In this insightful article, we will delve into the fascinating world of the popular series “The Dear Departed Part 2” and provide you with answers to some of the most intriguing questions that have arisen since its release. Read more Class 10 English Question and Answers.
The Dear Departed Part 2 Question and Answers
Question 1.
Justify the view that the husbands of Mrs. Slater and Mrs. Jordan are men with no individuality.
Answer:
Henry and Ben are men with no individuality. They simply follow their wives’ instructions. When Mrs. Slater asks Henry to wear the old man’s slippers, he wears them even they are smaller in size. When she asks him to shift the bureau from her father’s room, he obeys her and does as she likes. He doesn’t say even a word against her will. In the same way, Ben too is a man with no individuality. Both Henry and Ben try to stop the quarrel between their wives but fail. Though they have concern for their father-in-law, they can’t express it.
Question 2.
Discuss the irony in the title ‘The Dear Departed’.
Answer:
Irony is the use of words to express something other than what is said or meant and especially the opposite of the literal meaning. The title “The Dear Departed” conveys just the opposite as the main character of the play (Abel Merry weather) does not seem to be “dear” to his own daughters. The old man is not dear to anyone. They only want his property.
Question 3.
List the arguments the two sisters gave to keep their father in their care.
Answer:
Mrs. Slater tells her father that it is quite time he comes to live with them again and they will make him very comfortable if he comes. But Mrs. Slater argues that he has not been with them as long as he was with the Jordans. Mrs. Jordan replies that she does not think their father will fancy living on with the Slaters after their stealing his things. They even say sorry for what they have done. Thus, both the sisters argue to keep their father in their care.
Question 4.
How does the spat between the old man’s daughters lead to father discovering the truth?
Answer:
The spat happens between the two sisters when their father Abel asks Mrs. Slater why his bureau and clock are brought downstairs. Mrs. Jordan understands that her sister tries to steal those things before their arrival. This leads to a quarrel between the two sisters. Mrs. Jordan tells her father that Mr. and Mrs. Slater have shifted the bureau and the clock from his room to the sitting room because they think he is dead. They have shifted the things so as Mrs. Jordan can’t lay a claim on them. After discovering the truth, Abel becomes angry because he feels that his daughters don’t even wait till his funeral and have tried to divide things between them.
Question 5.
List the comic elements in the play ‘The Dear Departed’.
Answer:
There are certain elements that make the play a comedy. The title itself is a comic one. A single person doesn’t make a comedy. It requires several who are in action and counter action. The main characters of the play, Abel Merry weather, Mrs. Slater, Mrs. Jordan, Henry and Ben all cause the comedy. The main comic thing is that both the sisters think that their father is dead. The other comic scenes in the play are :
- Following his wife’s instructions, Henry wears the old man’s new slippers.
- The Slaters hurry to steal the old man’s bureau and clock, thinking that the Jordans will arrive.
- The Slaters and the Jordans are shocked to see Abel coming into the room.
- Ben skips back and retreats with Mrs. Jordan to a safe distance when Abel thrusts his hand at Ben.
- Abel announces that he will change his will and marry John Shorrocks.
- Both the sisters argue that Abel should stay with them. (They want to own his property).
A termination must be made which springs necessarily from the preceding elements and this gives the comic solution. The arrival of Abel into the sitting room and his announcement of changing his will and marrying^ woman etc. produce such a comedy.
Question 6.
In what way is the play ‘The Dear Departed’ a commentary on the hollowness of human relationships?
Answer:
Stanley Houghton, in his one act play, tries to bring out the qualities of the two daughters, Mrs. Slater and Mrs. Jordan towards their father. The author tries to show how the sisters are interested in the property of their father rather than their care and affection towards him. When the two sisters think that their father is dead they are complaining of what a burden he is to them. The moment Abel announces about his new will in which he will leave everything to the person he is living with when he dies, they both fight for him to live with them. Thus, this play shows us the hollowness of human relationships. This is a social play on the condition of the old people who are being neglected and abandoned by their own children. Here we see the degradation of moral values in respect and care within the members of the family itself.
Question 7.
What are the three things that the father plans to do on Monday next? What effect does it have on his daughters?
Answer:
The three things that the father plans to do on Monday next are:
- At first, he wants to go to the lawyer and alter his will.
- Then he wants to go to the insurance office and pay his premium.
- Finally he wants to go to St. Philip’s Church and get married.