 |
| Neb English Support Class 12 |
Section 2: Literature (One-Act Play)
Facing Death Class 12 Exercise
August Strindberg
Facing Death by August Strindberg
MAIN INTRODUCTION
Facing Death by August Strindberg
This one-act play "Facing Death" was written by Johan August Strindberg, a Swedish writer. This play is about a bankrupt man named Monsieur Durand and his heroic sacrifice for the sake of his daughters. This play was published in 1892. This play has various themes such as fatherhood, financial hardship, strained familuy relationships, the relentless struggle for survival, love, sacrifice and the inevitability of death.
ABOUT THE PLAY
This modern tragic one-act play, "Facing Death" was written by the renowned Swedish writer, playwright, and painter August Strindberg. It was published in 1892. This one-act play tells the story of a sorrowful father named Mr. Durand, portrayed as a bankrupt and distressed man. The play presents the story of Mr. Durand’s sacrifice and devotion for the future of his daughters, which we can call a story of a father’s love and sacrifice.
THEME
Now, talking about the main theme or core essence of this play, we find themes such as fatherhood, financial hardship, strained family relationships, relentless struggle for survival, love, sacrifice, and the inevitability of death.
This play helps us understand the depth of a father’s love, where a father is ready to lose everything for his daughters. The financial crisis brings immense tension to the family, and the struggle to survive is evident, while the inevitability of death reveals life’s profound truth, and sacrifice showcases the beauty of love.
SETTING
Now, regarding the setting of this play, we encounter the main setting as the dining room of Mr. Durand’s house. This is a beautiful location in French Switzerland, featuring the scenic Savoy Mountains and the city of Évian. Outside the house, there are lovely church trees, and Lake Leman is also visible. As for the time period, we find it to be between the 1880s and 1890s.
WRITING STYLE
August Strindberg is one of the most significant literary figures of Sweden. His works mostly depict the stories and emotions of real life. He has used the European naturalism style in this play, which primarily highlights the difficulties of real life.
CHARACTERS
Now, talking about the characters, we encounter the following onstage characters in this one-act play:
Mr. Durand:
Mr. Durand is the main character of this play. He is a former railway employee and a widower. Regarding his financial condition, we find him in a severely bankrupt state. Due to his financial weakness, he has turned his only house into a pension, a small hotel or boarding house. He is ready to do anything for the future of his three daughters. At the end of the play, he makes a great sacrifice for his daughters, and his love and devotion become the emotional center of the play.
Adèle:
Adèle is the 27-year-old eldest daughter of Durand. She is the most hardworking among the daughters. She spends most of her time working in the kitchen. We can see patience in her during times of crisis, and she supports her father the most at home. In this play, we find her struggling to understand her father’s plans, and in the final scene, she agrees to hide the insurance papers.
Annet:
Annet is the 24-year-old middle daughter of Durand. She has a calm and loving nature, but her views differ from her father’s. She contributes little to household chores and enjoys playing and singing more. She often argues with her father and mostly sides with her mother, adding to the family tension.
Thérèse:
Thérèse is the 24-year-old other daughter of Durand, lively yet emotional. She is in love with Antonio and argues with her father. Her behaviour increases family tension, though her father agrees to her marriage. Ultimately, her weakness and love influence the story.
Antonio:
Antonio is an Italian lieutenant who stays at Durand’s pension. He is in love with Thérèse and wants to pay in advance to stay there. Durand’s anger drives him out, but his role is significant in the family’s crisis. He also contributes to the rising tension in the play.
Pierre:
Pierre is a boy who works at Mr. Durand’s pension. He regularly helps at Durand’s house. When he goes to get bread, he brings only bills, reflecting the family’s financial crisis. His role is small but supportive in the family’s daily life, appearing only at the beginning of the play.
