THE HACK DRIVER
Read the extracts given belle carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1.I” ll tells you what. I’ve got a hack to get it out and we can drive around together and find liking know most of the places flee out”.
(a) Who does refer to here?
(b) Why did the lawyer come to fad Lukens?
(c) Who befriends him in New Mullion?
(d)Where dim the hack drivers take him?
Ans. (a) I refer, to the hack driver.
(b)The lawyer came to find Lukens as he had the summons to serve him.
(c), He befriended a hack driver who a red-faced man about forty having pleasant was paid charming personality.
(d) He offered to help him find Lutkins. He took him to various places which Lutkins frequently visited.
2. I loved him for this. By myself, I might never have found Lutkins. With the hack briers knowing help, I was sure of getting my man. I took him into my confidence and told him that I wanted to serve the summons on Lutkins-which the man had refused to be a witness when his information would have quickly settled our case. The driver listened earnestly. In the end, he hit me on the shoulder and laughed.
(a) ‘I loved him for this’. Who do T and him’ refer to?
(b) What did the lawyer tell Bill?
(c) Why did the narrator love him?
(d)What does the hack driver say about Lutkins?
Ans. (a) I refers to the young lawyer and he stands for the hack driver.
(b) The lawyer told Bill that he wanted to serve the summons to Lutkins.
(c) The narrator loved him because he was very open-minded, friendly and ready to help a stranger.
(d) He told the lawyer that Lutkins was a careless, dishonest wanderer. He was not really bad but it was hard to recover money from him.
3. What really hurt me was that when I served the summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed at me as though 1 were a bright boy of seven. With loving kindness, they begged me to go with them to a neighbour’s house for a cup of coffee.
(a) Who is?
(b) What hurts the lawyer?
(c) Why did Lutkins take the lawyer to his neighbour’s house?
(d) Do you think the lawyer was gullible?
Ans. (a) ‘I’ is the lawyer
(b) The laughter and behaviour of Lutkins and his mother hurt the lawyer.
(c) This was because Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer as they had missed seeing the lawyer the previous day.
(d) Yes, I think the lawyer was gullible. He was tricked and be fooled by the hack driver.
4. We left that peaceful scene of meadows and woods and resumed our search of Oliver Ida tins. We could not find him. At last, Bill cornered a friend of Lutkins and made him admit what came out to his mother’s farm, three miles north.” We drove out there, laying plans.
(a) Who are ‘We’?
(b) Why are ‘we’ searching for Oliver Lutkins?
(c) Why could the lawyer not find Lutkins?
(d) What character traits of the lawyer do these lines reveal?
Ans. (a) ‘We’ stands for the lawyer and the hack driver.
(b) They wore searching Oliver Lutkins to serve him the summons.
(r) Lutkins is the hack driver himself with whom the lawyer spends the whole day.
(d) The lawyer is a nature-lover, simple and over-trusting person.
5. Some of the larger and more self-confident ones even beat me up. I hated this unpleasant work and the side of city life it revealed to me.
(a) Who was the speaker here?
(b) What was the unpleasant work he is talking about?
(c) Why did he hate the work?
(d) What job did the narrator get after graduation?
Ans. (a) the narrator of the story ‘The Hack Driver’.
(b) He was a junior assistant clerk.
(c) It was because he had the job of serving summons to the guilty persons, who sometimes were more powerful than the narrator, and so beat him up.
(d) The narrator got the job of a junior assistant clerk in a big law firm.
1)Give the character sketch of Oliver Lutkins.
Oliver Lutkins is a crook who lives in the country town of New Mullion. Though he lives in a small town, he easily cheats the lawyer who comes to serve a summons on him. He pretends to be Bill Magnuson, the hack driver and manages to cheat the narrator of his money. He manages to convey the lawyer that it is very difficult to trace Lutkins. He takes the lawyer to many shops but does not allow the lawyer to directly talk with the people. Over a few hours, Bill takes the narrator all over the town where they keep missing Lutkins by small periods of time. He is also a friendly person. When the lawyer comes to New Multi on a second time, Lutkins invites the lawyer for a cup of coffee in his friend’s house. Bill painted Lutkins as a dishonest person. He owed money to a lot of people. He had a talent for dishonesty. Though he lived in a rural town, he managed to trick and mislead a lawyer belonging to the city.
2. Give the character sketch of The Narrator.
And.The narrator is a lawyer who hates city life. He thinks of pursuing a career in a small town. He goes to New Mullion to serve a summons on Oliver Lutkins. We find him gullible, and he is easily misled by Lutkins himself, who poses as the hack driver, Bill. Bill takes money from the lawyer and gives misleading information about Lutkins. He visits a number of places in New Mullion with Bill but is not able to meet Lutkins. Since he visited new Mullion for an important matter, he failed to be careful in carrying out his job. The narrator appears to be a novice and not a seasoned legal mind. He had a romantic view of country (rural) life but was easily conned by crooks in New Mullion.
Short Answer Type Important Questions
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
1. Why do you think Bill offered to help the narrator find Lutkins?
Ans. Bill himself was Lutkins. He knew that the lawyer is searching for him. He wanted to play a prank on him and offered to help him find Lutkins. Even he made some money in this process and made him wander here and there. He and his mother made a fool of the narrator and had great laughter.
2. The writer wasn’t very fond of new mullion when he reached the place. What made him grow fond of the village and its people?
