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Treasure in the Forest by H.G. Wells
Table of Contents
SHORT SUMMARY
The Treasure in the Forest by H. G. Wells
The Treasure in the Forest is a story of mystery and suspense that has been written by the American writer H. G. Wells. This story has presented the destructive consequences of greed and power as its major theme. This story opens with the scene of two Englishmen's voyage in their small canoe. Both of them are near the island. Both of them seem quite tired and thirsty after their whole night's voyage. They have an old yellow-coloured map related to the treasure. They discuss the treasure by pointing at the map first. They confirm three palm trees and the blue star's location as the exact location of the treasure. They get confused about the sharp dots on the map, which seem like pieces of glass or teeth. Both of them need water badly. Evans sees a dream sitting in a boat. He has a dream about their jungle incident, where they learn about the Spanish treasure and the act of hiding the treasure on the island by Chang-hi alone. He sees himself killing Chang-hi and snatching a map from him. Later, he sees Chang-hi in the terrible form of a vast devil with a big black tail. He becomes fearful to see Chang-hi's terrible and mysterious smile.
Later, both Evans and Hooker drink cold and fresh water in the river. They move ahead on the island, chopping the bushes. They find a Chinese man's dead body and the gold treasure behind the bushes. Evans moves inside the hole and starts collecting heavy gold bars in his coat, whereas Hooker becomes fearful about the Chinese man's dead body and his surroundings. Evans gets pricked by little thorns inside the hole twice while collecting gold bars. He asks Hooker to help him. He feels pain in his arms and neck. Both of them pulled the heavy coat out of the hole. As they move ahead, Evans stops twice due to pain. He keeps his distance from Hooker and stands against a tree. Hooker feels restless in this situation. As he picks up the last gold bar, he also feels pain in his finger due to the thorn. He sees Evans trembling with pain. Evans becomes motionless. Finally, he also feels pain and starts trembling.
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SHORT STORIES IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
TEACHERS' GUIDE
▪︎ "The Treasure in the Forest": A suspenseful short fictional story, published in 1894, written by an American writer, H. G. Wells
▪︎ Theme: Greed and its destructive results. presented the bitter reality that greed and power always corrupt human beings and invite destructive consequences. shown the concept that the end of greed is always destructive.
▪︎ About the story: an ominous adventure of two English men and their search for Spanish treasure, who become victims of their greed and power.
▪︎ Three main characters: Two of them are English men named Evans and Hooker, whereas one is a Chinese man named Chang-hi.
They were close to the island.
▪︎ They were on a whole-night voyage.
▪︎ Both wanted to quench their thirst at first.
▪︎ They had a map regarding the treasure of the island, quite old and blurred, creased due to much folding.
▪︎ Three palm trees on the island: the exact location of the treasure
▪︎ They got confused about those sharp dots and even the writing on the map.
▪︎ Evans started dreaming on the boat about the treasure and the Chinaman Chang-hi.
▪︎ Evans' Dream: Both of them saw three Chinesemen sitting in front of a fire and talking about the treasure in quiet voices.
▪︎ Both knew that once Chang-hi had had a chance to hide the gold secretly on the island during a Spanish shipwreck, He had gotten the gold from the galleon and hid on the island alone.
▪︎ The dream of Evans changed all of a sudden. He saw himself catching the neck of Chang-hi. His eyes opened, and he smiled a terrible and mysterious smile. Chang-hi called out his name, "Evans."
▪︎ Hooker informed him about three palm trees. They drank water too.
▪ They headed to the island, making their way with a big knife.
▪︎ They stopped to see something behind the bushes. They found a dead body. Evans inspected the turning-dead body and found a Chinese man.
▪︎ On the left side of the dead body, Evans found a shovel, lots of dirt, and a big hole in the ground. He saw three palm trees and the hole and ran towards them.
▪︎ Seeing the bars of gold, Evans jumped into the hole. There were yellow gold bars under his feet. He cried when a little thorn pierced him.
▪︎ Hooker became worried when he looked at the dead body of Chinaman.
▪︎ Evans again cried due to a little thorn on his finger.
▪︎ Hooker, being fearful, wanted to bury the dead body of a Chinese man.
▪︎ Evans felt pain in his arms and neck.
▪ While carrying gold bars, Evans stopped after a few minutes.
▪︎ Hooker wanted to support him, but Evans denied him coming near. He ordered him to collect the gold and move. Evans trembled in pain.
▪︎ As Hooker picked up the last piece of gold, he also felt pain in his finger.
▪︎ He remembered the marks on the map: the shape of the thorns, similar to Dyaks, and the poison that the Chinese use in their blowing tubes.
▪︎ Hooker felt pain in his hands, arms, and neck. He couldn't move his fingers properly. He sat down. In the silent environment of the forest, he thought about Chang's smiling face.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The Treasure in the Forest by H. G. Wells
BEFORE READING
Answer the following questions.
a. Have you read any stories about treasure hunting before? If yes, what is its title?