DETAILED SUMMARY
This one-act play begins in the peaceful dining room of the main character, Mr. Durand’s house. Mr. Durand is a former railway employee and a widower. Financially, his condition is extremely precarious; due to a lack of money, he has converted his only house into a pension, a small hotel, though the business isn’t thriving. He lives a very difficult life with his three daughters in this house. The family’s financial shortage has increased tension, and they sustain themselves on credit. Among his three daughters, the eldest, Adèle, is a 27-year-old unmarried girl. His middle daughter, Annet, and youngest daughter, Thérèse, are both 24 years old. The eldest daughter is the most hardworking, and we find a strained relationship between the father and his daughters. This family has been struggling with financial crisis for the past 10 years.
In this pension house, the eldest daughter handles all the kitchen work, while Mr. Durand is engaged in serving guests, cleaning, and presenting food. As for the middle and youngest daughters, they don’t contribute much to the work but desire to flirt with guests, sing, and become the center of attention. Currently, Mr. Durand’s pension has only one guest named Antonio.
The play opens with Mr. Durand standing at the door, gazing at the beautiful outdoor scene, with tiredness, worry, and sorrow visible on his face. At that moment, his eldest daughter, Adèle, enters with coffee supplies from the kitchen. When Adèle asks her father, “Have you brought bread for the coffee?” Mr. Durand replies with a faint smile, “My chest hurts; I’ve sent Pierre”. Adèle grows worried upon hearing about Pierre, saying, “We have to pay him too, as the lack of tourists for two months has caused a financial crisis at home”. Adèle complains to her father, “You haven’t done anything for the family; I’m working alone in the kitchen”. Poor Mr. Durand calmly responds, “Yes, daughter, we’ve both tried a lot since your mother’s death”. A little later, Adèle asks her father, “Have you paid the fire insurance for the house?” Mr. Durand confidently says, “I’ve already paid it”.
A while later, Pierre arrives with a basket. Adèle opens it hopefully, but it contains only bills. The baker, butcher, and grocer have informed Pierre that they won’t supply goods until the previous credit is cleared. There was also a packet in the basket, which Adèle opens to find candles. These candles were bought by Mr. Durand for the annual memorial of his deceased son René. Adèle is unhappy about the candle expense, reminiscing about her mother, “Mother could handle problems, but you couldn’t,” and adds, “We don’t even have coffee or bread to feed Antonio, an Italian army lieutenant paying to stay here”.
Mr. Durand tells Adèle, “Leave me alone; I want to talk to Antonio”. Adèle urges her father to arrange money, but Durand says, “We’ve been living on credit for ten years”. When Antonio enters, he greets Mr. Durand and asks for coffee, but Durand openly shares his financial crisis and bankruptcy. Hearing this, Antonio understands their pain and offers money, but Durand refuses, saying, “My daughters must face hardship; they shouldn’t just play and flirt”. Antonio again offers advance payment, but Durand refuses again. Mr. Durand adds, “This business doesn’t sustain us; the house was empty for three months last spring. An American family saved us, but they tried to take advantage of my daughter”. He continues, “An American boy tried to kiss Thérèse; now I’m cautious about my daughters’ safety”. Eventually, Antonio convinces Mr. Durand with ten francs, and Durand goes out to buy bread.
At that moment, Thérèse enters with a mouse trap and talks to Antonio. She asks her sister for milk and cheese, but Adèle tells her to get it herself. Thérèse behaves rudely with her sister, and Adèle advises her to be kind before going to fetch coffee. Both Thérèse and Antonio discuss about love, and Annet enters.
A little later, Annet comes in dressed up and with her hair styled. Antonio holds Thérèse’s and kisses her. Suddenly, Mr. Durand sees this from the door and becomes furious. He asks Thérèse, “What is this?” but she lies. When Mr. Durand realizes he’s being deceived, Thérèse argues with him, accusing, “You’re a fraud, claiming to be French-born in Sweden.” In a fit of rage, Mr. Durand orders Antonio to leave, but the middle and youngest daughters support Antonio and protect him.