Ans. Initially, the writer did not like the village. His eager expectations of a sweet and simple country village were severely disappointed but the friendly behaviour of Bill made him grow fond of the village and its people. He was so open and full of warmth and affection that the writer was touched.
3.’But he was no more dishonest than I’. Elaborate the statement with reference to ‘The HackDriver’.
Ans. The lawyer charged a handsome amount from his firm to visit new mullion. He was given some amount to expend in the process of searching Lutkins. But he paid very little money to the hack driver. Bill already knew that the lawyer was searching for him, still, he made him wander here and there, and even charged him two dollars an hour for six hours, including one hour of his lunchtime. This made the lawyer utter these words.
4. Write the plan suggested by Bill for lunch and state the reason behind it.
Ans. The lawyer felt hungry and wanted to eat something in a restaurant but Bill suggested him to take lunch at his home cooked by his wife. He told him that it will cost him cheaper than the restaurant because she won’t charge him more than half a dollar. He did so because he wanted to make some money out of it. Secondly, it will take nearly cur hour to go there and have lunch so ho will be charged another two dollars for it. Thus it was a good business for him.
5. What qualities of the hack driver impressed the young lawyer?
Ans. The hack driver’s cheerful face and friendly manner made the lawyer conclude that he liked people. The hack driver’s openness, again made the lawyer glow in the warmth of affection.
6. Describe the feelings of the young lawyer when he came to know the reality of the hack driver at last.
Ans. As long as the lawyer did not know that the hack driver was Lutkins himself, he enjoyed the hack driver’s company and glowed in the warmth of his affection. But as the identity of the hack driver was revealed, the lawyer felt very quite hurt. This was especially when Lukens and his mother laughed at the lawyer as though h he rye was a boy when he served the summons. Later, however, he acknowledged their loving kindness too.
7. On his way back, the narrator did not worry about his failure to find Lukens. What was the reason behind his carefree attitude?
Ans. On his way back, the lawyer did not worry about the failure of his mission, for he was too busy thinking about Bill Magnuson, the hack driver. In fact, he even started considering his return to New Mullion to practice law. He found Bill deep and richly human and pictured an honest and happy life in the village.
8. Discuss the character of the young lawyer as depicted in the chapter The Hack Driver’?
Ans. The narrator who is a lawyer is a man who could be taken for a ride very easily. He easily gets flattered by affection and warmth and fails to apply logic to even essential things. The hack driver who is Lukens himself, whom the narrator wants to meet, thus dupes him very easily. The gullible nature of the narrator invites our sympathy for him.
9. The hack driver at New Mullion befriended the lawyer. What did he do after that?
Ans. After befriending the lawyer, the hack driver who was Lukens himself offered to ‘search for’ Lukens to whom the lawyer had to serve the summon. He first took the lawyer to Fritz’s shop, then to Mustafa’s and Gray’s barber shops and then to the poolroom. Later, he took the lawyer to his wife for lunch for half a dollar and finally to `Lukens’ mother.
10. How did Bill paint a picture of people in words?
Ans. The Bill, the hack driver was very talkative. He won his confidence. He drove him to various places telling that the villagers would help him in fading Lukens.
11. Why was the lawyer happy about the day?
Ans. The lawyer was asked to go to a small village, New Mullion, to serve the summons to Lutkins. He was happy to go as he had expected the countryside town to be green and refreshing -a respite from the crowded, noisy, dry atmosphere of the city. Hence he was happy.
12. How was the hack driver recognized?
Ans. Next morning, the lawyer was sent back to New Mullion with a man who knew Lutkins by face. At the station, the lawyer saw Bill talking to Lutkin's mother in a friendly manner. He was surprised or rather shocked to know that Bill was no other but Lutkins himself.
13. What did the hack driver tell the narrator about Lutkins’ mother?
Ans. He said that she was nine feet tall and four feet thick as a cat and could talk sharp. She was a real terror. Once, she almost took off his skin because he did not treat the box she had given to him to carry as delicately as a box of eggs.
14. Why could the lawyer not find Lutkins?
Ans. The lawyer could not find Lutkins because the hack driver, Bill himself was Lutkins. ‘Inca the lawyer had not seen or met him before, he could not identify him and Lutkins took adman tautly. Anti nerved a practical joke on him.
15. Does the narrator serve the summons that day? If’ not, why?
Ans. The narrator could not serve the summons that day as he could not find ‘, Aka’s, ‘it did not know that the hack driver named Bill was actually Lutkins himself and was making a practical joke on him in the name of helping him in searching Lutkins.
16. How did Lutkins' mother receive the narrator?
Ans. The hack driver took him to the farm of Lutkins' mother. He introduced the lawyer and told her that he had come to serve summons to Lutkins and had legal right to search the property. The mother got irritated and attacked him with hot iron rods. Both got scared and ran away.
17. How did the hack driver describe Lutkins?
Ans. The hack driver told the narrator that Lutkins was very popular among the fellow villagers. He was a careless, dishonest wanderer and could be seen here, there, everywhere. He was always up to one thing or the other. He owed money to several people.
18. Why did the young lawyer wish to return to New Mullion?
Ans. Although the young lawyer failed to serve summons to Lutkins, he was so much impressed with the warmth and helpful nature of the country people that he felt excited. He planned to practice at New Mullion and leave his job.
Q19. What kind of a job was the narrator usually entrusted with? Why wasn’t he satisfied with his job in the city?
