The lost doll | Class 11 English notes

The lost doll Summary in short

The lost doll | Class 11 English notes

Maria del Carmen was the only one child of her parents, rosa and Roberto soto. She was beautiful, bright and kind by nature. Everyone in the village loved her very much. However, the child was sick from the day of her birth. Her condition, in course of time, didn’t get better, rather it went worse and worse. A few days later after turned 4, the frail child died leaving her parents behind.

Next day, everyone from the village came to attempt her funeral. Roberto led entire funeral mass to the cemetery. Outside the village, where she was buried. However, the soto’s were unable to forget their child. A few days later, rosa let Roberto lost his temple a little and asked if she had given away the doll of maria as well. As she answered in negative, both of them started to search it everywhere but, it was not found anywhwre.

So, they forget about the lost doll because they had something else think over that rosa who have been told barren, got pregnant and it was the matter of happiness to soto’s. on the first anniversary of maria’s death, rosa gave birth to a baby girl whom they named evangelina. She was more or less like her sister maria, in all respects. As she turned 4, she came to tell her mother that she was Carmen herself. However, she failed to convince her. A few days later, rosa’s sister came from a town called Bogata.

During the conversation, evangilina appeared and let them know what she had a doll with blue eyes and red dress. She took them backyard where she had buried the doll. Appeared there. Evangilina also narrated the entire story about how she put the doll there.

1) What indicators are there in the story that the soto family was poor?

Answer:  There are some indications in the story which too some extent clarify that the soto family was poor. They had only one child with them. The child was so sick and frail that she died at the age of four. In fact, it means that the soto’s were unable to give better treatment to their child ; as a result of which she had her untimely death. Secondly, wants rosa hilt the rough handsof Roberto and let him know that she given away all the good of maria to a priest from another village. The rough hands of Roberto, in the story prove that they worked hard in the field for their survival. Similarly, the intention of rosa behind giving the goods of maria to the priest could mean that she wanted to get benefits in term of money from him.

2) Why did rosa give away all the goods of maria to a priest from another village? Why don’t she give away to someone from her own village?

Answer: The Soto's were very much shocked about the untimely death of their child. in fact, they were not able to tolerate it because the memory of maria was constantly there in the mind of soto’s. moreover, rosa knew that she had already been barren and there was less possibility for the birth of another child in the family. She was also aware of the fact that if she went. Keeping the goods of maria, it would remain them of their daughter constantly. She didn’t want to put additional problem in her family by keeping the goods of maria. Similarly, she might have thought that if the goods were given to the people of own village, they would go on seeing the village children wearing the same dress or, playing the same playthings and hence, it would trouble them. Therefore, she gave it to someone from another village.

3) Rosa said to her husband, “false hope is not good”. When does hope becomes false? How can you know that it is a false hope?

Answer: At this, Roberto was a little angry as he didn’t want that the goods of maria should be given away to someone so fast. He was quite hopeful that there would be the birth of another child in the family and hence the goods of maria would be useful. A discussion between them took place about the birth of a new child. In course of dialogue rosa said that statement to Roberto. She realize that Roberto was having a false hope. In spite of her barrenness, he was expecting to have the birth of another child.

In fact, hope becomes false when someone desires for getting something impossible. The attempt for such impossible things becomes false hope.

4) Write a paragraph describing the similarities between the lost doll and Carmen.

Answer: There are, of course some similarities between the lost doll and Carmen. The observation of the story makes us realize that both of them are the source of the love for other. Carmen is love by her parents, in the same way the doll is to Carmen herself. Likewise, as Carmen dies at the age of four, the doll also disappears. When she takes re-incarnation in the form of evengilina the doll also reappears. It is the doll unfolds the entire history of her re-incarnation.