Later, as Antonio leaves, he mentions the ten francs. At that moment, Durand pulls a small gold coin from his pocket and throws it at Antonio. Thérèse and Annet follow Antonio, saying, “Don’t go,” and Thérèse expresses anger at her father’s harsh behaviour. Durand asks again about the kiss, but Thérèse lies, saying it didn’t happen, and Annet also hides it.
A little later, Adèle brings a glass of milk. Annet tells her father to drink it, but Thérèse rudely snatches the glass, saying, “You’re extravagant; we’re starving”. Adèle also scolds her father, calling him irresponsible and saying, “Another bill will come”. Durand takes the bill, drinks water, and tries to light his pipe, but Annet snatches the match, and both blame him.
Durand mentions hunger, but the daughters ignore him. He even says he ate mouse bait out of extreme hunger, but luckily, it wasn’t poisonous, so he survived. All three daughters accuse him of ruining the household, claiming, “If mother were alive, the situation wouldn’t be like this”. When their mother was alive, she had a poor relationship with Mr. Durand. The daughters always side with their mother and blame their father. Mr. Durand recalls his wife, who wasted money on gambling and scolded him harshly. The daughters were unaware of this past.
As evening winds begin, Durand tells Adèle to extinguish the stove fire, saying, “We won’t get anything from insurance if it catches fire.” Adèle doesn’t understand, but Durand asks the daughters to close all windows. He informs them about his life insurance, saying, “I’ll bring money - selling life insurance gives 600, and 5,000 francs come after my death”. (Here, the 5,000 francs refer to the fire insurance money for the house.)
After hearing about the life insurance, all the daughters become very happy. Mr. Durand tells Thérèse, “If you love Antonio, you can marry him”, and Thérèse, sensing her father’s impending death, apologizes and returns the match and milk.
He calls his eldest daughter Adèle and asks if there are candles. Adèle asks about the life insurance, and Mr. Durand reveals he sold it long ago but has fire insurance, saying, “I’ll burn the house somehow to get money”.
He instructs Adèle to safeguard the fire insurance papers and begins revealing secrets he’s hidden for years. According to Mr. Durand, he was born in France. Before reaching the age to enlist in the army, he fell in love with a woman. Finding it hard to marry young in France and desiring to live with her, he left France for Switzerland, took local citizenship, and married her. When the First World War came, he joined the Swiss army and fought against his own French army, a shame he hid by lying about being born in Switzerland throughout his life.
He says his wife wasted all the money on foolish market investments, gambling, and lotteries. Due to her negligence and risky ventures, he lost his ancestral property and her family’s inheritance. While alive, she taught the children to hate their father Durand, enforcing her authority over them. She always blamed Mr. Durand and turned the children against him. After her death, Mr. Durand spoke less, staying silent to ensure the children never doubted their mother’s love.
Adèle supports her mother, saying, “It’s easy to blame the dead,” while Mr. Durand says he’ll die soon and doesn’t need saving.
Finally, Mr. Durand asks his eldest daughter Adèle to care for her sisters with love, arrange Thérèse’s marriage, and secure a teaching job for Annet. As the smell of burning grass begins, he drinks from a glass, and smoke rises from the roof. He instructs Adèle to secure the insurance papers and manage the money, advising her not to speak ill of their mother and to ask Thérèse to forgive him. Seeing the fire, Adèle tries to wake her father, but he gracefully places the glass down. Adèle realizes he’s taken poison, screams, yet Mr. Durand remains concerned about the fire insurance papers. Finally, he lowers his head on the table and dies.
Thus, this modern play portrays the bitter truth of financial struggles in modern society. In it, Mr. Durand sacrifices his life for the bright future of his three daughters.
CLICK HERE 👇 TO READ
ALL PLAYS CLASS 12 IMPORTANT QUESTIONS' SOLUTION PACK
SHORT SUMMARY
Facing Death by August Strindberg
Write a short summary of the play "Facing Death".
