1) Describe briefly the condition of the convict before
he met the Bishop?
When
the convict escaped from the jail, life became too tough for him to bear. At
one end police were hunting for him while at the other he lived by petty theft.
He didn’t have a passport or identification papers with which he could find
works. Being a fugitive, he couldn’t roam about a town to beg. So he stole
food, slept in the woods and became a wretched thief.
2) ‘One must do a great deal for the devil in order to do
a little for God’ Why did the Bishop say this?
The
convict doubted that the Bishop was showing kindness in order to convert him
into a true Christian. So he made fun of the Bishop and said that by serving
him, he was actually serving the devil. But the Bishop who was kind as well as
wise explained him that one must win back people from the clutches of the devil
in order to show God one’s devotion.
3) How did the convict fight himself to steal the
candlesticks?
The
convict knew that the weighty candlesticks were enough to give him a start
should he possessed them. But the Bishop’s kindness stood in the way and he
felt guilty. He felt sorry for the Bishop as also for himself, for he had never
got justice from anyone. The convict thus prepared his mind by admitting that a
Bishop had to be kind by nature and principle having a religious obligation
behind it.
So
at last, he freed his mind from being guilty and robbed the Bishop of his
candlesticks.
4) How did the Bishop behave after the convict was gone
with his candlesticks?
Against
Persome` outcry, the Bishop stressed calmly that the candlesticks didn’t belong
to him. Instead, he held himself responsible because he thought he led the
convict into temptation and so in this way he was a sinner. He accepted the
loss as a just punishment from God. But
it was also too tough a penitence for him to bear.
5) Do you hold the Bishop guilty of lying as he told a
lie to save the convict?
The
Bishop vouched before the Sergeant that the convict was his friend. For him it
was the last-ditch attempt to win the convict back into humanity. By doing so,
the Bishop opened the path of freedom for the convict. Such a lie is an act of
kindness and highlights the Bishop’s strength of mind and character.
6) ‘Perhaps I had set too great a store by them’ why did
the Bishop say this? How was it a sin? How was it a just punishment?
The
candlesticks held the memories of the Bishop’s dead mother and so he was
attached to them. However, for a Bishop it is sinful to collect worldly
possessions. Still he had a soft corner for them, which made him feel guilty.
Through
the convict, the Bishop thought that God had punished him. It was because the
candlesticks were expensive and could have been used in charity. But the Bishop
never yielded to this call and so, accordingly, he was punished.
7. Compare Persome` and the Bishop.
Persome`
and the Bishop though brother and sister are opposite to each other by nature.
The Bishop has imbibed all the principles of Christianity whereas Persome` is a
common woman who is worldly-wise. The Bishop is charitable, merciful and
patient and above all thoughtful and honest. But Persome` is impatient, rude
and unforgiving. The presence of Persome` helps magnify the noble character of
the Bishop.
8. ‘Now I’m a number.’ How was the speaker a number?
The
speaker was sent to prison hulks for ten years. He was treated badly and fed on
filth. He was so much tortured that he forgot his name and remained just a
number 15728, which was his identity as a convict.
9. Why did the Bishop say that he was sorry for the
thieves?
In
reply to the convict’s question, the Bishop said that he didn’t fear thieves
but felt sorry for them. Thieves being unholy and sinner are condemned to hell
as they are devoid of God’s grace. So the Bishop pitied them rather than fear.
10.
How did the convict get into the prison hulk?
The
convict was a poor villager and owner of a little cottage. That year his wife
fell ill and was dying. It was a bad year for them, for they had no food and he
had no work. So driven by his wife’s condition, he committed a theft to buy her
food. But he was arrested and was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks.
11.
How was he treated in the prison hulks?
In
the prison hulks, which were old ships, prisoners were treated as beasts.
According to the convict those inhuman treatments made him a fierce criminal.
They would chain him up like a wild animal and lashed him as if he were a
hound. He fed on filth and was covered
with vermin. He would sleep on boards and if he complained they would lash him
again.
12.‘You have a soul
to lose, my son.’ Elucidate.
The
convict doubted that the Bishop might play him false. So he threatened to kill
the Bishop and reasoned that he had nothing to lose. However, the Bishop
pointed out that the convict had his soul to lose. According to Christian tenets,
soul is the most precious possession, which because of misdeeds might go to
hell and is lost forever.