Ans. The narrator was a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent law firm. He was sent, not to prepare legal briefs but to serve the summons. He had to act like a cheap private detective. It wasn’t easy and safe to go to the ‘dirty’ and ‘shadowy’ corners of the city. Sometimes he was even beaten up by toughs. He hated his job and working in such a hostile environment in the city.
Q20. Why did he consider fleeing to his home town?
Ans. Serving summons in the dirty and shadowy corners of the city was quite an unpleasant job. On many occasions, he was beaten up by the musclemen and toughs. He even considered fleeing to his home town because it was more pleasant and safe to work there. He could have been a real lawyer there without going through the job of a cheap detective.
Q21. Why did the lawyer rejoice at his new assignment?
Ans. Working in the dirty and shadowy parts of the city was becoming more dangerous and difficult for the lawyer. He was overjoyed when his law firm sent him out forty miles out in the country to a town called New Mullion. He was to serve a summons on a man called Oliver Lutkins. They needed this man as a witness in a legal case. The idea of visiting a country town with cleaner surroundings was quite a welcome and romantic diversion for him.
Q22. Why was the narrator disappointed when he got to New Mullion? What was the only ‘agreeable sight’ about the place?
Ans. The narrator had formed quite a romantic and pleasant picture of this country town called New Mullion. When he reached there, his eager expectations were belied. He was very much disappointed. Its streets were narrow rivers of mud. Its shops were either badly painted or not painted at all. The only agreeable sight about the place was the delivery man at the station who called himself Bill.
Q23. What impression did the narrator (the lawyer) form of Bill when he met him for the first time?
Ans. The narrator found the delivery man at the station as the only ‘agreeable sight’ in New Mullion. The man called himself Bill and he was a hack driver. He was about forty. He looked red-faced and cheerful. He looked thick in the middle. His working clothes were dirty and worn out. His manners were pleasant and friendly. The narrator was happy to meet such a man.
Q24. What did the narrator tell Bill and what was his reply about Oliver Lutkins?
Ans. The narrator himself told Bill the purpose of his visit to New Mullion. He told him that he had come there in search of a man named Oliver Lutkins. Bill seemed to be a little surprised and asked, “Lutkins?” Then he replied that he saw Lutkins around there about an hour ago. It was difficult to catch him. He was always up to something or the other. Perhaps he could be found in the back of Fritz’s shop trying to set up a poker game. Bill told the lawyer that he knew the places Lutkins usually could be found in.
Q25. Why did the narrator feel that Bill had already made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for him?
Ans. The narrator found Bill very open and friendly. He ‘glowed with warmth’ of his affection. Bill wanted the business but his kindness was real. He offered his carriage for two dollars an hour. The narrator was happy to pay to such a good fellow. Bill assured the narrator that he knew about all the places where Lutkins usually could be found out. The narrator began to feel that Bill had made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for him.
Q26. Why did the narrator feel that ‘Bill seemed to admire Lutkins for dishonesty? Why did he feel that if he had been a policeman, he would have regretted sending him to jail?
Ans. Bill told the narrator that Oliver Lutkins was “not really bad”. He was a hard fellow to be caught. He was always up to something or the other. He played a lot of pokers. He was good at deceiving people. The narrator felt that Bill seemed to admire Lutkins’ talent for dishonesty. Had he been a policeman, he would have regretted sending Bill to jail.
Q27. Why did the narrator and Bill proceed to Fritz and why did Bill ask him to keep out of sight behind him?
Ans. Bill told the narrator that probably Oliver Lutkins was trying to start a poker game in the back of Fritz’s shop. Bill led him there and he asked the narrator to hide behind him. Fritz hesitated and then admitted that Lutkins was there a little while ago. Bill kept the narrator behind him because he didn’t want him to talk to any person directly. Had he done so, Bill would have been exposed at once that he was playing a double role. He was Lutkins himself.
Q28. What information did the narrator get after visiting Gustaf? Gray’s barber shops and other places in New Mullion?
Ans. They drove to Gustaf’s barbershop. Again Bill entered first. The lawyer remained at the door. Gustaff replied angrily that he hadn’t seen him. If they found him, they could collect the money he owed him. Then, Bill took him to Gray’s shop. Perhaps, Lutkins had gone there for a shave. They were told that they missed Lutkins by only five minutes. They got the same answer at the pool room and elsewhere in the town.
Q29. Why did the narrator feel that Bill’s helpfulness for him was not entirely of brotherly love?
Ans. The narrator began to understand that Bill’s helpfulness for him was not completely of brotherly love. He was a perfect businessman. The narrator paid him for six hours, including the lunch hour. Bill was paid 2 dollars for an hour. But the narrator realised that Bill was not more dishonest than him. He charged the whole amount from the firm.
Q30. Why did Bill take the narrator to Bill’s terrible mother in the end? Why had she once ‘almost’ taken Bill’s skin off?
Ans. In the end, Bill stopped a friend of Lutkins. He made him admit that Oliver had gone to his mother’s farm. Bill told the narrator that Oliver Lutkins’ mother was a terror. Once, he faced her anger because she felt that Bill had not handled her trunk with proper care. She almost took his skin off. She was 9 feet tall and 4 feet thick and quick as a cat.
Q31. Describe the narrator’s encounter with Lutkins’ terrible mother. Why was he asked to move out immediately by Bill?
Ans. Bill drove the narrator into a poor farmyard. There they were faced by a huge and cheerful old woman. Bill bravely went up to her and asked about her son, Oliver Lutkins. She shouted that she didn’t know anything about him. Bill told her that they had a legal right to search the house. This made her famous. She went inside and came out with an iron rod from the hearth. She threatened to burn them alive if they dared to do such a thing. Bill asked the narrator to go out at once before she could murder them.
