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Summaries of All Three Novels Presentation
Summaries of All Three Novels Presentation
Novel – (Usually long and complex sequence of events More than 50,000 words)
1. The little train – He goes back to his village as an adult to find traces of by gone era.
▪ These things can unveil about a lot about the past as well as the writer’s attraction
towards this environment.
- A day in March
- Evening setting sun
- Narrator drives out of Television Training Institute
- Places he passes
- Narrator's mind is shifting from real to fantasy and fantasy to reality
“Pitagamkarayo like a drug had got into my blood stream.”
“My mind was a confusing montage of images constantly cross-cutting between past and present,
fantasy and fact.”
Chapter 2 – Tony
houses
vegetation
Charges he notices people
friends
▪ Independence Square – It shows that Sri Lanka had been a British Colony and
got independence in 1948 and the first independence celebration was held in the
Independence square.
▪ Niyara a by road
(Maharagama)
The
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Nirmala train Changes into a bigger train
Changes occurred with the time
Socio – economical change within the country/ people.
Family changes from rich to poor
Narrator's mother changes from strict to lenient
Tries even to get into the bus, when the family was moving away.
2) Charges occurred within the time (Socio – economic change/ change in people/ family
changing from rich to poor/ narrator's mother)
3) The life of the people in the by – gone era
- Simple & unsophisticated/ slow paced life style
-Mark Twain
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Introduction
▪ The followings are an introduction to some of king Henry VIII’s queens and children
▪ Queen Catherine of Arragon- daughter Mary who came to be known as ‘Blood Mary’ for her
cruelty. Catherine was divorced by the king after he established the church of England for this
purpose.
▪ Anne Boleyn- mother of Lady Elizabeth mentioned in the story (the little prince’s sister). This
queen was beheaded (Incidently Lady Elizabeth became one of the most popular and successful
rulers of England, Queen Elizabth I).
▪ Jane Seymour whose son is the joint- hero of this story (Prince Edward) – she died naturally
after the little prince was born.
▪ Catherine Parr who survived the King and is referred to in the story as the queen (“Hast paid thy
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▪ Jane Seymour’s son Edward Tudor was the only male baby that survived to fulfill Henry VIII’s desire
for a son.
▪ He was born on the 12th October 1537 and became the king of England, Edward VI, at the age of
nine but died on 6th July, at the age of sixteen.
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A Glance at the Characters
▪ The Cantys
▪ Has a great pluck of courage (which won the respect of even the
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▪ Has become obsessed with royals and royal life and began to dream of royalty.
▪ His intelligence, natural ability to learn and adaptability helped him to survive the
switching roles well.
▪ His sensitive nature, kindness and strong sense of right and wrong.
Becomes confident and begins to enjoy his position and the attention as the Prince.
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Later becomes remorse as his life as a pretend prince became an ‘ordeal’ to him since he
missed his old life.
Helps the Prince to prove his identity proving his honesty and loyalty.
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▪ Miles Hendon
▪ Miles Hendon figures prominently in the story as the brave, kind honest man who
rescued the little Prince from the unruly mob in London, befriended and protected
him and finally brought him back to London.
▪ Hendon belonged to a noble family but had been deprived of what should have
been his and is wicked brother.
▪ But finally he gets back what should have been his and is knighted and made a
peer of England, Earl of Kent, by King Edward VI who he had looked after so kindly
thinking he was a little, mentally affected beggar boy.
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▪ z Father Andrew and the Mad Hermit
▪ Father Andrew was a kind old priest who Henry VIII had driven out of his home
with a pension of a few farthings a month’s. As a result, he now lived at offal
court. He taught Tom and later some other children too, to read, write and
behave correctly. Tom enjoyed his stories, read his books, especially those about
Royalty, learnt Latin, became throughly obsessed with Royalty, formed a Royal
Court with his friends and yearned to see a real Prince. It was due to Father
Andrew’s teaching that Tom was able to survive and play the role of Prince when
fate suddenly turned him into a Prince.
