CBSE Class 12 English Should Wizard Hit Mommy Notes

Should Wizard Hit Mommy Class 12 English Summary of the Story

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

“Should Wizard Hit Mommy?” by John Updike revolves around the conflicting views of a child and a parent.
Jack was the father of two little kids – Jo and Bobby. His wife Clare was carrying their third child. When it came to telling Jo a bedtime story, you could always see Jack in the bed with the little girl of four telling stories.
But the problem was, Jack’s stories were the ditto copies of his one and only story – story of Roger, a creature that suffered loneliness in a forest because it suffered from certain disabilities. Every new story that Jack told Jo was a variation of the base story and mostly the difference in the story was Roger’s being a cat, chipmunk, mouse, fish, etc., and the deformity or illness it suffered. In telling the stories, Jack was able to indulge his gift for creating suspense and his love of language, even when the references would go over Jo’s head. Jack crafts Roger Skunk in his own image: a skunk who is isolated from other animals much like Jack was as a young boy. Roger is lonely because of his smell. One Saturday Jack asked Jo about whom the story should be today. Roger Skunk, she said firmly. Jack started the story of the tiny creature Skunk, who lived in the dark deep woods. He smelled so bad that other animals of the jungle would not play with him. They would run away and Roger Skunk would stand there all alone. Though Jo is unaware, Jack is channeling his frustration in his marriage into the story, and becomes increasingly upset when Jo contradicts him, as it reminds him of Clare.
Roger Skunk went to the wise old owl and told his problem. The owl asked Skunk why he did not see the Wizard. Then he went to the Wizard and told that he smelled very bad and all the little animals used to run away from him. The wise owl had told wizard that he could help in that manner. The Wizard took his magic wand and asked Roger Skunk what he wanted to smell like.
Roger Skunk told him that he would like to smell like roses. The Wizard chanted and Roger Skunk started smelling like roses.
The Wizard asked Roger Skunk to pay seven pennies. Roger Skunk said that he had four pennies only and he began to cry. The Wizard directed Roger to go to the nearby magic well and he would find three pennies there. Roger Skunk took out three pennies from the well and gave them to the Wizard. Now all the other animals gathered around him because he smelled so good. They played various games and laughed. It began to get dark so they all ran home to their mummies.
But as the story is about to reach its climax, Jo grows all the more fussy and distracted and Jack changes the structure of his story in hopes of re-capturing his daughter’s interest. He tells her that when Roger came home from the wizard’s house, his mother was furious. Instead of being happy that he had changed his smell, she is angry. She demands that they return to the wizard so he can change Roger back and his mother can hit the wizard over the head. But Jo demands Jack to change the story: she wants the wizard to refuse to change Roger back, and to hit Roger’s “stupid mommy” over the head with his wand. Unprepared for his daughter’s intensity and violent wish, Jack attempts to explain that Roger was better off with his old smell because it was what his mother wanted and he loved his mother more than he cared what the other animals thought about him.
Thoroughly tired, Jack brings story time to an end and urges Jo to go to sleep. Jo, in turn, demands that, in tomorrow’s story, the wizard must hit Roger Skunk’s mother over the head instead. Jack does not answer her, and instead goes downstairs to finally help his wife. When he gets downstairs however, Jack is too weary to help, and instead sits in a chair and watches his wife repaint their living room. He sees the molding in their house as a cage surrounding him and his wife. He has no desire to work with her or even talk to her or touch her.

