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| The Cactus by O'Henry: Summary and Exercises |
Summary
The Story Cactus by O. Henry is a story of a boy named Trysdale who was in love with a girl. Later on, the boy had to separate with her. The reason why Trysdale had a break up with his beloved remains in suspense till the end of the story.
At the beginning of the story he was seen drinking alone at an apartment and his friend, the girl's brother came there and asked the reason of drinking alone. Then he tells him the story how he happened to broke up with his beloved.
Trysdale, actually had told her a lie that he knows Spanish well to impress her. However, when he proposed she did not give the answer immediately to him and asked him to wait till next day.
Trysdale waited impatiently for the answer of the girl. But the next day, the girl sent him a red vessels with a cactus plant. There was a tag which he thought that was the vernacular name of the plant. There was no note at all.
His friends asked him if he knew English well. He said no. Neither he knew what was written on the vessel. Actually the word written on the vessel was VENTOMARME, which means come and take me.
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Trysdale did not get what was it until the girl's brother or his friend told him about this. Just because of his white lie, he had to be apart from his love. If he had not told the lie, the girl would have sent the message in some common language. But due to his one mistake he lost her.
Even if the lie is insignificant and small it sometimes can create a big and undesirable result.
Questions and Answers
1. What had happened israel in the past?
Trysdale had a love affair in the past which could not last longer. His girlfriend had broken up with him and had married someone else.
2. Does Chris Dale blame himself for the misfortune instead of blaming the girl?
Trysdale blames himself for the misfortune because he thinks that whatever happened, happened because of him. He thinks that he is not worthy to get someone's love. He thinks that the girl left him because she knew that he doesn't deserve it. She could not spend her whole life with such a man. He thinks that he is an average, unworthy and undeserving man to be loved by a girl.
3. How does the coincidence of the Spanish language bring a counterproductive move in the story? discuss.
Trysdale had once told his girlfriend a lie that he knew Spanish language. Thinking that her boyfriend knew Spanish, the girl send him a cactus with a message written in Spanish language. The message actually was the acceptance of the marriage proposal made by Trysdale but Trysdale could not understand the message written in Spanish due to which he lost her.
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4. "He had told himself that her painless was from thoughts of another than the man to whom she was about to give herself." Explain the substance of this sentence.
He had told himself that her paleness was from thoughts of another then the man to whom she was about to give herself. It means that Trysdale thinks that she rejected and broke up with him because she liked someone else. She had feelings towards someone else to whom she married later. But it was just his thought before knowing the truth that the girl had actually accepted his marriage proposal.
5. Trysdale's friend translated the Spanish tag at the bottom of the cactus plant as "Come and Take Me" and the readers understood the entire course of events . In your view, who is guilty in Trysdale's break up with his girlfriend.
One and only person who is guilty in this entire incident is Trysdale.Had he not told lie to his girlfriend that he knew Spanish they would have married each other and their life would be different. Lies will always be bitter at the end no matter how sweet we made it in the beginning.
6. The other man in the story is a plus friend to Trysdale but he does not know what has happened to his friend. Why has trysdale hidden the matter even with his close friend?
Trysdale had hidden the matter even with his close friend. The reason behind this maybe he wanted to tell him later as his girlfriend once accepts his marriage proposal. But she broke up with him and he becomes sad. He in tragedy, may have decided to deal with his sorrow by himself. He may have thought why would he be involving anyone in his sorrow. So he didn't tell even with his close friend.
