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Chapter 12 Two Gentlemen of, Verona, Question 1., Where does the narrator first meet the two boys?, OR, Where did the narrator first meet Nicola and Jacopo?, Answer:, On the outskirts of Verona., Question 2., Why doesn’t the driver approve of the narrator buying fruit from the two boys? Does, he succeed?, OR, Why did Luigi, the driver, try to stop the author from buying fruit from the two boys?, Answer:, The driver says that the fruit would be of better quality in Verona. Moreover, he, doesn’t approve of the shabby appearance of the boys. But, he doesn’t succeed at, dissuading the narrator from buying fruit from the boys, because the narrator is, attracted by the earnest look in the eyes of the boys and buys the fruit from them., Question 3., List the different things that the boys did to earn their living., Answer:, In addition to selling strawberry, the boys sold newspaper, shined shoes, ran errands, such as procuring American cigarettes and opera tickets for the foreigners and acted, as their tour guides in not only taking them around the beautiful place but also giving, them useful information as to which restaurants served good pasta., Question 4., In spite of working hard and earning money, the two boys still looked poor because, Answer: (c) they wanted to save the money for medical expenses., Question 5., What qualities in the two boys attracted the narrator?, Answer:, What attracted the narrator to the two boys was their unremitting willingness to work., They worked hard, yet never complained; they were mature for their age; had a quiet, dignity despite their poverty; were cheerful in spite of facing hardship., Question 6., Nicola was not pleased when Jacopo asked the narrator to drive them to Poleta as, he, Answer:, (a) Did not want to ask anyone for favours.
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Question 7., Why did the two boys go to Poleta and why did they want the narrator not to follow, them?, Answer:, The boys went to Poleta to meet their sister who was being treated in a hospital and, make the payment for her treatment. They did not want the narrator to follow them, because they wanted to have their own secrets., Question 8., The narrator did not follow the boys because, Answer: (c) He wanted to respect their privacy., Question 9., What had made the two boys and their sister homeless?, OR, How did the war affect the family of the two boys?, Answer:, It was the war that made the boys and their sister homeless. They lost their father in, the initial stages of the war and later they lost their home when there was a bomb, blast., Question 10., What does the narrator learn from Lucia’s nurse?, Answer:, The narrator came to know from the nurse that they were orphans except for having, their sister – Lucia. He also learnt the truth that the boys had lived a cultured life, before being orphaned as their father, a widower, was a well-known singer at La, Scala., Question 11., The author did not speak to the boys on their return journey because he thought, Answer: (a) The boys would prefer to keep their secret., II Question 1., In what different ways were the boys useful to the narrator?, Answer:, The boys were useful in many ways. They took the narrator and his companion, around Verona., They got for them American cigarettes, opera tickets, and acted as their tourist, guides. They not only took them around a beautiful place but also gave them useful, information as to which restaurants served good pasta., Question 2., What do you understand about the boys’ character from their action and behaviour?, Answer:, The boys come out as admirable brothers who work selflessly and tirelessly for the, treatment of their dear sister. They work day in and day out, but live on black bread, and figs. They are shabby in their dress, but keep their sister in an expensive
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hospital so that she gets the best of care. But, more importantly, they take recourse, to honourable work and never try any dishonest ways of earning their living. It is this, earnestness in their eyes that attracts the narrator to the boys. They neither beg nor, steal. But they make use of every avenue of work that is possible in the war-hit, economy of Verona. However, they are secretive about the reason behind their hard, work., Though Nicola is only twelve and Jacopo eleven, the hardship in life has made the, boys very mature for their age. Though the difference is of one year only, we see, that Nicola is more mature than Jacopo and acts as the ‘big brother’. When the boys, work till midnight, trying to sell the last bundle of newspaper to the travellers of the, last bus, we see Jacopo leaning against the shoulder of his brother and sleeping,, whereas Nicola is very alert. Nicola has a stronger sense of self-reliance and pride., (He is not happy to take unnecessary favours from the narrator and is unhappy that, Jacopo has requested the narrator to take them to Poleta in his car., The role played by the two brothers at the time of the war is also significant. Their, patriotism, as well as their hatred for the Germans, is evident in the brave work they, carry out as messengers for the resistance movement. Though there is the danger of, being shot if caught, they fearlessly carry information about the movement of the, German troops to the members of the resistance movement. Though fate has in, reserve a cruel blow for them, we don’t see the boys complaining about the absence, of a comfortable lifestyle, which they were used to, when their father, who was a, renowned singer, was alive. Their cheerfulness is heart-warming. They are a fine, example to today’s youth, who in spite of being blessed with comfort and wealth, are, never satisfied with their lot. The resilience of these small children is a model to the, youngsters who contemplate suicide even when the problem is a whiff of a thing., Thus, we see the boys accepting the things that they could not change, fighting, against the things which they could change and hoping for the best. They certainly, deserve the epithet ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’., Question 3., The boys are evasive in disclosing their plan to the narrator in the story because, Answer: (c) They did not want to gain anybody’s sympathy., III Question 1., Do you think the ending comes to you as a surprise? Why?, Answer:, The ending cannot be said to be a total surprise. The narrator gives enough hints, throughout the narration) that there is something secretive about the boys. Along, with the narrator, the readers also wonder as to why the two young boys work so, hard and save money in such a mature way. However, the readers do get an idea, that whatever the secret might be, it would further improve the image of the boys., So, the ending is not a surprise; but a revelation. The ending is not a sudden twist or, anti-climax. It is a befitting ending to a tale of nobility.
