Detailed character sketch of mr gupta in the story the price of flowers.
Answers
In the story The Price of Flowers, Mr Gupta is an Indian citizen staying in England. Once he saw a 13 year old girl called Alice Margaret Clifford also known as Maggie in a vegetarian eatery. He made friends with both her and her sick mother who were eager to learn about the former’s brother who was employed in India in the military service. They showed him a crystal ring that the brother sent them.
Once, the mother asked Gupta to have a look at the ring and tell her how her son was doing. Without hesitating for a moment, Gupta answered that he was doing good. This made the mother recover much better. However, Gupta soon became upset as he learnt that the son had passed away even before he lied to the mother. Yet, he did not have the heart to disclose this news to Maggie and her mother.
As he was getting ready to leave for India to join his new job, Maggie came to meet him. She gave him a shilling and requested him to buy flowers to keep on her brother’s grave. After she left, Gupta wiped the tears off his eyes and went upstairs to continue packing. This shows that Gupta was a sensitive and caring person. It was only because of this he hid the truth about the brother’s death when he knew it. Also, this is why he cried when Maggie gave him a shilling for the flowers to be kept on the grave.