012]

Ans. Value Points: Removed his foul smell with the magic spell/gave him the pleasant smell of roses/ helped him in having many friends.

[CBSE Marking Scheme, 2012] 2

Q. 8. How was the Skunk's story different from the

other stories narrated by Jack?

[HOTS] [Delhi Set-I, 2014]

Detailed Answer: Roger Skunk told the wizard his problem that all the little animals ran away from him because he smelled very bad. The wizard agreed to help him. He took a magic wand in his hand and asked Roger Skunk what he wanted to smell like. Roger Skunk thought for a while, then said he wanted to smell like roses. The wizard used a magic spell. Suddenly, the wizard's house was full of the smell of roses.

Why did Jo want Roger Skunk's mother to be

punished for? [CBSE, SQP 2014-15]

- wants Skunk to get back smell of roses

- mum to be punished

Detailed Answer: Jo, being a child, considers

Skunk's mother to be stupid as she spanked the

wizard for giving Skunk the smell of roses. Jo

wants Skunk to get back the smell of roses and his

mother to be punished as she thinks his mother to

be insensitive, cruel and unfair.

What did Jo want the wizard to do when Mommy

Skunk approached him?

How does Jo want the story to end and why?

[Comptt., Delhi Set-I/II, 2017]

[Comptt., Delhi 2015] (NCERT)

[Outside Delhi Set-I, II & III, 2012,

Delhi Comptt. Set-I, II & III, 2011]

Ans. Value Points: Mommy forced the wizard to

return foul smell/angry with Mommy as Roger

left without friends/to assert that the young also

have an opinion. (Any one)

Detailed Answer: Jo wanted the story

to end with the wizard hitting Roger's

mommy with his magic wand for

not understanding Roger's feelings. The wizard

should punish the mother. She wanted to dream

of a magical and beautiful world devoid of

ugliness and stink. She wants the baby Skunk to

smell good, so that he can play with other animals.

She doesn't want Roger to feel sad and lonely for

no fault of his.

Ans. Value Points: Other stories had a happy ending,

Skunk's story did not / Jo (Jack's daughter) had

not opposed the ending of any story earlier / she

had never challenged Jack's authority / had not