13. ‘I’m too old a
bird to be caught with chaff.’ Why did the convict say so?
The
convict, being hungry, demanded food from the Bishop. But whatever food they
had, it was in the cupboard which Persome` had locked before retiring. When the
Bishop told the convict that he needed keys from his sister, the convict
thought that the Bishop was trying to get him into a trap. As the convict
feared arrest, he spoke these words to mean that he was not a fool to be
tricked into a trap.
14. ‘I don’t want any
of your Faith, Hope and charity.’ Why did the convict say so?
Faith,
Hope and charity are the three basic principles of Christianity. The convict
being suspicious of the Bishop’s kind behaviour indignantly asserted that he
didn’t want to follow the path of Christianity. He was in fact averse to the
idea of conversion—from evil to righteous.
15. Describe briefly the condition of the convict
before he met the Bishop?
When
the convict escaped from the jail, life became too tough for him to bear. At
one end police were hunting for him and at the other he lived by petty theft.
He didn’t have a passport or a name with which he could find work. Being a
fugitive, he stole food, slept in the woods and became a wretched thief.
16.Describe the cottage (kitchen) of Bishop
Myriel.
The
scene of the play is enacted against the backdrop of Bishop’s kitchen. It is
plainly but substantially furnished. There is a fire place with heavy
mantelpiece, an oak settle with cushions, table with writing materials, an
eight-day clock and a crucifix. Also there is an oak dining table, kitchen
dresser with cupboard and above all on the mantelpiece there are two silver candlesticks,
which look rather strangely out of place with the surroundings.
17.
“Oh! Mon Dieu! It is hopeless, hopeless.” Why
does Persome` say this and to whom?
When
Persome` learnt that the Bishop, in order to save Mere Gringoire from eviction,
had sold the salt-cellars, she was extremely annoyed. She reminded the Bishop
that he had sold his estate and furniture and spent his savings to carry out
his wasteful and reckless charity, and thus they would soon have nothing left.
She also reminded him that if it was not for her little dowry, they should have
starved.
18.‘As if I were a
man again’— when and why did the convict say so?
The
convict said this as he realised the greatness of the Bishop and the true
meaning of Faith, Hope and Charity.
The
Bishop treated him very kindly. He not only gave him shelter and food but also
protection from the Gendarmes, and above all his candlesticks. He made him a
free man and showed him the safest way to Paris.
The
Bishop was successful in changing him into a true human being with all human
characters. The convict abandoned his old attitude and became a true Christian.
19. The character of
the Convict.
The
character, Jean Valjean, is a victim of injustice and cruel fate. Being a poor
and humble villager, he could not find redress from anywhere and thus hardened
into a dreaded criminal.
However,
a brief encounter with the Bishop struck the human fibre of his unblemished
soul and he found himself compelled to repent. He learnt the virtue of faith,
hope and charity.
20.
“Always remember,
my son, that this poor body is the Temple of Living God” –Substantiate.
OR
What
was the Bishop’s parting advice?
The
Bishop in his parting advice tells the Convict that a man’s body may be frail
and prone to temptation and sin, but it is also the temple of the living soul,
which is nothing but the reflection of The Living God.
This
soul could lead him to the path of virtue and eventually to paradise. Thus, it
must be protected from doing evil.
21.The significance
of the title ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.
The
one-act play ‘the Bishop’s Candlesticks’ by Norman McKinnel revolves around two
words, ‘Bishop’ and the Candlesticks’. These two words influence the length and
the breadth of the entire play as also the character s depicted in it. The
bishop is the epitome of Christian values and the candlesticks symbolise his
sacrifice and the great legacy of Charity and Hope.
Together
becoming a great force, it changed an otherwise a dreaded criminal, who had
lost all hopes in humanity. Thus, the title is appropriate to the theme it
seeks to focus.
22. Character of
Persome`.
Persome`
is the widowed sister of Bishop, Myriel. By nature she is just the opposite of
her brother. She is a common woman who is worldly-wise and full of doubts and
fears. Though a loving and protective sister, she lacks the qualities of a true
Christian. She is impatient, rude and unforgiving and holds poor people in low
esteem. But as a character she helps magnify the remarkable qualities of the
Bishop.