The main protagonist of the play "Facing Death" is Mr. Monsieur Durand. He is a financially ruined former railroad employee and widower. He is living his life with his three daughters: Adele, Annette and Therese. Due to their financial crisis, they run a lodge but remain deeply in debt. Durand works hard in the lodge while his daughters mostly seek attention from guests. The family's financial hardships are severe. There are lots of unpaid bills piling up. He gets little help but much blame from his daughters.
Being quite despairing, he decides to commit suicide and set his house on fire to secure an insurance payout of 5000 francs for the future of his daughters. Before his death, he reveals all the secrets about his past and the sacrifices he made in his life. Despite his entire efforts, his daughters always blame him for their plight, but he has hope that the insurance money will ensure their future. Finally, Mr. Durand commits suicide by taking poison. The play ends with Durand's tragic death and the house burning.
CLICK HERE 👇 TO READ
CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE "ON LIBRARIES" BY OLIVER SACKS DETAILED SUMMARY
CLICK HERE 👇 TO READ
THE THREE STUDENTS CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE: SUMMARY & EXERCISE | SIR AURTHOR CONAN DOYLE | MAJOR ENGLISH
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Facing Death by August Strindberg
Exercise of the play "Facing Death".
BEFORE READING
Answer the following questions
a. Have you ever observed your parents in a financial crisis? If yes, what was it like?
Answer:
Yes, I have observed my parents in a financial crisis. It was the worst experience for all of us.
b. Have you ever appreciated their selfless act for your sake? If yes, how?
Answer:
Yes, I appreciated their selfless acts for my sake. I appreciated them for making me educated and capable of surviving in this world.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Answer the following questions:
a. Where does the play take place?
Answer:
The play takes place in the dining room of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker, widower, and owner of the boarding house. He lives there with his three daughters.
b. Why do the grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household?
Answer:
The grocery store, the bakery, and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household because the Durand household hasn't paid their bills for a long time. Therefore, they are unable to deliver even more goods until the bills are paid.
c. Why does Monsieur Duran spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand spends money on candles when he doesn't have money to buy even bread because he wants to light the candles on the death anniversary of his late dear son, René, who died in his infancy. Durand is saddened by his passing and still has a feeling of affection for the dead child. Durand has another intention: to set his house on fire and get fire insurance money to make up for his daughters' fortunes as they grapple with financial troubles.
d. Why did Monsieur Duran sell his life insurance?
Answer:
Monsieur sold his life insurance to pay off the debtor's loan. His condition was so miserable, whereas the debtor was quite angry with him for not paying the dues.
e. Why has Monsieur Duran paid fire insurance?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand has paid fire insurance to make a compensation claim later on. He intends to get compensation from the fire insurance by burning his house so that the money given as compensation will help his daughters.
f. How did Monsieur Duran and Mrs. Duran run out of their inheritances from both the sides?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Durand ran out of their inheritances from both sides because of Mrs. Durand's carelessness and foolish speculation. Both of them lost paternal and maternal inheritance, which was used in raising their daughters.
g. Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand tells a lie about his birthplace for two different reasons:
- He fell in love with a woman before his age. He wanted to marry that lady, so he left his birthplace and moved to Switzerland. To save his and his wife's reputations, he tells a lie.
- He fought against his own motherland, France, from the side of Switzerland. To hide this shame, he tells a lie.
h. What business is Monsieur Durand running to make a living?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand is running a boarding house to make a living. He has converted his house into a lodge to earn money. He provides lodging and dining services to his guests. There is a modest facility, not like a homestay.
i. What plan does Monsieur Durand have to help his daughters with money?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand plans to commit suicide and set his house on fire. He hopes to get compensation from the fire insurance policy so that he can help his daughters with the money. He wants to sacrifice his life for the sake of his three daughters.
j. How does Monsieur Durand die?
Answer:
Monsieur Durand dies by committing suicide at last. He drinks poison to help his daughters with the amount of compensation from the insurance policy.
REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT
a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Durand.
Answer:
Monsieur Durand is the main character of the play "Facing Death." He is a widower, the lodge owner, and a former railway worker. He is a financially ruined person who has three daughters. All of them live in the lodge. The relationship between Durand and his daughters isn't good. Here, in this play, we find him a loving, caring, and protective father. Due to his bankruptcy, he is spending his miserable life with his three daughters. His daughters hate him and blame him most of the time. But he keeps on thinking about the well-being of his daughters. He sacrifices his life for the welfare of his daughters, who hate him. He is quite an enduring man who endured injustice from his late wife and remained silent for the rest of his life, blaming her for the financial ruin. He is also a loving husband. He is a patriot too, who loves his native France, although he is forced to live in Switzerland. He is a tragic hero who faces financial difficulties and eventually ends his life tragically by committing suicide for the well-being of his three daughters.
b. How do we know that the Durand family has reached a dead end?
Answer:
We know that the Durand family has reached a dead end after seeing their miserable state in their lodge. This family is completely bankrupt. When Mrs. Durand was alive, both husband and wife had lost their maternal and paternal inheritances. Mr. Durand and his daughters spend their miserable lives in an economic crisis. Due to their miserable economic status, they have converted their living house into a lodge. Mr. Durand's household has been borrowing money from others for years. There are numerous bills in the name of the Durand household that must be paid to different debtors. Among all family members, the condition of Durand is so bad. We find him living a tolerant life. He doesn't have a good relationship with his daughters. His daughters hate him and blame him for many reasons. We even find that the family doesn't have money to buy bread for coffee. Due to hunger, we find Durand eating the rat's bait. This family has reached a dead end due to this financial crisis. Due to this financial hardship, Durand has planned to kill himself and burn down his lodge for the welfare of his daughter. Here, we find Durand successful in his deadly plan at last.
c. ‘The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially Theresa’. Do you agree?
Answer:
Yes, I agree with this statement. Here in this play, we find that the mother has had a great influence on her daughters, especially Theresa. While their mother was alive, she used to teach the children to hate their father, Durand. She made them obey herself. Most of the time, she blamed her husband and became successful in making the children fight against their father. After her death, Mr. Durand remained silent all his life because he did not want his daughters to doubt their mother's goodness. He is a much more enduring person who endured injustice from his late wife and remained silent for the rest of his life, blaming her for the financial ruin. Due to the mother's teaching, all three daughters hate their father. They think that their father was the main cause of their financial ruin. Theresa is the one who has been greatly influenced by her mother. She shows her rude behavior most of the time. She snatches the matches away from her father when he is about to inhale tobacco with a briar pipe. Similarly, she seizes the glass of milk from him. She seems so unkind towards her father. Among the three sisters, she is the one who is filled with much anger against her father.
d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Duran and his wife.
Answer:
The relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife was not so good. While Mrs. Durand was alive, she used to blame Mr. Durand, though she herself had ruined the ancestral property. Due to her negligence and foolish speculation, she ruined the ancestral property. She used to spend household money on lottery tickets. After being abused, she threatened her husband with becoming a prostitute for money. He called her a lone soldier. She taught all her daughters to hate their father and filled their minds with all the negativity. She had become successful in diverting her daughters' minds and turning them against their father.
e. ‘Money determines the relationship between characters in this play’. Elaborate this statement with examples from the play.