Answer:
Yes, I have read a story about treasure hunting before. Its title is "Pirate Treasure Hunt."
b. Why do you think people take risk of treasure hunting?
Answer:
I think people take the risk of treasure hunting to become prosperous in their lives.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions.
a. Describe the expository scene of the story.
Answer:
The expository scene of the story opens with the description of two tired and thirsty Englishmen and their surroundings in the sea. These two men have been presented in their small canoe near the beach of a tropical island. They can easily see the empty beach, the green forest, and the mountains of the island ahead.
b. What does the map look like and how do Evans and Hooker interpret it?
Answer:
The map looks quite old, like rough paper. It is yellow and creased due to much folding. The sketch on the map is not so clear. Evans and Hooker interpret it by pointing to the different locations on it. According to them, the beach, the forest, and the mountains on the map are just in front of them, which they are watching. The carved and twisted line on the map is the river where they can easily get cold and fresh water. According to them, the blue star's location is the exact spot of treasure where three palm trees are standing near the river, somewhere deep in the forest. They ignore the bottom dots, which look like pieces of glass or teeth. Finally, they consider the writing Chinese because the people whom they met in the forest were Chinese men.
c. How did Evans and Hooker know about the treasure?
Answer:
Evans and Hooker knew about the treasure through three Chinese men's quiet talks in the forest. Both Evans and Hooker were there in the jungle searching for something. They happened to see the Chinese men behind some bushes in the forest. The Chinese men were sitting in front of a fire and talking quietly about the treasure in an English accent. Evans and Hooker moved closer to them stealthily and heard their plan related to the hidden Spanish treasure.
d. Describe Evans's dream.
Answer:
Evans's dream was so strange and mysterious. He dreamt of it sitting on his boat, closing his eyes. He saw different things in his dream at once after closing his eyes. He saw himself and his friend Hooker in the forest, searching for something. They saw three Chinese men behind some bushes who were sitting in front of a fire and talking quietly about the treasure in an English accent. Both friends moved closer to them so they could hear them properly. They got some ideas related to Spanish treasure from Chinese men. Next, Evans saw himself catching the neck of Chang-hi. Chang-hi started crying with the pleading words 'No' and 'Please'. But Evans made him quiet. Next, he saw gold in huge portions. Finally, he saw Chang-hi again with his eyes wide open. Chang-hi appeared like a terrible monster with a tail. He smiled mysteriously and called out Evans's name.
e. What do the two treasure hunters see when they walk towards the island?
Answer:
The two treasure hunters see various things when they walk towards the island. Firstly, they see thick bushes and cut them to make their way ahead. Later, they see big white flowers, which they haven't seen before. Finally, they see the dead body of a Chinese man whose face is down on the grass.
f. In what condition did the treasure hunters find the dead man?
Answer:
While they moved carefully ahead, chopping thick bushes and big white flowers, they found the dead man. The dead man's body was in a miserable state. The face of the dead man was down on the grass. When Evans inspected the dead body, he found a Chinese man. The dead body's face was black and purple. It was about a month old.
g. How did the treasure hunters try to carry gold ingots to the canoe?
Answer:
They tried to carry gold ingots to the canoe with great difficulty. The coat was quite heavy due to the heavy gold bars. Both of them pulled the coat out of the hole, helping each other. They decided to take the gold home. Evans stopped and rested at first. Next, he dropped the coat, and the gold bars fell to the ground. They started trembling and feeling pain in their arms and necks. They failed to reach the canoe, along with the gold bars, at last.
h. How were Evans and Hooker poisoned?
Answer:
Evans and Hooker were poisoned due to their carelessness. They didn't have proper knowledge about the sharp dots on the map at the bottom. Evans was poisoned at first inside the hole while touching gold bars. He got poisonous Dyaks thorns in his fingers twice. Hooker got the same thorn in the ground while picking up the last gold bar. The poisonous thorns started showing their reactions. Both felt pain in their arms and necks. They trembled in pain and died at last.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. How do you know the story is set on a tropical island?
Answer:
I know the story is set on a tropical island simply because of its setting. The story presents a tropical desert island far away from human habitation. The tropical island simply has a hot climate. Here in the story, we find an island with a hot climate. This island is located quite far away and is surrounded by the sea. The characters in the story are seen as tired and thirsty due to their whole-night voyage and the excessive heat in the island's region. Another feature of a tropical island is the rainforest. We can see the rainforest here in this story, where two characters find a river and quench their thirst with fresh, clean, and cold water. Here, thick bushes and big white flowers, which the characters see on their way, are mostly seen on tropical islands. All these things in the story reveal the fact that the story is set on a tropical island.
b. Why do you think Evan and Hooker took such a risk of finding the buried treasure on a desert island?
