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THE REFUGEE BY PEARL S.

BUCK THEME The fate of refugees in an alien land The best in human nature emerges through suffering Relevance of the Title The story centres on the actions of a particular refugee so the title is self-explanatory Setting and Time The city is probably Nanking in China The refugees have probably come from a farming community near either the Yangtze or the Hwang Ho rivers It probably took place either in the last quarter of the 19th or the first quarter of the 20th century Characters An old man, a refugee A passer-by in the city A noodle seller The old mans grandson PLOT SUMMARY General description of the refugees: their condition, the reasons for this The attitude of the city-dwellers towards the refugees their reasons Description of the new band of refugees and their condition Description of the old refugee The refugees stop near the noodle seller The money (a silver coin and a copper one) offered by the passer-by his reason for it The conversation between the old man and the noodle seller its revelation The grandfather feeds the grandson his love and care for the child The vendors astonishment at the old mans decision not to buy food for himself but save the money for seed his lack of understanding The old mans reasons for saving the money CHARACTER STUDY The Old Man Physical description and condition Has an indomitable spirit he is old and weak yet he refuses to give up He has an innate sense of dignity and pride he refuses the money pointing out that he did not ask for it; neither does he ask for food for himself He has a strong sense of family he is trying to save not only his grandson but safeguard his future as well He symbolises duty and the spirit of sacrifice that goes with it POINTS TO PONDER How would you compare the grandmother in Portrait of a Lady with the grandfather in The Refugee? How would you compare Ramas attitude towards the boot polish boys in The Martyrs Corner with that of the noodle seller towards the old man in The Refugee?

The plight of refugees in this story is the plight of refugees everywhere, even today. Which organ/agency of the UNO looks after refugees? What is the position of the Human Rights Commission on this issue?

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