character Sketch of evie"The Hour of Truth "
Answers
Explanation:
Robert Baldwin is the protagonist of this play. He lives in a trim little cottage with his wife Martha and his son John and daughter Evie. He is working as the governor of a bank owned by John Gresham. His salary is very low, 60 dollars a week. His son John earns only 30 dollars a week. With this limited income they live reasonably happily.
Suddenly there is a problem in their lives. John Gresham has misappropriated bank money and he is in jail. The bank is closed and Baldwin will have no job. Only Baldwin is the witness for the misappropriation. If he gives his true testimony, John Gresham will definitely go to jail for a long period. Baldwin is honest and he has taught his family the importance of honesty.
When Baldwin returns home after the arrest of John Gresham, his wife and children rush to him to know the latest news. Initially his wife and the children tell him that he should say the truth during the trial even if it means jail term for Gresham. But when they come to know that Gresham has offered him a bribe of 100,000 dollars just to say ‘I don’t remember’ when some incriminating questions are asked in the court, they change their stance. They try to find out all kinds of loopholes to make Baldwin accept the bribe. Martha, John and Evie do their best to make Baldwih’dhange his mind. But he asserts that he wants to go to his grave clean.
He does love Gresham. He even named his son after him. Even now he remembers how he worked with him for so long. They were boys together. They worked side by side. All this is true, but he is not willing to tell a lie to save his friend and employer even when he is offered a colossal sum of 100,000 dollars.
Baldwin’s honesty is repaid abundantly. Even Gresham is proud of him and he recommends him to Mr Marshall, the President of the Third International. At the end of the play we see Marshall coming to the house of Baldwin and offering him a job at the Third International. We see Baldwin crying in the end. He must have been crying for two reasons – his friend Gresham has confessed his guilt and he will surely be punished. Secondly he is shedding tears of joy in gratitude to God who has amply repaid his honesty. Honesty, Baldwin proves, beyond an iota of doubt, is the best policy.