Q32. Why did the narrator worry very little about his failure and considered returning to New Mullion to practice law?
Ans. The narrator worried very little about his failure to trace Oliver Lutkins. He was busy thinking about Bill Magnuson. He considered returning to New Mullion to practise law. After all, he could find such honest and human people like Bill only in New Mullion. He would feel honoured to have soft-spoken and wise neighbours like Fritz and Gustaff and a hundred others. He pictured an honest, happy and a new way of life there.
Extrapolative answers
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
1. The hack driver misguided the lawyer and led him on the wrong path. How could the lawyer be proactive?
The hack driver misguided the lawyer and openly drove him all over the
village. He took him places such as Gustaff’s barber shop, Gray’s barber shop, pool room, and his mother’s farmyard. He charged him two dollars an hour for all his visits. He himself talked low of Lukens and did not allow him to meet anyone directly.
The lawyer could have been more protective in some ways. He should have talked to more people rather than enjoy a whole day at the expense of the
firm. He should not have hidden behind the hack driver but should have tried
to talk once to the villagers. He should not have given the lead to the hack
driver. Instead, he should have led this visit himself, inquiring with more and
more people.
2. Narrate the narrator’s first visit to New Mullion.
The author/lawyer was sent to New Mullion to serve summons to Lutkins. At the station, he met a cheerful hack driver who was Lutkins himself. He took advantage of the situation as the author who had never met Lutkins before could not identify him. The fun-loving Lutkins introduced himself as Bill. He offered him all his help to find Lukens. He took him all over the village but in vain. He entertained the author with his lucid description of the village folk, charged him two dollars per hour and half a dollar for food. The author was impressed by the warm affection, kind and helpful nature of Bill and the
hospitality and cooperation of the villagers. He thought of leaving his present job and starting his legal practice at New Mullion.
3. Why was the narrator sent to New Mullion? Why didn’t he succeed in his mission on his
first visit?
The narrator was a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent legal firm. His job was not to prepare legal briefs but to serve the summons. He was sent to New Mullion, a country town about forty miles away from his city. He was to serve a summons to a person named Oliver Lutkins. Lutkins was needed in a legal case as a witness.
The narrator’s first visit to New Mullion was a complete failure. He couldn’t
find even a trace of Oliver Lutkins. Actually, the delivery man and the hack driver Bill, who met him at the station, were responsible for this failure. Bill be-friended the lawyer assuring him that he knew the places where Lutkins usually used to hang about. He told a lie that he had seen Lutkins just an hour ago.
Then, Bill drove the narrator to the different parts of the town and meeting
different people there. Actually, Bill planned the whole false drama the
moment he came to know that the narrator was searching for Oliver Lutkins.
Everywhere he went, he kept the narrator standing behind him at the door. He didn’t allow him to interrogate people directly about Lutkins. They drove toFritz’s, to Gustaff’s, Gray’s barber shop and to the poolroom. Everywhere they
got the same answer that Lutkins had left only a while ago. All this was pre-
planned by Bill and the search was bound to end in failure.
4. Give a character-sketch of the narrator or the lawyer of the story, ‘The Hack Driver’?
The narrator was a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent law firm. His work was not to prepare legal briefs but to serve the summons. The narrator was fed up with his job as he had to visit many dirty and shadowy corners of the city.
On several occasions, he was attacked and beaten up by musclemen and toughs of these areas. He even considered fleeing to his country town.
The narrator was highly gullible. He didn’t behave like a seasoned legal mind.
He was so much impressed with Bill that he became totally dependent on him.
He failed to keep his mission a secret to himself. By disclosing that he had
come to serve a summons on Oliver Lutkins, he gave the crafty and clever Bill enough space and time to confuse and misdirect his search. Bill, who was Oliver Lutkins himself, drove him aimlessly without allowing the narrator to talk directly to the people. He feared lest he should be exposed.
The narrator had a romantic yearning for country life and its people. After his
first visit, he didn’t mind his failure but planned to come to New Mullion again
to start his legal practice there. The narrator proved himself a novice and not a seasoned legal mind. When he served summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed at him as if he were a seven-year-old boy.
5. Bill or Oliver Lutkins was a complete contrast to the narrator. How did a seasoned crook like Lutkins outwit the gullible lawyer proving him a novice and just a bright boy of seven?
Certainly, both the main characters of the story are totally different. Bill or
Lutkins manoeuvres and plots under the garb of friendliness. The narrator is
outwitted and deceived due to his gullibility. Bill (Lutkins) knows how to
confuse and misdirect the narrator’s search for Oliver Lutkins. He befriends the lawyer convincing him that he is the only person in New Mullion who can help him in finding out Oliver Lutkins. He overpowers the narrator’s capacity for reasoning and thinking. The narrator becomes a soft target of cunning Lutkins. He allows giving Lutkins all the space and time that he needed to plan out and scheme things. The narrator became just a willing puppet in Bill’s hands.
Actually, he danced to his tunes. Bill’s pretensions clouded the narrator’s
wisdom and sense of discretion. Bill (Lutkins) was not a crook and fraud but an honest man full of human values for him. The cunning Lutkins had the last
laugh. When the narrator served summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed as if he were a seven-year-old boy.
Read the extracts given belle carefully and answer the questions that follow:
1.I” ll tells you what. I’ve got a hack to get it out and we can drive around together and find liking know most of the places flee out”.