Answer:
Here in this play, "Facing Death," money has played a very vital role in the lives of Mr. Durand and his daughters. Money is the first and foremost thing that has become the sole cause behind all the problems in this drama. The economic hardships of Mr. Durand's family have forced the entire family to live a miserable life with a lack of various essential needs. This family has been presented with agony due to hunger. Due to the economic crisis, the family is unable to buy bread. Mr. Durand has had to live with hunger for a long time. He is even seen eating rats' bait in the drama. Mr. Durand is unable to provide for the basic needs of his daughters due to this economic crisis. The relationship between Mr. Durand and Mrs. Durand also deteriorated due to the struggle to lose wealth. The daughters do not like the father because he doesn't have enough money to support the family. The economic crisis leads them to convert their living house into a lodge. Here, we find that money determines the relationship between the characters. Mr. Durand's three daughters hate and blame him most of the time. They show their rude behavior towards him. The daughters do not even give a glass of milk because the father cannot bring bread. They snatched the glass of milk from him. They snatch the matches from him when he goes to smoke. They show their kind behavior to their father when their father says, "I'll bring you money." They even kiss him lovingly. They use the words kindness and love. They even apologized for their rude behaviour.
f. Monsieur Durand kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as compensation from the insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him?
Answer:
In the play "Facing Death," Mr. Durand is presented as a tragic protagonist who commits suicide by drinking poison and sets fire to his house to get compensation from the fire insurance company to improve the financial condition of his daughters.
Mr. Durand has been spending his life in extreme poverty. Due to the financial crisis, he has been blamed most of the time by his daughters. He has been considered a failed and irresponsible father. His plan for the welfare of his daughters tells us that he is a caring and loving father who keeps on thinking about his children's future. He is the man who sacrifices his life for the bright future of his three daughters.
g. Discuss Facing Death as a modern tragedy.
Answer:
By modern tragedy, we mean a play dealing with tragic events and having an unhappy ending, especially one concerning the downfall of the main character.
The play "Facing Death" is a modern tragedy as it ends with the tragic death of the protagonist, Mr. Durand. Modern tragedy deals with realistic representations and common problems. Realism and naturalism are the main features of modern play.
The protagonist of a modern tragedy is a common man. Furthermore, modern tragedy deals with the problems of the modern individual, such as dysfunctional family relationships, socio-cultural problems, loneliness, etc. Characters become victims of their sociocultural environment, fate, economic class, gender, external environment, etc.
Here in this play, we find the exact features of modern tragedy. This play has presented the life of a common modern man with an immense crisis in his life. Due to economic hardships, he has been suffering a lot, along with his three daughters. In the play, we can easily find problems with bad relationships and poor economic status. Mr. Durand, a common modern man, has suffered a lot due to economic difficulties. This play also ends with the tragic downfall of the main character, Mr. Durand. He kills himself and even burns his house for the welfare of his three daughters. This play has presented realism as well as naturalism.
REFERENCE BEYOND THE TEXT
a. Write a few paragraphs describing the role of the father in the family.
Answer:
Our country, Nepal, is a country of patriarchal norms and values where we find the vital roles of fathers in families. In most Nepalese families, fathers are considered the heads, who lead the entire family.
In the context of a Nepali family, the position of the father is at the top; he decides the overall activities of the family members. The father in the family is the responsible person who takes care of his family and members. He is regarded as the breadwinner who performs his duties, being responsible for the welfare of his family members. The entire family feels a sense of security in the presence of the father. The following are the roles of a father in the family:
A father is one who teaches and guides righteousness to his family members.
- Father is the pillar of the family and faces a lot of hardships for the welfare of his family.
- Father plays a very vital role in the development of a child’s emotional well-being.
- Father provides a feeling of security to his children, both physical and emotional.
- Father plays supportive roles in his children's studies.
- Father sets the bar for relationships with others. He is the man who shares the culture, tradition, and rituals of the family with his children.
- Father develops the confidence of his children.
- Father sets rules for children's bright future.
CLICK HERE 👇 TO READ
NEXT ONE-ACT PLAY: THE BULL CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE: SUMMARY & EXERCISE | BHIMNIDHI TIWARI
CLICK HERE 👇 TO READ
A MATTER OF HUSBANDS CLASS 12 ENGLISH GUIDE: SUMMARY & EXERCISE | FERENCE MOLNAR
Thanks for Visiting my Website: Suraj Bhatt
Post a Comment