The Chapter “Mother’s Day” by J.B. Priestley from NCERT Snapshots Class 11th. Below you can find important Questions and Answers.
Ans. Mother’s Day deals with the maltreatment of the mother in her forties. It brings home the cruelty of the setup in which the wife or the mother is relegated to the background and is treated as a machine. The play wants to make it clear that the members of the family should share the burden of duties with the mother. They should be careful about her needs and desires.
Ans. Mrs Pearson represents a typical submissive wife and mother. She is extremely humble and submissive. She is weak wielded and nervous. She does everything to please her family members. She remains busy all the time. In spite of her sacrifice, she is treated like dirt. But she lacks the courage to assert her rights. She does not utter a word of protest against her maltreatment until her friend and neighbour come to rescue her.
Ans. Fitzgerald is an authoritative, aggressive and assertive woman. There is a slight sinister streak in husband’s sons and daughters should take notice to the wives and mother. They should treat them properly. She did not believe in taking orders all the time.
Ans. The two women exchange their personalities because Mrs Pearson wants to assert her right which she cannot do as Mrs Pearson with the personality of the aggressive Mrs Fitzgerald, Mrs Pearson is able to assert herself and her family members began to behave properly.
Ans. Doris is Mrs Pearson, daughter. She is surprised to find her mother smoking and playing cards. She has never seen her doing these things before.
Ans. When Mrs Pearson refused to make tea for her and iron her dress and asked her to do all these tasks herself, Doris feels snubbed. Doris feels humiliated when Mrs Pearson criticises her boyfriend Charlie Spence as buck teeth and half-witted.
Ans. Mrs Pearson treats Cyril that she does not like mending and she has not mended his things. When Cyril asked what would happen if they all talked like that, she snubs him saying that they do all talked like that.
Ans. Doris and Cyril find many changes in their mother. They find her smoking and playing cards. The things they have never seen her doing. They find that she has prepared no tea for them and does not seem to bother. They conclude that some accident had made her barmy and insane.
Ans. George Pearson is in a hurry to go to the club as usual Mrs Pearson asked him why he goes to the club where people make fun of him and call him Pompy-Ompy-Pearson behind his back. George feels humiliated for nobody has dared to tell him what real people think about him. He feels angry and bitter.
Ans. Mrs Fitzgerald (Mrs Pearson in reality) called Mrs Pearson George at one time. Mrs Pearson (Mrs Fitzgerald in reality) covered up the mistakes by saying that his name was George and do not duke of Edinburgh than at another point. Mrs Fitzgerald and Mrs Pearson got confused and offended.
Ans. The real Mrs Fitzgerald advises Mrs Pearson not to be lenient and soft towards members of her family as she used to be earlier. If she does not remains firm and resolute all their effort to change her family will go to waste.
Ans. When Mrs Fitzgerald (actually Mrs Pearson) comes to see how things are going on, she inadvertently calls Mrs Pearson. George Pearson gets offended and confused. He tells her that she is Mrs Fitzgerald and asks what she means to call his wife Mrs Fitzgerald.
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Long Questions
Question 1: The play ‘Mother’s Day‘ is full of gentle humour and satire. Comment.
Answer 1: ‘Mother’s Day‘ is basically a comedy. There are many instances of gentle humour in the play. Mrs Pearson is a calm and composed person highly submissive and obedient. She rarely drinks or smokes. We are highly amused at their discomfiture. His description of Doris’s boyfriend Charlie Spence, as buck teeth and half-witted her witty retorts to Doris and Cyril and her exposure of Mrs Pearson being called Pompy-Ompy-Pearson at the club makes us simply laugh.
When real Mrs Pearson comes, she becomes nervous. She forgets the real situation and calls. Mrs Pearson, Mrs Fitzgerald. Then she called Mr Pearson George. These slips confused and offend Mr Pearson. The whole situation sends us into peals of laughter.
The satire in the play is directed against those persons who neglect wives and mothers at home. The excessive submissive of mothers who remain at the back and call of their family members has also been described in the play.
Question 2: Compare and contrast the personalities of Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald?
Answer 2: Mrs Pearson and Mrs Fitzgerald have totally different personalities. Mrs Pearson is a pleasant but worried-looking woman in her forties. She sacrifices everything to provide comfort to her husband and children. But she cannot assert her rights. No wonder she is maltreated by every member of her family.
On the other hand, Mrs Fitzgerald is aggressive and authoritative. She faces her liberty as a woman. She wants others to take care of her needs. As Mrs Pearson, she subs Doris and Cyril when they try to coerce her. SHe hurts the feeling of George Pearson by telling him behind his back. Her rude behaviour has its desired effect. The family members of Mrs Pearson are at last ready to submit to the mother’s will. Thus Mrs Pearson is a weak-willed and nervous type of person. Though she is extremely selfless and gentle. In contrast, Mrs Fitzgerald is authoritative and aggressive. She can be rude and selfish to the extreme.
Question 3: Justify the title of the play ‘Mother’s Day‘?
Answer 3: The title of the play ‘Mother’s Day’ is quite appropriate. The play begins with ends on the issue of the importance of the mother in a family. Every day Mrs Pearson takes orders from her husband and children. But the way she handles her family with the personality of domineering women. She acquires a hold on her family members take notice of her. She asserts her right to do whatever she pleases. She tells Doris and Cyril that she works harder at home than what they do in their offices. She does not even spare George Pearson. She tells him what people say about him behind his back. Towards the end, she succeeds in having her say. For the first time, she orders her children to go and get supper ready while she has a game of rummy with her husband this happens for the first time it is indeed ‘Mother’s Day‘.