Which character do you find most interesting from the lesson 'The Wrong House 'and why?
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Answer:
L-4: The Wrong House
About the Author - James N. Young was born in Texas and worked as a newspaper reporter in Los Angeles.
During World War, he served in France and later on worked for three decades as an editor of Coller’s Magazine.
Introduction – ‘The Wrong House’ is a light-hearted and an amusing good read. The author interweaved the
element of suspense by not disclosing the details of the owner of the house. Neither he mentioned that Mr. Rogers
was the Chief of Police nor he divulged about the hidden policemen. The readers are keen to know the subsequent
events and get engrossed in the gripping storyline.
Title – The title ‘The Wrong House’ is completely justified as the robbers happened to hide the suitcase filled with
money in the house of the Chief of Police. They had presumed that they were hiding it in a safe house from where
they could retrieve it easily after buying a car. The irony was that they told a concocted story about a theft to the
Chief of Police only. So, the house they chose definitely turned out to be wrong for them.
Characters – Hasty Hogan and Blackie Burns were skilled burglars who used to collectively plan and win the
game of stealing. They knew all the thieves’ tactics minutely and were shrewd enough to escape from the police.
The author has selected their names according to the individual’s characteristics. Blackie Burns had surely burnt
his life by driving car over a policeman whereas Hasty Hogan in his haste didn’t check the house properly and
landed in police custody at the end. Mr. Rogers was a wise man. He acted smart and didn’t disclose his identity
hurriedly.
Summary – The title reflects the idea of whole story. The story revolves around the theme of fortune and
misfortune. The author begins the story with the reference to a dark and silent night, ideal for theft. Hasty Hogan
and Blackie Burns entered into a house using duplicate keys. They examined the living room and found that the
family was away on a holiday. They started discussing the series of past events and remembered that after a big
robbery, they were chased by the police. They stole a suitcase with huge amount of money but as Blackie ran car
over a policeman, they had to abandon it. Somehow, they managed to escape from the clutches of police. They
then hid the suitcase in the coal cellar of the house and went to purchase a car. When they returned, they found the
owner of the house back from vacation. Both of them cooked up a story and introduced themselves as Sergeant
Simpson and detective Johnson to Mr. Rogers, the owner of the house. They didn’t have the slightest idea that Mr.
Rogers was actually the Chief of Police. Mr. Rogers pretended to be nervous and frightened. He helped Hasty and
Blackie in searching the suitcase but the moment they were about to leave, he called the policemen to arrest them
who were waiting for the window of opportunity.