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An Introduction, , • The story, “Should Wizard, Hit Mommy?” written by, John Updike, revolves around, the conflicting views of a, child and a parent on the, child's future. Parents, express their own, expectations. ... Jack used to, tell his little daughter Jo, bedtime stories. When she, grew a little older, she began, to ask a number of questions
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Theme, • The story raises a moral issue, if the parents should always, decide what the, children should do or let the, children do what they like to, do. Children dream and live in, their own magical world. They, are devoid of despise,, ugliness, and petty, differences.
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Jack’s Character, • Jack in the story, ‘Should wizard hit mommy’ plays the father to a, , four-year-old girl Jo. The author pictures Jack to resemble the parent’s, perspectives and Jo of a child’s perspective, and efficiently contrasts, between the two., •, Jack is shown as a chauvinistic, pessimistic person. He loves his, daughter very much. He had a very disturbed childhood because of his, parents and was filled with failures, unhappiness, misery,, humiliations that made him be arrogant later on., •, He exhibits his emotions through stories that he tells to Jo. He is, quite good at storytelling. He creates his own imaginative character, Roger, which symbolically represents himself.
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• Jack and Clare' s, four-year-old, daughter Jo is a growing girl. She, has an affinity for hearing stories, from her father for the last two, years. Her father builds stories on, the same basic plot each time,, changing the main character with, other minor changes.. She is, growing taller by the day, has, begun to contradict things her, parents tell her, and (to Jack’s great, frustration) no longer falls asleep, at nap time. More inclined towards, her, mother’s, ideology, and, Jo’s Character, independency., trait
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Clare’s Character ( Static Character), • Unseen until the final moments of the story, Clare’s presence is felt, by Jack throughout the story, as he can hear her moving furniture in the living, room under Jo’s bedroom. Clare is six-months pregnant, and is repainting and rearranging the living room, a task that Jack should be helping with but which he is, delaying as long as possible. Jack and Clare’s marriage is not a happy one, and, although he does not express his feelings to her directly, Jack has grown, increasingly resentful toward his wife, whom he feels continually contradicts and, undermines him. Even when Clare is not physically present, Jack feels her derision, and disdain reflected in their young daughter, Jo, who is growing to look, increasingly like Clare and does things that remind Jack of Clare’s behavior., Ultimately, Jack is not only unwilling to help Clare move their furniture despite, her pregnancy, but he is so angry at her that he refuses to even look at her or, speak to her. He sees her as the symbol of his own unhappiness and unfulfilled, desire.
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Roger Skunk is a fictional, character made from Jack's, mind. The Skunk doesn't, smell nice, and his friends, don't like that. Roger Skunk, is in many ways a stand-in, for Jack. Bullied for his foul, skunk smell much like Jack, was bullied as a child,, , The Owl always, listens to Roger's, initial predicament, and suggest that he, go see, the wizard so that, the wizard, can perform a spell, to solve the problem., , The Wizard is the, character in Jack’s, stories who usually, presents the solution to, whatever, problem Roger is facing., He does this by, performing a magic spell, that reverses Roger’s, predicament, making, Roger very happy.
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Justification of the title, • The title is much justified as the, story revolves around the, questions of understanding. In, the story, the daughter desires, for an ending where the skunk is, somehow made acceptable to, his playmates however, the, father had ended the story, where the skunk's real self, remained intact.
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• The cage, woodwork ,her wife and everything is symbolic(figuratively)..and, literal too., • Cage, woodwork :- All morals we pick up from the society. Any belief you pick, from society that limits you., • His wife :-All the people in the world.., • “But, Downstairs a chair scraped..” The timing of this sentence indicates how, , as soon as he decides to proceed slowly, and probably starts getting to the, core of the issue he wants to convey to his daughter.. deep, within(downstairs) things start moving(chairs scraped ) and he realises he, must “preserve and renovate” the already packed thoughts of his, mind(woodwork).., • Half old tan :- half old ideas.., • Half new ivory :- half new ivory..( new ideology to let in (Jo’s perception)), • Above two are whether to agree with mother's advice and acts or to do as Jo, says.. respectively
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Cont…., • Now he feels caught in the middle of these morals/ideas/thoughts/beliefs, which, surround him like a cage.., • Note here that Jack is here at an ugly “middle” position because he thinks he has, to choose between old tan and new ivory, not realising , no matter what he builds, his cage with.. it's still a cage!!, • And the fact that he doesn't realise this ,is taken care of by all other people of, society (Clare) who themselves keep painting these things with beautiful Colors.., • He wishes to withdraw from all these people's voices(“Didn't want to work with, her… “) that play in his mind ,asking him to build his cage one way or another.., and he feels conflicted which way he should build.., • One might wonder , why morals/beliefs are compared to a cage.. it is because, they limit and narrow down our minds. As happened with Jack in this case and, with all those who'd choose a particular side on the moral question raised by, the chapter.