(a) Who does refer to here?
(b) Why did the lawyer come to fad Lukens?
(c) Who befriends him in New Mullion?
(d)Where dim the hack drivers take him?
Ans. (a) I refer, to the hack driver.
(b)The lawyer came to find Lukens as he had the summons to serve him.
(c), He befriended a hack driver who a red-faced man about forty having pleasant was paid charming personality.
(d) He offered to help him find Lutkins. He took him to various places which Lutkins frequently visited.
2. I loved him for this. By myself, I might never have found Lutkins. With the hack briers knowing help, I was sure of getting my man. I took him into my confidence and told him that I wanted to serve the summons on Lutkins-which the man had refused to be a witness when his information would have quickly settled our case. The driver listened earnestly. In the end, he hit me on the shoulder and laughed.
(a) ‘I loved him for this’. Who do T and him’ refer to?
(b) What did the lawyer tell Bill?
(c) Why did the narrator love him?
(d)What does the hack driver say about Lutkins?
Ans. (a) I refers to the young lawyer and he stands for the hack driver.
(b) The lawyer told Bill that he wanted to serve the summons to Lutkins.
(c) The narrator loved him because he was very open-minded, friendly and ready to help a stranger.
(d) He told the lawyer that Lutkins was a careless, dishonest wanderer. He was not really bad but it was hard to recover money from him.
3. What really hurt me was that when I served the summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed at me as though 1 were a bright boy of seven. With loving kindness, they begged me to go with them to a neighbour’s house for a cup of coffee.
(a) Who is?
(b) What hurts the lawyer?
(c) Why did Lutkins take the lawyer to his neighbour’s house?
(d) Do you think the lawyer was gullible?
Ans. (a) ‘I’ is the lawyer
(b) The laughter and behaviour of Lutkins and his mother hurt the lawyer.
(c) This was because Lutkins’ neighbours were anxious to meet the lawyer as they had missed seeing the lawyer the previous day.
(d) Yes, I think the lawyer was gullible. He was tricked and be fooled by the hack driver.
4. We left that peaceful scene of meadows and woods and resumed our search of Oliver Ida tins. We could not find him. At last, Bill cornered a friend of Lutkins and made him admit what came out to his mother’s farm, three miles north.” We drove out there, laying plans.
(a) Who are ‘We’?
(b) Why are ‘we’ searching for Oliver Lutkins?
(c) Why could the lawyer not find Lutkins?
(d) What character traits of the lawyer do these lines reveal?
Ans. (a) ‘We’ stands for the lawyer and the hack driver.
(b) They wore searching Oliver Lutkins to serve him the summons.
(r) Lutkins is the hack driver himself with whom the lawyer spends the whole day.
(d) The lawyer is a nature-lover, simple and over-trusting person.
5. Some of the larger and more self-confident ones even beat me up. I hated this unpleasant work and the side of city life it revealed to me.
(a) Who was the speaker here?
(b) What was the unpleasant work he is talking about?
(c) Why did he hate the work?
(d) What job did the narrator get after graduation?
Ans. (a) the narrator of the story ‘The Hack Driver’.
(b) He was a junior assistant clerk.
(c) It was because he had the job of serving summons to the guilty persons, who sometimes were more powerful than the narrator, and so beat him up.
(d) The narrator got the job of a junior assistant clerk in a big law firm.
1)Give the character sketch of Oliver Lutkins.
Oliver Lutkins is a crook who lives in the country town of New Mullion. Though he lives in a small town, he easily cheats the lawyer who comes to serve a summons on him. He pretends to be Bill Magnuson, the hack driver and manages to cheat the narrator of his money. He manages to convey the lawyer that it is very difficult to trace Lutkins. He takes the lawyer to many shops but does not allow the lawyer to directly talk with the people. Over a few hours, Bill takes the narrator all over the town where they keep missing Lutkins by small periods of time. He is also a friendly person. When the lawyer comes to New Multi on a second time, Lutkins invites the lawyer for a cup of coffee in his friend’s house. Bill painted Lutkins as a dishonest person. He owed money to a lot of people. He had a talent for dishonesty. Though he lived in a rural town, he managed to trick and mislead a lawyer belonging to the city.
2. Give the character sketch of The Narrator.
And.The narrator is a lawyer who hates city life. He thinks of pursuing a career in a small town. He goes to New Mullion to serve a summons on Oliver Lutkins. We find him gullible, and he is easily misled by Lutkins himself, who poses as the hack driver, Bill. Bill takes money from the lawyer and gives misleading information about Lutkins. He visits a number of places in New Mullion with Bill but is not able to meet Lutkins. Since he visited new Mullion for an important matter, he failed to be careful in carrying out his job. The narrator appears to be a novice and not a seasoned legal mind. He had a romantic view of country (rural) life but was easily conned by crooks in New Mullion.
Short Answer Type Important Questions
Answer the following questions in 30-40 words:
1. Why do you think Bill offered to help the narrator find Lutkins?
Ans. Bill himself was Lutkins. He knew that the lawyer is searching for him. He wanted to play a prank on him and offered to help him find Lutkins. Even he made some money in this process and made him wander here and there. He and his mother made a fool of the narrator and had great laughter.
2. The writer wasn’t very fond of new mullion when he reached the place. What made him grow fond of the village and its people?
Ans. Initially, the writer did not like the village. His eager expectations of a sweet and simple country village were severely disappointed but the friendly behaviour of Bill made him grow fond of the village and its people. He was so open and full of warmth and affection that the writer was touched.
