Should Wizard Hit Mommy?

Ans. Value points

The mommy hit the wizard

Forced him to make skunk smell bad again.

Jo wants the wizard to hit on the head of ‘stupid’ mommy.

Roger’s ‘stupid’ mother is responsible for Roger’s bad smell, should be punished.

Ans. Value points

Small creature, usually named Roger had some problem

Went with it to the wise old owl.

The owl sent him to the wizard and the wizard performed a magic spell that solved the problem and then demanded payment in pennies.

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She felt sad that Roger had no friends.

Jo was angry with Roger’s mom for hitting the wizard who gave Roger the smell of roses.

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She makes Roger understand that his smell is his identity and he must not lose it.

Roger should remain as he is and should change in order to make friends or to please others.

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Neither the wizard nor Roger Skunk were wrong.

Mommy was wrong. Wizard should hit Mommy on the head with his wand.

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Dreamy world of romance and beauty. Roger’s bad smell makes her sad. She is sympathetic towards Roger. Upset and angry with Mommy for hitting the wizard and restoring the bad smell.

Wants wizard to hit mommy with the magic wand.

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Jack has to tell a story to Jo every time he puts her to sleep. Same character – Roger but variety changes from Skunk to chipmunk to squirrel to fish. Same story line and characters – wise owl, wizard and his magic wand.

Keeps Jo’s interest alive. Imitates the voice of the wizard.

Ans. Value points

Debatable question. Title of story.

Jo wants to hit mommy while Jack opposes it. Difference in opinion.

Jack – based on conventional approach. Reminded of his own mother, supports mothers.

Jo – based on individuality. Feels sad for Roger. Not convinced with his mother’s behaviour.

Ans. I think that her father’s ending is better. It is because one should be proud of one’s originality and not be ashamed of it. Our friends should also accept us the way we are rather than changing our basic characteristics and qualities. Keeping this in mind, Roger Skunk’s mommy was right in getting him with the way he was earlier.

Ans. Roger Skunk’s mommy wanted the young skunk to smell the way a little skunk should. She did not want him to get the artificial and uncharacteristic smell of the roses. The foul smell in the skunk’s body is a tool to keep the enemy away. That is why she hit the wizard right over the head and he agreed to restore the original ‘foul’ smell.

Ans. Wanting Roger Skunk to continue to smell the way a ‘little skunk should smell’ is of great significance because of the theme of the story. The theme of the story points out that mothers know what is best for the children. The foul smell in the skunk’s body is a tool to keep the enemy away. Therefore, mother’s decision to bring back the original smell of the Skunk is quite right.

Ans. Jo heard the same story every Saturday with just a little variation. Therefore, she never developed any interest in her Father’s story any longer. Therefore, the rite seemed futile to Jack.

Ans. Jo would ask if the magic spells were real. When Jack told her that spiders ate bugs, she would turn to her mother and ask if that was really so. When Clare told her God was in the sky and all around them, she would turn to her father to know the reality. Jack tried to convince her by saying, “They’re real in stories.”

Ans. Jack said that the skunk did not have any playmate and all other creature avoided him due to foul smell. Jo had never foreseen this, so she looked solemnly.

Ans. To convince Jo that his ending of the story was the best, Jack told her that a mother’s decision should be honoured. Roger Skunk became happy later as he loved his mother more than he loved the other animals.

Ans. Viewed from a child’s angle, Skunk’s smelling roses is a befitting ending for the story, because first, Skunk’s long standing desire has been fulfilled and secondly he is able to do what is dearest to his heart-play with other woodland creatures.

Ans. roger Skunk smelled very bad due to which little animals ran away from him. Later on, Skunk got rid of this problem with the help of wizard who made him smell like a roses. The little animals found skunk’s new smell quite pleasant. They played many games with him and gathered around him.

Ans. Jack would tell his four-year-old daughter Joanne (or Jo) a story out of his head in the evenings and for Saturday naps. This custom had begun when she was two and now it was nearly two years old.