▪ The mad Hermit lived in a forest into which the prince ran to escape from John
Canty and vagabonds. He called himself the archangel and declared he should
really have been the Pope if Henry VIII had not formed a new church of his own.
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The little Prince saying he was the son of king Henry VIII infuriated the hermit
who prepared to kill the prince in revenge after tying him up. Luckily Hendon
found the Prince just on time, although he was really taken away by John Canty.
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▪ Humphrey Marlow
▪ Humphrey Marlow was a little twelve-year-old boy who was Prince Edward’s
‘Whipping Boy’. When the Prince did not do his studies properly it was considred
necessary to punish him with a whipping. But the ‘sacred person’ of the prince was
not be touched so the whipping was given to the Whipping Boy. Poor Humphrey was
beaten and with his pay as the Whipping Boy he had to support himself and his
sisters.
▪ Tom (now acting as king) made Humphrey Marlow Hereditory Grand Whipping-Boy
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Objects / places
appeared in the story
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London
London is the city in England where
Tom Canty and Edward Tudor were
born.
London Bridge
Hendon Hall
Christ’s Church
Christ's Church, also called Christ’s
Hospital, is the ancient Grey Friar’s
Church in London that was taken
from monks by Henry viii, who made
it a home for poor orphan children.
▪ A person of noble birth and the one of low birth are not essentially
different.( The determining factors are intelligence, experience,
environment and a person’s inborn natural qualities.)
▪ The human trait of being dissatisfied with what one has and yearning for
something different.
• Chapter 8- Role of bearded man in Jagan’s life and possible retreat for
Jagan hints at his troubles and his desire to escape from them
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• Chapter 9- Parental authority has been weakened. Jagan has no hold over
his son or his daughter- in-law. The father-son conflict has arisen. It is
evident that Mali would be the ruin of his father.
• Chapter 11- Jagan in a reminiscent mood.We get to know about his past
– his boyhood, how his family separated him especially after Grace’s
arrival. Jagan’s avoidance of “evil rays”
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• Chapter 12
Jagan is now an anguished soul, the conduct of his only son is unbearable
to him and his thoughts turn naturally to his past. The entire chapter is
in the form of retrospective narration through the sensations floating
through Jagan’s mind. (It is only in this chapter we get a clear picture of
Jagan’s wife, of her relatives and of the love of Jagan for her. The
character of his parents also has been developed .)
• Chapter 13
Jagan is a tortured soul , because his son is leading a sinful life. All his
money is of no use for him and he tries to find some comfort only through
a withdrawal from his present state.
“ Man of caution”
• Patient listener
“ Flattery is his accredited
• Helpful credit”
• Jagan’s saviour
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Grace and Ambika
• Grace • Ambika
• A catalytic agent • Her invisible influence
• Modern • A proud mother
• Intense of her interest in Mali’s • Conventional
success
• Model of goodness and courtesy
• Tactful and cheerfulness generally, but
she could lash with her tongue
• Adapts to situations easily when her temper was roused
• Not married but living together • Married with fanfare and a
dowry
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• Proud and arrogant
• Corrupted
• Disregards traditions and culture
• Blind devotion towards western
culture Mali
The invisible barrier
• Demanding
Failure to write the novel
• Selfish
Steals money
• Deceitful
Goes to America
• Spoilt His exorbitant demand
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His fall
Jagan and Mali
Jagan Mali
• Represents the older generation • Represents the modern youth
• Idealistic view point • Materialistic
• Conserves conventional and traditional things( old • Embraces the new trends and prefers to be
fashioned, orthodox) exposed to modernity to keep pace with
challenging world
• Lives in his own world- not aware of what is
happening beyond it • Criticizes and rejects the old as old fashioned and
misfits to the new world
• Resistant to modern change and tries to remain
unchanged • Eager to get away and embark on the world
outside
• Prefers trouble free life thus leading a
monotonous life • Welcomes changes
• Frugal and sparing in everything • Likes to take up challengers and experiment new
things