Should Wizard Hit Mommy Class 12 English Character Sketch

CHARACTER SKETCH: Jack

Jack is the protagonist of the story ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’ and lives with his pregnant wife Clare, their four-year-old daughter Jo, and their two-year-old son, Bobby. Jack is conscious of his duties as a father and husband. Uninspired by and disillusioned with the responsibilities of family life, Jack uses the stale ritual of telling his daughter a bedtime story to avoid helping his wife re-paint their living room to prepare for the arrival of their third child. A talented storyteller, Jack takes pride in creating engrossing stories for Jo even though he is quickly running out of fresh ideas. He has the typical parental attitude and opinion that parents know what is best for their children.
Jack feels caught in an ugly middle position physically, emotionally and mentally. He did not like women to take anything for granted, to the extent that he extends the story, changing the ending, giving it the face that he wants to. Jack is someone who is not used to his authority being questioned. Though a loving parent, he finds it hard to accept the fact now Jo has a mind of her own. His insensitivity and impatience comes across his dealings with his daughter, and the facts that an adult’s viewpoint is different from a child’s perspective.

CHARACTER SKETCH: Jo

Jack and Clare’s four-year-old daughter, Jo is a growing girl. She is growing taller by the day, has begun to contradict things her parents tell her, and no longer falls asleep at nap time. All of these traits worry and upset Jack because he realizes he will soon have another woman in his life contradicting him the way his wife Clare does. Indeed, Jo is intent on exercising her opinions and having her ideas heard, even at a young age. With respect to the story of Roger Skunk, Jo does not agree with the ending that her father proposes. As a young child, Jo relates to Roger’s desire to be accepted by his peers, and she does not understand why Roger’s mother would force him to return to his original smell when it made the other little animals run away. Jo is too young to understand the concept of sacrifice, and therefore, believes Roger’s mother to be the villain of the story who deserves punishment.

Important Points for Chapter 3 Should Wizard Hit Mommy Class 12 English

By John Updike
– John Updike is an American novelist, story writer, are critic and literary critic.
– He won the Pulitzer prize for fiction twice

Key Points

Theme of Jack’s Story
● A small animal, usually named ‘Roger’.
● Roger always had some problem
● Roger went to wise owl.
● Owl advised him to go to the Wizard
● Wizard asked for a fee.
● Roger found money & paid the wizard.

The Roger Skunk Story
● Saturday evening & time for Jo’s naps.
● Jack told smelly Skunk’s story.
● Other animals hated him for his smell.
● Roger went to Owl for help
● Owl sent him to the Wizard.

The Wizard help Roger
● The wizard asked for fee first.
● The wizard asked him which smell he wanted
● Roger asked for smell of roses.
● All animals started playing with Roger Skunk.

Roger’s mommy’s reaction
● Angry at Roger for changing his smell.
● She took him to the wizard & hit him.
● The Wizard changed back Roger’s smell.
● Both Roger & mommy returned home.

Jo’s reaction to the story
● Jo wanted Roger to keep the smell of roses.
● All animals got used to his smell.
● But Jo could not relate to the story.
● She called Mother skunk ‘stupid’.
● Jo wanted the wizard to hit back money.

After the Jack’s story
● Jack asked Jo to sleep finally, and went downstairs to his wife.
● Jack did not help his wife.
● They both felt caged together.
● This shows marital tension between Jack & Clare.
● He did not speak with her, work with her or touch her.

