How does the narrator react in times of adversity? Who helped him turn his focus from getting bitter to getting better? Explain with reference to ‘A House is Not a Home’.
Answers
Answer:
The narrator had just lost his home which associated his memories with his old friends . In addition to this his red tabby cat gets lost in the fire and he is very shaken up by this. In the clothes he wore the previous day and the shoes of his aunt , he walks in school embarrassed by the fact that he looks too strange. He gets the pitiful stares of the teachers and his fellow classmates and feels more ashamed as If it is somehow his fault that his house got burnt. When his classmates tell him to go to the gym he saw the supplies they got for him, some even invited him for dinner to their homes , the narrator was warmed by their kind hearts. This incident played a role in making the narrator overcome his sense of loss and adversity and positively participate in his new school as well.
Explanation:
(The narrator's reaction)
The adversities that the author faced in the story "A house is not a home" include change in school, separation from his friends, the burning down of his home and his cat going missing. When all these incidents happened the author was still a teenager and found it very difficult to come to terms with reality.
In each of the cases the author felt a deep sense of loss and was very miserable. He was going through an emotional turmoil and cried a lot. He felt that his sense of security was being "ripped" off. Unfortunately since he did not have any old friends he kept to himself and continued feeling even more miserable.
(Who helped him)
It was the love and kindness of strangers who saved the author from growing bitter and instead made things better for him. All the children at his new school were strangers to him. He did not know them or speak to them. Yet he was overwhelmed by what he saw in the gym. The children had collected a lot of things for him to use. They also introduced themselves, befriended him and invited him to their homes. The "genuine concern" that they showed, changed the author's life. Further, while he was watching his home being rebuilt, a stranger came by with his cat. She had evidently looked after the cat and even taken great pains to find its rightful owners. Thus, wonderful gestures of kindness from strangers helped the author rebuild his life too.