Facing Death Exercise Class 12 English: Questions Answers

In this article we will discuss full exercise solution of 'Facing Death' by August Strindberg of Class 12 English. 

Exercise

Understanding the text

Answer the following questions:

a. Where does the play take place?

Mr. Durand, a former railroad worker, widower, and boarding house owner, lives with his three daughters in the dining room of the establishment and this is the location where the play takes place.

b. Why do the grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household?

A long-term lack of payment has resulted in bills from the store, bakery, and butcher being sent to Durand's home. To avoid further delays and unpaid invoices, they are unable to provide more services.

c. Why does Monsieur Durand spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread?

For the one-year anniversary of the loss of his beloved baby son René, Monsieur Durand purchases candles rather than meals. Durand misses the departed, yet he still cares about and loves him. And to combat the lacking life for his daughters, Durand intends to intentionally set fire to his house and then claim the insurance proceeds.

d. Why did Monsieur Duran sell his life insurance?

Monsieur wanted to clear the debt by selling his life insurance policy. That’s why he sold his life insurance. 

e. Why has Monsieur Duran paid fire insurance?

Monsieur Durand has signed up a new fire insurance policy so that he may file a claim for reimbursement in the event of a fire. He plans to burn his home down to receive the money offered to him as compensation for the loss so that he may support his children.

f. How did Monsieur Duran and Mrs. Duran run out of their inheritances from both sides?

Inheritances from both sides of the Durand family were drained by Mrs. Durand's negligence and reckless investment. In raising their girls, they relied on both their paternal and maternal ancestry, which they both lost.

g. Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace?

Monsieur Durand tells a lie about his birthplace because of two separate motives. One reason was that, from the side of Switzerland, he fought against his own nation France. He speaks an untruth to try to cover up his embarrassment. Another was, by fabricating his own story, he hopes to maintain the image of himself and his wife. He was attracted to a lady much younger than he was. That woman was the one he wanted to marry. As a result, he packed up his items and relocated to Switzerland from his hometown. 

h. What business is Monsieur Durand running to make a living?

For income, Monsieur Durand runs a boarding house. In order to supplement his income, he has turned his residence into a lodge. 

i. What plan does Monsieur Durand have to help his daughters with money?

Monsieur Durand intends to take his own life and burn down his home. He expects to be compensated by his fire insurance policy and use the money to assist his children. To save his three children, he is willing to give his life as protection money.

j. How does Monsieur Durand die?

Monsieur Durand dies by consuming poison. He did so to assist his daughters with the amount of money they will be reimbursed from their insurance policy.

REFERENCE TO THE CONTEXT

a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Durand.

The play's central character is Monsieur Durand. In addition to being a lodge owner, he is also a retired railroad worker. He is a bankrupt man with three young daughters. The lodge is their home. 

Durand and his daughters have a tense relationship. We see him as a loving, caring, and protective father in this play. He and his three daughters are living in misery as a result of his insolvency. 

Most of the time, we see his daughters dislike and blame him for everything. As long as he's thinking about his two daughters, he'll never give up. He puts his own life on the line to protect his estranged daughters, who despise him. 

He is a man of great patience who remained silent for the rest of his life, though the real culprit of such circumstances was caused by his late wife. He is also a devoted husband and a good father. Though he is compelled to live in Switzerland, he is a patriotic Frenchman who adores his homeland. Because of his concern for his three daughters' safety, he is a tragic hero who sacrifices his own happiness in order to protect theirs.

b. How do we know that the Durand family has reached a dead end?

We know this family has come to a dead end because of their financial crisis. For years, the Durands have survived on loans from friends and relatives. The Durand family has a load of debts to pay to various creditors. Due to financial constraints, they have turned their house into an inn. 

Durand's condition is the worst in the family. His daughters hate him and blame him for everything. They even cut off bread for a cup of coffee. Durand eats the rat's food because of hunger. Yet, we find him tolerable. 

At last, Durand intends to kill himself and set fire to his lodge to rescue his daughter. 

c. ‘The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially Theresa.’ Do you agree?

Yes, I think this is correct. In this play, we see that the mother has had a significant impact on her daughters, particularly Theresa. 

Mother instilled a deep hatred for their father Durand in them while she was still alive. She forced them to follow her orders. She frequently blamed her husband and was able to turn the children against him. All three daughters dislike their father because of their mother's teachings. When they look back, they blame their father for everything that went wrong. 