Answer:
I think Evans and Hooker took such a risk of finding the buried treasure on a desert island to be prosperous in their lives. Their economic status isn't good. They are poor treasure hunters, as mentioned in the text. They are seeking a glorious chance to improve their lifestyle. They feel so good to hear Chinese men's secret talks related to the treasure in a deep forest on a deserted island. They attack a Chineseman and snatch a map from him, bearing risks. They want to improve their poor conditions at any cost. Their greed for becoming rich and prosperous makes them undertake this venture.
c. Do you think the narrator of the story is racist? If yes, what made him feel superior to other races?
Answer:
By racist, we mean a person who believes that a particular race is superior to others and discriminates against other races. Yes, I think the narrator of the story is racist. After reading this story, I got the idea that the narrator has a feeling of racism. Here, the narrator has presented himself as superior while narrating the story and describing its events and characters. We find him addressing the characters in a very biassed manner. He has even discriminated against the characters according to their race while describing them.
In the story, he has addressed the characters by their racial or ethnic groups. He has introduced them to "two Englishmen" and "three Chinese men." Here, addressing the characters in this manner shows the narrator's pride in his race. He seems to have a dominating nature while describing them.
Next, he has even made a biassed comparison between two Englishmen and Chinese men. He has shown the superiority of Englishmen over Chinese men. Chinese men have been presented as people from marginalised groups. Both Englishmen kill an innocent Chinese man, Chang-hi, brutally. Here, the narrator has presented Englishmen's superiority over Chinese men.
The superiority of the narrator is seen in the story most of the time. His description seems quite biased. His narrating style is one of dominance, where he has discriminated against the characters in the matter of racism.
d. What do you think is the moral of the story?
Answer:
I think the moral of the story is the bad consequences of greed and power. The story presents the downfall of two Englishmen due to their greed and misuse of power. Both of them became victims of greed and power. Thus, we should not run after greed and power. Greed always invites destructive consequences in our lives.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. Interpret the story as a mystery story.
Answer:
A mystery is defined as something that is a secret, something where there is no clear explanation, something difficult to understand or explain, or something unexplainable or unsolvable. The basic elements of a mystery story are characters, setting, plot, problem, and solution. Among these basic elements, we find a variety of aspects, which are: suspense, crime, witnesses, mysterious locations, red herrings, clues, investigations, etc. The story of a mystery arouses readers' interest and curiosity.
The story "The Treasure in the Forest" by H. G. Wells has all the basic elements of a mystery story. The story has fine descriptions of its mysterious setting and characters. It has a fine plot with various twists in the characters' situations. This story has kept all its readers in very suspenseful situations till its end. The readers of this story become too curious to know about the next events. We find the crime of murder of the character named Chang-hi by Evans and Hooker. The story moves along with the clues on the map and the characters' acts. The fearful surroundings of the forest and the final, painful deaths of the characters create a kind of suspense among the readers. The poisonous thorns appear to be the main cause of the deaths of the characters. All these things prove this story to be a mystery.
b. Treasure hunting is a favourite subject of children’s stories. Remember a treasure hunting story you read in your childhood and compare and contrast it with ‘The Treasure in the Forest.
Answer:
Treasure-hunting stories are so interesting to read. I also read a treasure-hunting story in my childhood. The story that I read in my childhood was in the cartoon version. The title of that story was "Sindbad and the Treasure Island." This story of treasure hunting is about the main character Sindbad's adventure on a mysterious island, where he has to face various fearful experiences. Now, I'm going to compare and contrast Sindbad's story with that of H.G. Wells's "The Treasure in the Forest." Some of the comparisons and contrasts are as follows:
1. Both stories are related to treasure hunting, and the sets of the stories are on islands.
2. The expository scene of "The Treasure in the Forest" opens with two characters, Evans and Hooker, in their small canoe in the sea, whereas "Sindbad and the Treasure Island" opens with Sinbad's adventure in the desert with his horse. Later, he makes his own boat to sail.
3. Hooker and Evans reach the island the next day of their voyage, whereas Sindbad reaches the island after three days and nights.
4. We find the search for water in both of the stories. Evans and Hooker get cold and fresh water in the middle of the forest and quench their thirst in the river, whereas Sindbad drinks water from a huge spring.
5. Evans and Hooker walk on the island for some time and see a dead body behind bushes, whereas Sindbad encounters various terrible skeleton ghosts and fights with them.
6. Evans and Hooker find gold inside a hole just on the left side of the dead body. They have a map, too. But Sindbad finds the treasure inside a mountain's cave. He also has a map related to the treasure.
7. Both Evans and Hooker die due to the poisonous thorns at the end of the story. They lose their lives. But Sindbad calls his friends at the end and takes away the treasure safely.
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