Three Important Questions with Answer from "The Loving Mother" and Summary

English |Questions
The Loving Mother
Class : 11 | The Magic of Words

Summary

The loving mother is a supernatural story based on the background of Japan. Shoji Sakota, a pharmacist lived alone just behind a drugstore because his wife had died may years before. One stormy winter night, he was preparing annual business report and there was only one light for the entire store. The door was knocked but he ignored it and he heard the knock a third time. He went on the door. He thought that it would be emergency case. He saw that there was a young woman and asked her to come in the morning. The woman borrowed that her child needed ame. Shoji Sakota stopped his working and found that she was really mysterious. Her eyes showed that she has come from another world. The doctor gave ame and after getting ame the woman went quickly into stormy night. The same thing repeated the next two nights. But Sakota wondered why she didn't come in the day. Sakota called his friend for taking photos of the woman. In the third night, she came on the same time for request. According to their plan, they took her photo. After developing the photo, they felt surprise because the image of the shop could be seen in the photo but there was no image of the woman. They decided to follow her next night. When she came again they followed her. They reached a house and walked up three flats of stairs in a building. They saw the door was open and went in the room. There was a baby who was licking ame and the woman was sleeping beside the baby. She was the same woman who requested for ame. They thought that she was just acting. Sakota touched her shoulder. She didn't move and he put his hand on her neck, they found that she was lifeless. She had been dead for so many days. The author gives many clues that the woman is a ghost. For example she only visits the pharmacist after midnight; her skin is "abnormal light'; her eyes strange and seems to look straight through Mr. Sakota, she cannot be photographed. 

Important Questions 

1. Summarize the story "The Loving Mother." 

Ans: See the summary above for complete answer.

2. Describe the women who visited Mr. Sakota's pharmacy late at night. 

Ans: The women who visited Shoji Sakota's pharmacy late at night, was abnormally pale. Her hair was untidy and she had mysterious eyes. She looked to be rather slim and thin. Her appearance was not usual. 

3. Show the points of similarities and differences between the supernatural stories" A House Call" and "The Loving Mother" 

Ans: Both the stories `A House Call' and `The Loving Mother' are the supernatural stories. In the story `The House Call' a small girl's spirit comes and visits doctor. Similarly in the story `The Loving Mother' the spirit of death mother comes and visits the pharmacist. In both stories there is description of love and affection between the mother and the child. Both stories show that even after someone's death, their spirit visits their loving members of the family. The difference is that in the story of `The House Call' small girl visit the doctor but in the second story the mother visits the pharmacist. In the first story, the little girl requests the doctor to get to her house but in the second story, the mother asks for ame. 

Questions for Practice 

1. Why did Mr. Sakota want the picture taken? 

2. Why did not Mr. Sakota go to the door at the first knocking?