Summary
Joanne is a four year old girls whose father Jack tells her a story every evening before her nap.
It was a custom since Jo was two years old. For the stories, Jack had a basic tale which had- one small animal usually named Roger. He always had some problem and for the solutions he used to go to the owl and the owl would sent him to the wizard. Then wizard would ask for money and tell Roger where he could get the money.
One evening, Jo asked for story and wanted the animal to be a Skunk this time Jack named him ‘Roger Skunk’. All his friends would hate him for his stinky smell and noone played with him.
Roger Skunk felt really bad and left out. Jo was not much excited yet she was predicting what would happen next. Jack’s wife 'Clare' was painting the wood work downstairs. Which made Jack realised, he should go & help her, also she was six months pregnant but, Jack continued with the story any way.
Roger Skunk went to the owl for the help and he advised to visit the wizard.
Jo was becoming really inquisitive since past month, she kept asking if spiders really ate bugs & if God really existed. This behaviour made Jack annoying, hence he answered to Jo’s question that magic spell is real in stories.
The Wizard asked Roger Skunk to maintain some distance because of his bad smell. The Wizard asked him which smell he wanted and gave his smell of Roses. In return he asked for seven pennies and Roger had only four. To get the rest of the pennies, the wizard suggested him to go the end of the lane and turn around three times and look down the magic well. He got three more pennies & gave them to the wizard.
Now, his friends started playing with him. But when he got back to his home, his mother scolded him for getting this weird smell of roses.
She took him back to the Wizard and hit him over his head. She wanted Roger Skunk to smell like Skunk and nothing else because that smell brings his originality.
Jo was surprised, sad, annoyed and wanted Roger Skunk to retain his new smell, otherwise his friends will loathe him again. She wanted the Wizard to hit mommy back.
Both returned home and Mother Skunk was happy for her child. Roger Skunks’ friends got used to his smell and played with him but Jo could not relate to the story. She asked Jack to tell the story where the wizard would hit mommy back and let the smell of roses stay with Skunk. Jack explained that mother skunk knew what was right for her baby & Roger Skunk also loved her mother back.
Jack told Jo to go to sleep & went downstairs to his wife. He felt guilty, looking at her wife who had completed half of the work. He could not convince his daughter & his wife seemed to be upset with him. He found himself stuck in an ugly middle position. There was also a glimpse of marital tension between Jack and Clare. He felt both of them were caged together & he did not help her, talk to her, speak with her or touch her.

Question. Why do you think both Jo and Jack want a different ending each, for Roger Skunk’s story?
Answer: Jo wanted Roger’s friends to play with him. If he would retain his original smell his friends won’t play with him anymore and he would feel sad, that is Jo wanted a different ending for the Story. She wanted the wizard to hit mommy back and give him his new fragrance back. Whereas, Jack wanted Jo to learn a lesson through this story. Jack believed that mother was eventually proved right because all the animals accept Roger heartily with his original smell. Jack also believed that parents are always right and must be given unconditional love.

Question. What is the significance of the “half old tan and half new ivory cage of mouldings, rails and base beards” appearing at the end of the story? 
Answer: Half old tan and half new ivory. Signifies Jack’s position in his life. He was conscious of his duties both as a father and husband. He was stucked and felt in a cage. He could not help his wife Clare in painting the woodwork because he was busy in narrating the story to Jo before her nap. He thought Clare must be angry with him. It somewhere also shows Jack’s Chauvinistic attitude.

Question. What is Jo’s reality phase?
Answer: Jo has become really curious and inquisitive as she is growing up. When her father told him about the spiders eating bugs, she wanted to confirm if they do, she also asked if magic spells were real.
This is termed as her new phase which is her reality phase.

Question. What is Mother Skunk’s role in the story? 
Answer: Mother Skunk’s role in the story was to prove the readers the narrator’s belief, that parents are always the well wishes of their children. She wanted Roger Skunk to keep his original smell which was his real identity.

Question. What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most and why? 
Answer: Jack enjoyed playing the character of the Wizard the most. He played the character by squeezing his face and somehow whining through his eyes. He felt this character suited him, also Jo did not interrupt while he played this character.

Question. Why does Jo insist that her father should tell her story with a different ending? 
or
Why did Jo think Roger Skunk was better off with new smell? 
Answer: Jo, being a child wanted Roger Skunk to retain this new smell of Roses so that his friends could love him and play with him. She is too little to understand the importance of one’s originality. If Roger Skunk would get his old smell back, everybody will push him away. Which is why she insisted her father should tell a story with a different ending where the Wizard would hit mommy back and not let him take away his new smell.

Question. How did the wizard help Roger Skunk? 
Answer: The Wizard chanted a spell & gave him smell of Roses asked by Skunk itself. He also advised him to arrange rest of his fee by going to the end of the lane and turn around three times and look down the magic well to get more pennies.