Ans. Jack was happy that he was telling Jo something true, something she must know. He had no wish to hurry on. But just then, a chair scraped downstairs. He realised that he must get down to help his wife, Clare to paint the woodwork in the living room. Thus, the interests of daughter and wife pulled him in different directions like two opposite forces.

Ans. In the beginning of the story Jack was sincere as he was telling something that he had experienced. But in the course of the story he lost his sincerity and mistook between Roger Skunk and Roger Fish.

Ans. The wizard asks Skunk to hurry up because he is used to living alone and does not like company for a long time and secondly he was keen to have his full payment for the task performed. Another reason can be that he could not stand Skunk’s smell for long.

Ans. Roger Skunk as a character symbolizes Jack’s own personality as a child. He loved and obeyed his mother very much. She in turn taught him courage and self-regard in dealing with his hurt and humiliation on account of his psoriasis and stammering. Thus, Skunk is as unquestioningly obedient as Jack himself was.

Jo on the other hand is a happy-go-lucky child of four who has no upset and humiliation to deal with. She is naturally inquisitive and is curious to know more and more. It is not surprising that she is full of questions. The attitudes of both Skunk and Jo are shaped by their life experiences.

Ans. The question mark in the title ‘Should Wizard hit Mommy?’ focuses the reader’s attention on the two well-wishers of the main character – Roger Skunk. The wizard solves Roger Skunk’s problem of bad smell and gives him the smell of roses at his request. The skunk mother is angry, because her baby has been deprived of the bad odour which a skunk of his age should emit. This bad odour is a sort of armoura protection against predators who are kept away by the dirty smell. The mother skunk hits the wizard on the head and forces him to restore the foul smell to the skunk.
Jo, the four-year-old girl, for whom the wizard is a real well-wisher can’t digest his humiliation at the hands of a stupid mother. From her point of view, the smell of roses make skunk popular among the other little animals.

The story can take either direction and ending depending on the point of view of the adult or child. The author very cunningly seeks the reaction of his readers by putting a question mark at the end of the title. One may approve of it or reject it. Thus, the title is quite convincing and appropriate one.

Ans. Though Jack was telling his daughter the story of an imaginary character named Roger Skunk, he was actually telling her the humiliations he had to suffer in his own childhood. And that is the reason why the narrator tells us that Jack was telling her something true. Through the story of “Roger Skunk”, the narrator Jack wants to emphasize on the fact that mothers are always right and they know what is best for their child. Jack believes in the importance of individuality and the acceptance of what is natural rather than social acceptance by peers. This was what Jack wanted Jo to know and understand.

Ans. The difference between Jack’s and Jo’s ending of the story shows the difference in one’s perspective according to his/her age. Jack being an adult understands the importance of respecting one’s true identity. Through his story, he wanted his daughter to understand the importance of one’s own individuality and true self. Jo on the other hand, is a kid and loves to make friends and have fun with them. The fact that Roger skunk’s mother stopped him from making friends and having fun was simply wrong in her eyes. This is why Jo was angry at Roger skunk’s mother and wanted the wizard to hit her.

Ans. Certain threads in the story, which come up like digressions from time to time, hint at the marital discord between Jack and his wife. When Jack went downstairs and watched his wife labour, he saw Clare wearing an old shirt of his on top of her maternity dress, painting the chair. He visualized the woodwork as a cage and he felt caught in an ugly middle position. He felt that both of them were caged together. He must have felt trapped in responsibility and marriage. The use of the image of the “cage” reveals his dissatisfaction with his marriage. The story ends with the most poignant and telling lines—“…he did not want to speak with her, work with her, touch her, anything”.

