A Story – Dylan Thomas

Theme:

“A Story” written by an Irish poet and short writer Dylan Thomas presents events from the perspective of a small boy. The boy narrates those happenings which he came across in his childhood. His description is full of humor and satire. The age people are shown as if they are stupid stuff. The writer has created the world of absurd people through a boy’s narration.

Summary:

This humorous story is narrated by a very young who is living with his uncle and aunt. In this story, the boy presents adults world from a child’s point of view. This story is about a day’s outline to Porthcawl by motor coach. In the first part of the story, the boy describes his uncle and aunt using metaphors and similes. The uncle was big and noisy whereas his wife was small and quiet who used to move on padded paws. The boy compares his uncle with a buffalo and a dismantle ship. He compared his aunt with her cat because of her quick and quiet movement and with a mouse because of her nibbling habit and tiny tone. Every Saturday night after heated arguments, the aunt used to hit the uncle on the head after the uncle lifted her on to a chair. The boy also describes uncle’s few friends in the story. Mr. Benjamin Franklyn collected the money for the outing and bought 20 cases of light wine. Will Sentry kept a strict vigil on Benjamin by following him everywhere in order to guard the money.

Once Sunday evening Benjamin and Will Sentry came to uncle with a list of persons who had paid for the outing for his approval. After their departure, the aunt asked the uncle to choose either her or the outing. The uncle however chooses the outing at which she became furious at breakfast. The next Sunday the boy found that the aunt have already left the house.

Finally the boy describes the outing the uncle and his friends made a trip to Port crawl for the outing. When they were out of the village for their outing destination, they found that old O’Jones had been left behind and they had to go back to the village to pick u him. After O’Jones got on, Mr. Weazely wanted to go home to take his teeth. Howpever his friends convinced him that the teeth wouldn’t be necessary for him in the outing. On the way to the Porthcawl they stopped at every public house (Bar) and drank alcohol heaving the boy outside as children were not allowed into the bars on seem a river on the way they went swimming there. They didn’t actually arrive at Porthcawl on the way home, it was already hate everything.Old O’Jones started cooking his dinner with kerosene stove and other members started drinking alcohol sitting in a circle in front of closed bar. The boy began to sleep leaning on his uncle’s waist coat.

The writer in the story is also able to create humor by describing the uncle, aunt, uncle’s friends and their behavior.However, the writer points out towards the bitter aspect connected with human behavior and habit of drinking alcohol. Alcoholic drink may change people’s behavior making them selfish, cruel and indifferent towards others suffering. Alcohol brings the niceatmosphere of uncle’s family on the verge of breakfast. Uncle and his friends also exhibited cruelty towards the small boy after drinking alcohol as they were totally careless about him during the entire trip.

Questions Answers:

1. The plan was to go to Porthcawl for the outing. Did they ever reach there? Why?

The plan of the narrator’s uncle and his friends was to reach to Porthcawl for the outing. But they could not reach to their destiny because of their habit of drinking. But it does not mean that it was the only one cause for it ; there are many. The first cause was their late departure. It was only at eight o’clock they started their outing. Another cause of it was the late arrival of one of their partners. Because everyone was worried about himself, they moved without counting all heads. But when they knew that one was missing. They could not continue their journey. They returned to receive him. The third and the greatest of the causes as already said is their nature of enjoy drinking a lot. When they reached to mountain sheep. They drank a lot. They did not think of their of their destiny. It was only after the owner informed them of the closing time. They came out though it was already late to reach to porthcawl. No one worried about even after they came out. They thought of playing with water when they reached to river. Hence, they could not reach.

2. Description of the boy’s uncle and his wife:

The boy’s uncle was tall, big and red-hairy. He used to occupy every inch of his room. He was just like a buffalo squeezed into an airy cupboard. His voice was hoarse. He used to drop food and drink on his waistcoat. His waistcoat looked like a picnic spot recently left by picnic-goers. Another childish behavior of his was to carry whistle under his neck. Whenever he was happy, he blew whistle his wife however was lean and thin. She did not make noise while walking or working. She was hot-tempered. On every weekend. Her anger used to be very high. As she become angry her husband to lift her and keep on the table. She in turn used to hit him with china cup.