Advertisements
Advertisements
प्रश्न
Answer the following question as briefly as possible and with close reference to the relevant text.
Referring closely to the short story, The Singing Lesson relate what Basil wrote in his letter to Miss Meadows. What do you conclude about Basil from the tone and wording of the letter?
Advertisements
उत्तर
Basil, the lover of Miss Meadows, comes across as rather a dry, insensitive young man in the way he has penned his 'cold note'. He simply writes, while he 'loves her as much as he could love any woman', he is not the marrying kind and feels their marriage will be a mistake. He does not show much sensitivity to fully erase the word 'disgust' before writing 'regret', and this cuts her to the core. The letter is also a validation of his immature state of mind. He is unsure of his feelings towards her. We are told, he is handsome and is aware of it; she is much older than him and a surprising match. So, it can be surmised that it may be a marriage of convenience for him, primarily to live up to the social expectations. This may be the reason that no tender feelings or words of apology are there in the letter. It is prosaic and almost rude, as though he does not care for her feelings. Thus, he comes across as a selfish and self-centred person, prone to take Meadows for granted.