Ans. Little Jo had been accustomed to the happy ending of the stories of Roger, where the wizard was helpful to him in fulfilling his wish. At the request of Roger Skunk, the wizard had changed his awful smell to that of the roses. Other small animals liked it and played with Roger Skunk happily. She could not digest the ending of the extended story where Roger Skunk’s mother hit the wizard on the head and forced him to change Skunk’s smell to the earlier foul one. Jo could not accept Skunk’s mother’s stubbornness e.g., hitting the well-wisher of her son, Roger Skunk. Jo insisted that her father should tell her the same story again the next day with changed ending. The wizard should hit that unreasonable mommy on the head and leave Roger Skunk emitting the pleasant smell of roses. In the beautiful world of a child’s imagination, fairies and wizards are more real than reality itself. She could not digest the harsh realities of life. She did not like the rude mother who hit the benefactor of her own son.

Ans. Jo wants the wizard to hit mommy on her head with his magic wand for not understanding Roger’s feelings. She wishes the smell of roses to be intact because she feels that with that pleasant smell, Skunk will be accepted by his friends happily and play with other animals. Jo wants a happy ending.

Ans.  Jack is a loving father. He used to tell stories to his daughter, Jo. Now the little Jo has grown a bit older. She has grown very inquisitive and also asks many questions. But Jack, instead of answering his daughter’s questions, always tries to keep his end up. In the Roger Skunk story, Jo says that the mommy was not at all justified in hitting the wizard. However, instead of giving any suitable answer to his daughter, he says that mommy should be respected. Thus, we can say that Jack is a dominant male.

Ans. Jack’s attitude towards his wife was not a very healthy one. He did not like the feigned happiness and smile of his wife in a cocktail party. He wanted to help his wife, but he didn’t even though she was pregnant. He wanted to dominate her. He didn’t want to speak with her, touch her or work with her.

Ans. Roger Skunk’s problem was that he smelled foul. It was because of his stink that nobody mingled with him. Even his friends avoided him and did not play with him. For this reason, Roger used to remain disturbed and even cry. To find a solution to this problem, he went to the wise owl who suggested him to meet the wizard. The wizard helped him by giving him a spell after which he started smelling like roses. The wizard asked him for seven pennies but Roger had only four.

Ans. Roger Skunk’s story was different from the other stories narrated by Jack because in all the other stories, the family lived happily after meeting the wizard. But in Skunk’s case, his mother was not satisfied with the change. Jo, on hearing this story, insisted that her father should change the story and tell that the wizard took a stick and hit the mommy.

Ans. Mother Skunk’s role in the story is to convince the reader about the narrator’s belief that we should never disobey our parents as they know what is best for us. Mother Skunk told Roger never to forget his distinct identity.

Ans. Having got rid of his stink, Roger Skunk now had his mother’s wrath to face. When she found out that Roger smelt of roses, she scolded him badly. Mommy skunk told Roger to embrace himself as he was born and be happy with it. She dragged Roger Skunk back to the wizard and forced the latter to give Roger his original stink back.

Ans. Jack being a parent thought that the mother knew what was best for Roger Skunk, while Jo thought that Roger Skunk should also have a say in how he wished to smell. Since, he now smelled bad again, he would lose all his friends.

Ans. Roger Skunk used to emanate foul smell so everyone made fun of him. To solve the problem, he took the wise owl’s advice and went to the wizard who made him smell of roses.

Ans. Jo was not happy with the ending of the story narrated by her father. She wanted her, father to tell her the same story the next day, but with a changed ending in which the wizard would hit the mommy and give back the smell to Roger. She wanted the story in this manner because she could not bear the thought of Roger Skunk’s friends not playing with him. But her father, Jack, was angry with Jo for interfering in his story. He refused to change the ending. In fact, he wanted her to learn to respect parents and their decisions.

Ans. The story ‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy? ‘could have two endings – one which has been originally told by Jack and the other which Jo wanted the story to end like.

I approve of the mature and realistic one narrated by Jack that the mother skunk hit the wizard on the head and forced him to restore the original smell to the skunk. Every species of animals has its special features. She wanted Roger Skunk to smell the way a little skunk should have. It should not carry the deceptive and borrowed smell of the roses. Roger Skunk is agreed to go with because he loved his mommy more then he loved all the other little animals. She knew what was right.

