The Price of Flowers in an important chapter in the plus one English text book. We have some important characters like Maggie, Mr. Gupta, Mrs Clifford and Frank in the chapter. Now let’s look some important questions asked from this chapater.
Summary of The story The Price of Flowers
The Price of Flowers. The Price of Flowers is a story written by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. It is a story of hope and faith, joys and sorrows , expectations and realities. It is an interesting story about a girl named Maggie and her mother Mrs.Clifford who had a poor family background in London. The main character in the story is Maggie. Mr. Gupta was an Indian working in London. One day Mr.Gupta met Maggie at a restaurant. She was working as a typist in a nearby shop. She was not satisfied with her job, because it was mechanical. Maggie believed that India was a country full of tigers, snakes and fevers. Her brother Frank was a soldier in India and there was no news from him. She wanted to know about her brother. Maggie requested Gupta to look into the crystal ring and say if her brother Frank was alive. Mr. Gupta looked into the ring and told a lie that Frank was alive. The lie helped to save the life of Mrs. Clifford. Mr.Gupta was shocked to learn that Frank had died in the war. Maggie visited Mr. Gupta before he left for India. She gave a shilling to buy flowers and to place it on the grave of her brother. Mr.Gupta received the shilling. It gave her joy beyond all price. The Price of Flowers is the story of miraculous bonds of human relationship cemented in hope and faith.
Character Sketch of Maggie(Miss Clifford) and Mr.Gupta
Character Sketch of Maggie
Maggie or Alice Margaret Clifford is the central character in the story „The Price of Flowers. She is thirteen years old. Her eyes and clothing showed her poverty. Her family includes her widowed mother and a brother. Her brother was working as a soldier in Punjab. Maggie met Mr. Gupta at a restaurant. She was interested in him for an unknown reason. She shared her sorrow with Mr.Gupta. For Maggie, India was a land of tigers, snakes and fevers. She believed that most Indians were vegetarians. Maggie worked as a typist. She was not satisfied with her job because it was mechanical. She played violin very well. She was extremely concerned about her mother who worked hard by selling cakes to support her. Like her mother, she was also haunted by the thoughts of her brother Frank. There had been no news of Frank for long. She was very nostalgic about her brother Frank. She gave away a shilling to Mr.Gupta for buying flowers to be kept on the grave of her brother. She is a symbol of love, innocence and dedication. Maggie is a touching character in the story „The Price of Flowers‟.
Character Sketch of Mr. Gupta
Mr.Gupta is the narrator of the story The Price of Flowers. He is an Indian citizen staying in England. He is a learned and educated gentleman. One day he met Maggie at a restaurant. He was curious about the girl because he found she was curious about him. He went to see Maggie‟s mother when she was sick. Mr.Gupta was surprised that Maggie and her family were highly superstitious. Though he couldn‟t see anything through the crystal ring he told a lie that Frank was alive. It was his caring nature that made him hide the fact about Frank‟s death. He was forced to tell a lie that Frank was alive. Gupta was a kind and compassionate person. He considered Maggie as a sister. Maggie visited Mr.Gupta before he left for India. Maggie gave a shilling to buy flowers and to place it on the grave of her brother. Gupta accepted the shilling because Maggie would feel consoled whenever she did something for her brother. His simplicity and humility made the difference.