3.’But he was no more dishonest than I’. Elaborate the statement with reference to ‘The HackDriver’.
Ans. The lawyer charged a handsome amount from his firm to visit new mullion. He was given some amount to expend in the process of searching Lutkins. But he paid very little money to the hack driver. Bill already knew that the lawyer was searching for him, still, he made him wander here and there, and even charged him two dollars an hour for six hours, including one hour of his lunchtime. This made the lawyer utter these words.
4. Write the plan suggested by Bill for lunch and state the reason behind it.
Ans. The lawyer felt hungry and wanted to eat something in a restaurant but Bill suggested him to take lunch at his home cooked by his wife. He told him that it will cost him cheaper than the restaurant because she won’t charge him more than half a dollar. He did so because he wanted to make some money out of it. Secondly, it will take nearly cur hour to go there and have lunch so ho will be charged another two dollars for it. Thus it was a good business for him.
5. What qualities of the hack driver impressed the young lawyer?
Ans. The hack driver’s cheerful face and friendly manner made the lawyer conclude that he liked people. The hack driver’s openness, again made the lawyer glow in the warmth of affection.
6. Describe the feelings of the young lawyer when he came to know the reality of the hack driver at last.
Ans. As long as the lawyer did not know that the hack driver was Lutkins himself, he enjoyed the hack driver’s company and glowed in the warmth of his affection. But as the identity of the hack driver was revealed, the lawyer felt very quite hurt. This was especially when Lukens and his mother laughed at the lawyer as though h he rye was a boy when he served the summons. Later, however, he acknowledged their loving kindness too.
7. On his way back, the narrator did not worry about his failure to find Lukens. What was the reason behind his carefree attitude?
Ans. On his way back, the lawyer did not worry about the failure of his mission, for he was too busy thinking about Bill Magnuson, the hack driver. In fact, he even started considering his return to New Mullion to practice law. He found Bill deep and richly human and pictured an honest and happy life in the village.
8. Discuss the character of the young lawyer as depicted in the chapter The Hack Driver’?
Ans. The narrator who is a lawyer is a man who could be taken for a ride very easily. He easily gets flattered by affection and warmth and fails to apply logic to even essential things. The hack driver who is Lukens himself, whom the narrator wants to meet, thus dupes him very easily. The gullible nature of the narrator invites our sympathy for him.
9. The hack driver at New Mullion befriended the lawyer. What did he do after that?
Ans. After befriending the lawyer, the hack driver who was Lukens himself offered to ‘search for’ Lukens to whom the lawyer had to serve the summon. He first took the lawyer to Fritz’s shop, then to Mustafa’s and Gray’s barber shops and then to the poolroom. Later, he took the lawyer to his wife for lunch for half a dollar and finally to `Lukens’ mother.
10. How did Bill paint a picture of people in words?
Ans. The Bill, the hack driver was very talkative. He won his confidence. He drove him to various places telling that the villagers would help him in fading Lukens.
11. Why was the lawyer happy about the day?
Ans. The lawyer was asked to go to a small village, New Mullion, to serve the summons to Lutkins. He was happy to go as he had expected the countryside town to be green and refreshing -a respite from the crowded, noisy, dry atmosphere of the city. Hence he was happy.
12. How was the hack driver recognized?
Ans. Next morning, the lawyer was sent back to New Mullion with a man who knew Lutkins by face. At the station, the lawyer saw Bill talking to Lutkin's mother in a friendly manner. He was surprised or rather shocked to know that Bill was no other but Lutkins himself.
13. What did the hack driver tell the narrator about Lutkins’ mother?
Ans. He said that she was nine feet tall and four feet thick as a cat and could talk sharp. She was a real terror. Once, she almost took off his skin because he did not treat the box she had given to him to carry as delicately as a box of eggs.
14. Why could the lawyer not find Lutkins?
Ans. The lawyer could not find Lutkins because the hack driver, Bill himself was Lutkins. ‘Inca the lawyer had not seen or met him before, he could not identify him and Lutkins took adman tautly. Anti nerved a practical joke on him.
15. Does the narrator serve the summons that day? If’ not, why?
Ans. The narrator could not serve the summons that day as he could not find ‘, Aka’s, ‘it did not know that the hack driver named Bill was actually Lutkins himself and was making a practical joke on him in the name of helping him in searching Lutkins.
16. How did Lutkins' mother receive the narrator?
Ans. The hack driver took him to the farm of Lutkins' mother. He introduced the lawyer and told her that he had come to serve summons to Lutkins and had legal right to search the property. The mother got irritated and attacked him with hot iron rods. Both got scared and ran away.
17. How did the hack driver describe Lutkins?
Ans. The hack driver told the narrator that Lutkins was very popular among the fellow villagers. He was a careless, dishonest wanderer and could be seen here, there, everywhere. He was always up to one thing or the other. He owed money to several people.
18. Why did the young lawyer wish to return to New Mullion?
Ans. Although the young lawyer failed to serve summons to Lutkins, he was so much impressed with the warmth and helpful nature of the country people that he felt excited. He planned to practice at New Mullion and leave his job.
Q19. What kind of a job was the narrator usually entrusted with? Why wasn’t he satisfied with his job in the city?
Ans. The narrator was a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent law firm. He was sent, not to prepare legal briefs but to serve the summons. He had to act like a cheap private detective. It wasn’t easy and safe to go to the ‘dirty’ and ‘shadowy’ corners of the city. Sometimes he was even beaten up by toughs. He hated his job and working in such a hostile environment in the city.
