Solve comprehension Lost and Found by J
erome K Jerome
Answers
Explanation:
Question 1:
Sketch the character of the narrator, Jerome K. Jerome.
Answer:
Jerome K. Jerome is the main character of his classical comic novel ‘Three Men in a Boat’. He is the narrator and the novel is a ‘first person’ description of the river journey from Kingston to Oxford. Like both of his real life-friends Harris and George, Jerome is also a hypochondriac who is all the time concerned with his health. He finds symptoms of all diseases: typhoid, Bright’s disease, cholera and diphtheria in him. The only malady that perhaps he doesn’t possess is ‘housemaid’s knee’.
Jerome is not a vocal and boisterous character like his other life-friends, Harris and George. He rarely takes any initiative. Slowly but silently he makes his presence felt in all the decisions and operations that are associated with the river journey. Jerome has a long association with the Thames. He has undertaken many trips to the river with his friends and family. Actually, he spent his honeymoon with his new bride on the Thames before writing ‘Three Men in a Boat’. Jerome is full of anecdotes. His stories are associated with the social, cultural and historical life of the people and places on the river. These comical anecdotes or digressions make the novel a classic in comic English literature.
The narrator doesn’t forget to laugh at himself, too. On many occasions he contradicts himself. On one hand, he says that he takes a great pride in his work. But in the same breath he complains that it always seems to him that he is doing more work than he should do.
The narrator has an eye for beauty and romance. His description of the river and the villages and towns on it is graphic and fascinating. He displays a deep knowledge about the social practices, culture, history, costumes, food, drinks that the people and places of the Thames’s region are associated with.
He sees that Harris will grow as another Uncle Podger. However, Jerome forgets that he too can act funny and ridiculous on certain occasions. He prides on his packing but forgets to pack his toothbrush so often. He behaves like his Uncle Podger himself. To sum up, Jerome has all those qualities that are generally associated with a professional traveller. He has the knowledge, attitude and patience which are the traits of a good travel guide and writer.