Answer any one of the following questions in 120 – 150 words:

(a) Why did Teddy Henfrey feel insulted after his encounter with the strange man at the ‘Coach and Horses’? What did he do to relieve himself from his nasty mood on his way back from the inn?

(b) Griffin calls Dr. Kemp a traitor as he cheated Griffin and let out all his secrets. Do you agree with this depiction of Kemp? Give reasons.

(c) How do the misfortunes of Silas at Raveloe transform him in the eyes of the community?

(d) Describe Nancy’s personality and approach to life in ‘Silas Marner’.

(a) Teddy Henfrey felt insulted after his encounter with the strange man at the ‘Coach and Horses’ in the story ‘The Invisible Man’. The stranger had been unusually rude to him from the moment they met, greeting him coldly. He had continued to stare in his direction while he had been working, and showed annoyance at the amount of time it was taking Teddy to make the repairs. Teddy had felt incredibly insulted and left the spot in haste.

To relieve himself on his way back from the inn, he continuously speaks ill of the stranger, calling him ugly, rude and so on. He speaks out how he thinks the stranger is running away from police. He even complains of the man to the owner of the inn, Mr. Hall, whom he happens to find on his way back. He says how they are in for ill-luck because a suspicious stranger is forcibly staying at his inn. This is how he ends up feeling relieved.

(b) Griffin calls Dr Kemp a traitor, saying he cheated on him and spilled all his secrets. This depiction of Dr Kemp is not true, for his actions had a more noble cause.

Griffin and Kemp had known each other for long, as both were scientists. Over time, Dr Kemp discovered the sinister ambitions Griffin had in his mind, which seemed terrorizing as well as threatening to Dr Kemp. He had already decided in his mind that such intentions of Griffin cannot be made to come to reality. He had plans to hand Griffin over to the police. Therefore, it is not right to call Dr Kemp a traitor, because what he did was for the greater good. His sole purpose was to save the society from Griffin’s evil intentions.

(c) In the story ‘Silas Marner’, the conflict between Silas and the society of Raveloe is central. Silas, who used to be a member of the church’s tight-knit community bounded in organization and discipline is forced to live a life of isolation before he discovers solace in Eppie.

Back in those times, towns and villages provided a sense of identity to their members. Being an outsider in Raveloe, Silas lacked this sense of identity and bonding like the others. It seemed to the others like he was otherworldly being. It takes a long time of fifteen years for Silas to get accustomed to the life at Raveloe and let the community seep in after the kind of life he had led before. The misfortunes of Silas at Raveloe – his isolation, loneliness and treatment – along with his association with Eliot and Godfrey - gradually melt people’s hearts and they are forced to change their mind about him, especially after all his gold gets stolen and he becomes sorrowful and helpless.

(d) Nancy’s personality in the story, ‘Silas Marner’, is described as an elegant young woman who lives at Raveloe and becomes the love interest of Godfrey. She is stubborn and dedicated to what she believes in, which makes her a hardworking and committed personality.

The story describes how her hands are not as elegant as her face, which denotes how laborious she is. She is not very bright or educated, but she is disciplined by the way of following her father’s ideals in life. At times she feels sorry about hers and her husband’s inability to bear children, but she is not willing to adopt a child, for she considers it against the fate decided for her. Her approach to life is simple, dictated by the virtues her father had inculcated in her.