Q20. Why did he consider fleeing to his home town?
Ans. Serving summons in the dirty and shadowy corners of the city was quite an unpleasant job. On many occasions, he was beaten up by the musclemen and toughs. He even considered fleeing to his home town because it was more pleasant and safe to work there. He could have been a real lawyer there without going through the job of a cheap detective.
Q21. Why did the lawyer rejoice at his new assignment?
Ans. Working in the dirty and shadowy parts of the city was becoming more dangerous and difficult for the lawyer. He was overjoyed when his law firm sent him out forty miles out in the country to a town called New Mullion. He was to serve a summons on a man called Oliver Lutkins. They needed this man as a witness in a legal case. The idea of visiting a country town with cleaner surroundings was quite a welcome and romantic diversion for him.
Q22. Why was the narrator disappointed when he got to New Mullion? What was the only ‘agreeable sight’ about the place?
Ans. The narrator had formed quite a romantic and pleasant picture of this country town called New Mullion. When he reached there, his eager expectations were belied. He was very much disappointed. Its streets were narrow rivers of mud. Its shops were either badly painted or not painted at all. The only agreeable sight about the place was the delivery man at the station who called himself Bill.
Q23. What impression did the narrator (the lawyer) form of Bill when he met him for the first time?
Ans. The narrator found the delivery man at the station as the only ‘agreeable sight’ in New Mullion. The man called himself Bill and he was a hack driver. He was about forty. He looked red-faced and cheerful. He looked thick in the middle. His working clothes were dirty and worn out. His manners were pleasant and friendly. The narrator was happy to meet such a man.
Q24. What did the narrator tell Bill and what was his reply about Oliver Lutkins?
Ans. The narrator himself told Bill the purpose of his visit to New Mullion. He told him that he had come there in search of a man named Oliver Lutkins. Bill seemed to be a little surprised and asked, “Lutkins?” Then he replied that he saw Lutkins around there about an hour ago. It was difficult to catch him. He was always up to something or the other. Perhaps he could be found in the back of Fritz’s shop trying to set up a poker game. Bill told the lawyer that he knew the places Lutkins usually could be found in.
Q25. Why did the narrator feel that Bill had already made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for him?
Ans. The narrator found Bill very open and friendly. He ‘glowed with warmth’ of his affection. Bill wanted the business but his kindness was real. He offered his carriage for two dollars an hour. The narrator was happy to pay to such a good fellow. Bill assured the narrator that he knew about all the places where Lutkins usually could be found out. The narrator began to feel that Bill had made it his own task to find Oliver Lutkins for him.
Q26. Why did the narrator feel that ‘Bill seemed to admire Lutkins for dishonesty? Why did he feel that if he had been a policeman, he would have regretted sending him to jail?
Ans. Bill told the narrator that Oliver Lutkins was “not really bad”. He was a hard fellow to be caught. He was always up to something or the other. He played a lot of pokers. He was good at deceiving people. The narrator felt that Bill seemed to admire Lutkins’ talent for dishonesty. Had he been a policeman, he would have regretted sending Bill to jail.
Q27. Why did the narrator and Bill proceed to Fritz and why did Bill ask him to keep out of sight behind him?
Ans. Bill told the narrator that probably Oliver Lutkins was trying to start a poker game in the back of Fritz’s shop. Bill led him there and he asked the narrator to hide behind him. Fritz hesitated and then admitted that Lutkins was there a little while ago. Bill kept the narrator behind him because he didn’t want him to talk to any person directly. Had he done so, Bill would have been exposed at once that he was playing a double role. He was Lutkins himself.
Q28. What information did the narrator get after visiting Gustaf? Gray’s barber shops and other places in New Mullion?
Ans. They drove to Gustaf’s barbershop. Again Bill entered first. The lawyer remained at the door. Gustaff replied angrily that he hadn’t seen him. If they found him, they could collect the money he owed him. Then, Bill took him to Gray’s shop. Perhaps, Lutkins had gone there for a shave. They were told that they missed Lutkins by only five minutes. They got the same answer at the pool room and elsewhere in the town.
Q29. Why did the narrator feel that Bill’s helpfulness for him was not entirely of brotherly love?
Ans. The narrator began to understand that Bill’s helpfulness for him was not completely of brotherly love. He was a perfect businessman. The narrator paid him for six hours, including the lunch hour. Bill was paid 2 dollars for an hour. But the narrator realised that Bill was not more dishonest than him. He charged the whole amount from the firm.
Q30. Why did Bill take the narrator to Bill’s terrible mother in the end? Why had she once ‘almost’ taken Bill’s skin off?
Ans. In the end, Bill stopped a friend of Lutkins. He made him admit that Oliver had gone to his mother’s farm. Bill told the narrator that Oliver Lutkins’ mother was a terror. Once, he faced her anger because she felt that Bill had not handled her trunk with proper care. She almost took his skin off. She was 9 feet tall and 4 feet thick and quick as a cat.
Q31. Describe the narrator’s encounter with Lutkins’ terrible mother. Why was he asked to move out immediately by Bill?
Ans. Bill drove the narrator into a poor farmyard. There they were faced by a huge and cheerful old woman. Bill bravely went up to her and asked about her son, Oliver Lutkins. She shouted that she didn’t know anything about him. Bill told her that they had a legal right to search the house. This made her famous. She went inside and came out with an iron rod from the hearth. She threatened to burn them alive if they dared to do such a thing. Bill asked the narrator to go out at once before she could murder them.