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Question 2., Had you been in the place of the narrator, would you have behaved differently?, Answer:, No. The question of behaving differently arises when a person does not behave in a, suitable manner. Some of us may feel that the narrator showed only lip-sympathy, because he did not help the boys financially. But, we should remember that the boys, have a lot of self-respect. So, it would be a humiliating experience for them to take, the help of the narrator., Moreover, the boys are of the opinion that they have not revealed their secret to the, narrator. So, showing to them that he knows about their sister’s plight, would again, embarrass the boys. That is why the narrator behaves in a very sensible manner by, maintaining silence and allowing them to relive their happy moments with their sister., Question 3., ‘Appearances are deceptive.’ How does the story bring out this idea?, Answer:, The shabby appearance of the boys along with the hard work they put in, hides the, fact that they were used to better times in their past. Their maturity makes one forget, the fact that they are little boys of twelve and eleven. When boys of their age would, be playing and having fun, these two shine shoes, sell the newspaper and do all, kinds of odd jobs. If we think that all this is to earn their living, we are again wrong,, because it is for the sake of their sister. The young age and the frail body are a, facade to their inner strength., This deceptive appearance must have helped them in their role as secret, messengers against the German troops. Thus we see that the boys prove again and, again that appearances are deceptive. However, amidst this facade, the earnestness, of the boys shines through their eyes and there is no deception in that., Question 4., ‘War may destroy one’s home but not one’s heart.’ Discuss the statement with, reference to the story of the two boys., OR, What was the impact of the war on the family of the two boys?, OR, What had made Nicola and Jacopo homeless?, OR, How had the war affected the boys in ‘Two Gentlemen of Verona’?, Answer:, Nicola and Jacopo were leading a happy, comfortable life in the company of their, sister and father until the war-devastated their life. Their father, who was a widower,, was a well-known singer at La Scala and was taking good care of his children. But, he lost his life during the early part of the war. A little later, a bomb destroyed their, home and the children were literally thrown onto the streets., For months they barely managed to keep themselves alive in a sort of shelter they, built with t their own hands amidst the rubble. During this time they had to suffer a, great deal of hardship, one of which was starvation and exposure to the cold
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Veronese winter. The German Elite Guards established its headquarters in Verona, and ruled the city with ruthless severity. Next, when a secret resistance movement, took concrete shape, the boys joined the group and worked as secret agents’ for, them. They carried messages to the forces of liberation, carrying information on the, movements of the German troops. During one such secret mission, they had to, move in the darkness through the mountain passes with letters in their shoes and the, chances of their getting caught and shot by the German soldiers were many., Once peace returned to the city, they came back home only to find that their sister, had contracted tuberculosis of the spine. Again they had to work relentlessly day and, night to earn enough money not merely to keep themselves alive but also to make, regular payments to the hospital ungrudgingly. This they accomplished by shining, shoes, selling fruit, hawking newspapers, conducting tourists round the town and, exploiting every avenue to earn money., Question 5., Do you think the story is a telling comment on the true character of a gentleman?, Elaborate., Answer:, Who is a gentleman? A gentleman, as defined in the dictionary, is a courteous and, honourable man or a man of good social position. When we take the first meaning,, we have no problems in declaring that the two boys are courteous and honourable, men. It is their courteousness, cheerfulness, earnestness and quiet dignity that, appeal to the speaker. It is significant that the boys do not raise their voice in the, complaint even once. Their honourable behaviour is evident in the fact that though, they have to work very hard, sacrificing sleep, food and pleasure, they never, contemplate dishonourable ways of earning money. They are honourable in their, love for their sister. Their single goal in life is to f get her cured and to see her again, as a singer. They are honourable in the brave work they carry out as messengers for, the Resistance Movement at the time of war. They are truly the two gentlemen of, Verona., However, if we take the question of social standing, the boys, sadly, do not fit the slot, because they are poor. But, we cannot forget the fact that they had a cultured, upbringing when their father was alive. Also, we can rest assured that with the kind, of hard work they put in, they would surely achieve a lot in life. Perhaps, after their, sister’s complete recovery, they would even go the States and f rise to an enviable, position in society., While dealing with the question of gentlemanly behaviour, we should not lose sight of, one important point. If the two boys are the two gentlemen of Verona, the narrator, himself is the third gentleman because he feels for the boys and tries to do, something for them. Unlike the driver, who is critical of the shabby appearance of the, boys, the narrator is sympathetic towards the boys and buys strawberries from them., He does not go by false values and recognises the true worth of the boys. He is, courteous, honourable and is of good social standing too. So, in a way, we can say, that if the boys are the two gentlemen of Verona, the narrator is the third gentleman, who comes to Verona.