The mother’s point was proved right. When the wizard restored the original foul smell to Roger Skunk, the other little animals got used to the way he was and did not mind it at all. Of course, it took them some time. Jack, did not agree with Joanne’s remark that she was a stupid mother. On the other hand, we find her a caring and loving mother. When Roger Skunk was in bed, mommy skunk embraced him and said he smelled like her little baby skunk again and she loved him very much. Thus, Jack’s version brings out the mother’s love, care and concern for her little baby.

Ans. According to Jack’s ending of the story, Roger ’s mother hit the wizard with an umbrella. He, then, acts as she wishes and Roger Skunk starts smelling bad again. Jo wants the ending of the story to be the other way. She wants the wizard to hit on the head of the ‘stupid mommy’. She wants the wizard to refuse to make Roger smell bad again.

Children look at this world from a different perspective. They look at people and things quite differently than the way adults do. Their perspective on life reflects simplicity and innocence. Jo has deep sympathy for Roger Skunk. Roger’s bad smell kept all the little animals away from him. The little Skunk stood alone and wept. The wizard made Roger smell of roses. He was happy. Other little animals were now attracted towards him. They now played and danced with him.

Jo’s main anger is against the “stupid mommy” of Roger Skunk. It was she who forced the wizard to make Roger Skunk smell very bad again. The hero of the story is always a role model for children. The tender-hearted Jo is shocked at the attitude of that ‘stupid’ mommy. She wants Roger’s mommy to be punished. The wizard must hit on her head hard with his magic wand.

Ans. The world of children is quite different from that of adults. Their world is a dreamy and magical world. It is a world of fantasy and romance. There is no place for ugliness and stink in their world. Roger skunk is the hero of the story. Jo never wanted her hero to be so ugly and stinky. It offends her fairness and justice. Therefore, Jo disapproves of Jack’s ending of the story of Roger Skunk. She wants her father, Jack, to tell the same story in a different way. The wizard must take his magic wand and hit Roger’s mommy hard for not understanding Roger’s feelings. Little Jo wants ‘that stupid mommy’ to be punished. Her crime is that she went to the wizard and compelled him to make her son smell bad again. Jo wants him to smell nice so that he can play with other little animals. She doesn’t want Roger to feel sad and lonely for no fault of his.

Ans. As the child grows into maturity, his perspective and vision of life change gradually. A child views things at a superficial and sensory level but a grown up’s vision is realistic, reflective, philosophical and even psychological. Viewed from the study of the story ‘‘Should Wizard Hit Mommy?’’, Jo, a child of four, like most children of her age, prefers to live in dreams and fantasies. She is hostile by nature and would like to wreak vengeance on Skunk’s mother and wants the wizard to retaliate.

She is annoyed because her father refuses to accept her suggestion. The father has a mature perspective and sees beyond the surface and explores the philosophical and moralistic aspect of the entire situation. According to her father, the wizard had unwillingly interfered with nature and had, thus, done a great deal of harm and deserved to be punished. According to him, the punishment meted out to the wizard is well-merited and retaliation is out of the question.

Thus, the story makes it clear that the perspective of a child and that of an adult is totally different.

Ans. Jack was ‘caught in an ugly middle position’ because he was caught between two difficult situations. He was unable to escape the harsh realities of life, rather he tried to habituate himself to the prevailing situation. He had to manage his family with two children, his daughter Jo and his son Bobby. And hence, Jack was entangled between two worlds. The first world belonged to Roger Fish, Roger Squirrel or Roger Chipmunk where he is telling the story of a wise owl and the Wizard with a magic wand.

The world upstairs consists of his children. Jo had raised a question about whether the Wizard should hit the mommy Skunk or not. Jack was unable to satisfy her as he was very cautious about the downside world where his wife Clare was painting. The house was not well kept and the household items were scattered. They were expecting a baby and he was supposed to go and help her as she was working hard to make both the ends meet. In this way, Jack was caught in an ugly middle position between the romantic world and the real world.