Q32. Why did the narrator worry very little about his failure and considered returning to New Mullion to practice law?
Ans. The narrator worried very little about his failure to trace Oliver Lutkins. He was busy thinking about Bill Magnuson. He considered returning to New Mullion to practise law. After all, he could find such honest and human people like Bill only in New Mullion. He would feel honoured to have soft-spoken and wise neighbours like Fritz and Gustaff and a hundred others. He pictured an honest, happy and a new way of life there.
Extrapolative answers
Answer the following questions in 100-120 words:
1. The hack driver misguided the lawyer and led him on the wrong path. How could the lawyer be proactive?
The hack driver misguided the lawyer and openly drove him all over the
village. He took him places such as Gustaff’s barber shop, Gray’s barber shop, pool room, and his mother’s farmyard. He charged him two dollars an hour for all his visits. He himself talked low of Lukens and did not allow him to meet anyone directly.
The lawyer could have been more protective in some ways. He should have talked to more people rather than enjoy a whole day at the expense of the
firm. He should not have hidden behind the hack driver but should have tried
to talk once to the villagers. He should not have given the lead to the hack
driver. Instead, he should have led this visit himself, inquiring with more and
more people.
2. Narrate the narrator’s first visit to New Mullion.
The author/lawyer was sent to New Mullion to serve summons to Lutkins. At the station, he met a cheerful hack driver who was Lutkins himself. He took advantage of the situation as the author who had never met Lutkins before could not identify him. The fun-loving Lutkins introduced himself as Bill. He offered him all his help to find Lukens. He took him all over the village but in vain. He entertained the author with his lucid description of the village folk, charged him two dollars per hour and half a dollar for food. The author was impressed by the warm affection, kind and helpful nature of Bill and the
hospitality and cooperation of the villagers. He thought of leaving his present job and starting his legal practice at New Mullion.
3. Why was the narrator sent to New Mullion? Why didn’t he succeed in his mission on his
first visit?
The narrator was a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent legal firm. His job was not to prepare legal briefs but to serve the summons. He was sent to New Mullion, a country town about forty miles away from his city. He was to serve a summons to a person named Oliver Lutkins. Lutkins was needed in a legal case as a witness.
The narrator’s first visit to New Mullion was a complete failure. He couldn’t
find even a trace of Oliver Lutkins. Actually, the delivery man and the hack driver Bill, who met him at the station, were responsible for this failure. Bill be-friended the lawyer assuring him that he knew the places where Lutkins usually used to hang about. He told a lie that he had seen Lutkins just an hour ago.
Then, Bill drove the narrator to the different parts of the town and meeting
different people there. Actually, Bill planned the whole false drama the
moment he came to know that the narrator was searching for Oliver Lutkins.
Everywhere he went, he kept the narrator standing behind him at the door. He didn’t allow him to interrogate people directly about Lutkins. They drove toFritz’s, to Gustaff’s, Gray’s barber shop and to the poolroom. Everywhere they
got the same answer that Lutkins had left only a while ago. All this was pre-
planned by Bill and the search was bound to end in failure.
4. Give a character-sketch of the narrator or the lawyer of the story, ‘The Hack Driver’?
The narrator was a junior assistant clerk in a magnificent law firm. His work was not to prepare legal briefs but to serve the summons. The narrator was fed up with his job as he had to visit many dirty and shadowy corners of the city.
On several occasions, he was attacked and beaten up by musclemen and toughs of these areas. He even considered fleeing to his country town.
The narrator was highly gullible. He didn’t behave like a seasoned legal mind.
He was so much impressed with Bill that he became totally dependent on him.
He failed to keep his mission a secret to himself. By disclosing that he had
come to serve a summons on Oliver Lutkins, he gave the crafty and clever Bill enough space and time to confuse and misdirect his search. Bill, who was Oliver Lutkins himself, drove him aimlessly without allowing the narrator to talk directly to the people. He feared lest he should be exposed.
The narrator had a romantic yearning for country life and its people. After his
first visit, he didn’t mind his failure but planned to come to New Mullion again
to start his legal practice there. The narrator proved himself a novice and not a seasoned legal mind. When he served summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed at him as if he were a seven-year-old boy.
5. Bill or Oliver Lutkins was a complete contrast to the narrator. How did a seasoned crook like Lutkins outwit the gullible lawyer proving him a novice and just a bright boy of seven?
Certainly, both the main characters of the story are totally different. Bill or
Lutkins manoeuvres and plots under the garb of friendliness. The narrator is
outwitted and deceived due to his gullibility. Bill (Lutkins) knows how to
confuse and misdirect the narrator’s search for Oliver Lutkins. He befriends the lawyer convincing him that he is the only person in New Mullion who can help him in finding out Oliver Lutkins. He overpowers the narrator’s capacity for reasoning and thinking. The narrator becomes a soft target of cunning Lutkins. He allows giving Lutkins all the space and time that he needed to plan out and scheme things. The narrator became just a willing puppet in Bill’s hands.
Actually, he danced to his tunes. Bill’s pretensions clouded the narrator’s
wisdom and sense of discretion. Bill (Lutkins) was not a crook and fraud but an honest man full of human values for him. The cunning Lutkins had the last
laugh. When the narrator served summons, Lutkins and his mother laughed as if he were a seven-year-old boy.
No comments:
Post a Comment