To prevent his daughters from questioning the goodness of their mother, Mr. Durand remained silent after her death. He is a man of great patience who remained silent for the rest of his life. 

Her mother has had the greatest effect on Theresa. She is the one of the three sisters that has the most hatred against their father. Most of the time, she shows a rude attitude. When her father was about to inhale tobacco with a briar pipe, she snatched the matches from his hand. In the same way, she takes his glass of milk. She appears to have a very bad attitude toward her father. 

d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Duran and his wife.

Monsieur Durand and his wife had a strained relationship. However, Mrs. Durand blamed Mr. Durand even though she herself had ruined the family during her lifetime. It was ruined by her carelessness and foolish decisions. 

She used to buy lottery tickets with money from the family. She threatened to become a prostitute for money after being mistreated by her husband. She instilled in all of her daughters a hatred for their father and instilled in them all kinds of negativity. She had mastered the art of diverting her girls' attention and turning them against their father.

e. ‘Money determines the relationship between characters in this play.’ Elaborate this statement with examples from the play.

Due to the economic crisis, Mr. Durund is unable to pay for his daughters' basic necessities. Due to the economic downturn, they have decided to transform their home into a lodge. Mr. Durand and Mrs. Durand's relationship deteriorated as well due to the huge loss of their property. The girls hate their father since he is unable to maintain the family financially. 

The connection between the characters is determined by money in this case. Most of the time, Mr. Durand's three daughters despise and blame him. They display their disrespectful behaviour in front of him. Because the father is unable to bring bread, the girls do not even offer a drink of milk. They grabbed his glass of milk and pulled it away from him. When he goes to smoke, they take the matches from him. When their father promises, "I'll bring you money," they demonstrate their generosity. They even give him a passionate kiss. They even express regret for their disrespectful behaviour.

f. Monsieur Durand killed himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as compensation from the insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him?

Mr. Durund has lived in abject poverty all of his life. As a result of the economic downturn, his daughters have frequently placed the blame on him for their problems. He has been widely regarded as a bad parent because of his inability to raise his children properly. 

We know that he is a loving and caring father because of his plans for his daughters' well-being and their future. He is the father who gives up his life for the sake of his three young daughters' bright futures.

g. Discuss Facing Death as a modern tragedy.

"Modern tragedies" are plays about tragic events with an unhappy ending, particularly one involving the downfall of the protagonist. Furthermore, modern tragedy deals with the modern individual's problems, such as dysfunctional family relationships, socio-cultural issues, loneliness, and so on. Modern plays have a strong emphasis on realism and naturalism.

The tragic death of the main character, Mr. Durand, marks the play's status as a modern tragedy. The characters become victims of their socio-cultural environment, fate, economic class, gender, and the external environment, among other factors.

This drama has all of the markers of modern tragedy. At the heart of this drama is the portrayal of a contemporary guy who is in the middle of a life-altering crisis. Because of the downturn in the economy, he and his three daughters have had to endure a great deal of suffering. 

In the play, things about relationships and finances are also greatly discussed. Mr. Durand and other contemporary men like him have suffered immensely because of the economic downturn. Mr. Durand, the play's central character, dies tragically at the play's conclusion. In order to protect his three little girls, he commits himself and burns down his home so that he could gain reimbursement from the fire insurance. In this drama, both realism and naturalism are examined.

Reference beyond the text

a. Write a few paragraphs describing the role of the father in the family.

Fathers have an important role in Nepalese households because of the country's patriarchal traditions and beliefs. Fathers are traditionally seen as the family's social and political protector in Nepalese households.

In a Nepali family, the father has the most important role, and he is the one who sets the standard for the rest of the family's activities. The presence of the father provides a feeling of stability for the whole family. He is the earner who is responsible for the well-being of his family. The family's primary caregiver is the father, who assumes responsibility for the well-being of his loved ones.

As a parent, the role of a father is to instruct and lead his children on the path of righteousness. Developing a child's self-esteem is a father's responsibility. He is the one who passes on to his offspring the values of the family's culture, traditions, and customs. Father establishes the guidelines for the good future of the children. The emotional well-being of children is greatly influenced by the influence of their fathers. Father supports his children's academic endeavours. Fathers set the standard for interactions with others. In order to provide for his family, the father has to put up with a lot of difficulties. Physical and emotional stability are provided by fathers to their children.

Also Read : Summary of Facing Death by August Strindberg 

If you want to watch the Nepali Explanation of Summary of Facing death and exercise on youtube, here is a video.