ARMS AND THE MAN QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Where was Raina when the mother
entered the room?
Raina was on the balcony of the
room, watching the beauty of the night. She found the beauty of the night
romantic heightened by the view of the snow-capped Balkan Mountains in the distance.
Why was the mother surprised when
she entered Raina’s bedroom?
The mother entered the bedroom of
her daughter, Raina, to share her sense of euphoria with her by giving
her a
piece of great news. She was told by the maid servant Louka that her daughter
was in her bed as she
had probably fallen asleep. Accordingly she had gone to
her bed. But when she did not find her there, she
asked aloud where she was.
Hearing her voice, Raina looked inside the room. When her mother saw her on
the
balcony on such a chilly night, she was surprised. It was unusual for her to be
there, running the risk of
suffering due to exposure to the chill of the night.
What did Raina tell her mother
about her being on the balcony?
Raina told her mother that she
was on the balcony, watching the beauty of the stars of the night.
Was Raina exposed to the chill as
she stood on the balcony?
As Raina stood on the balcony,
she was not exposed to the chill of the night as she had protected herself by
wearing an expensive woolen cloak.
What was Raina’s state of mind as
she stood on the balcony?
When Raina was on the balcony of
her bedroom, she found the beauty of the night romantic. She thought
that her
own beauty was also a part of it.
When was Raina’s reverie broken?
Raina’s reverie or dream was
broken by the hasty entry of her mother as she wanted to give her some good
news.
What was the news given by
Raina’s mother?
Raina’s mother gave her the news
that Sergius had taken the decision to lead a cavalry charge on his own
defying
the orders of the Russian officers. On account of this decision he had been
able to lead the Bulgarian
army to victory. He was the man who had led the
charge and in the process routed the Serbian soldiers,
emerging as the idol of
the entire regiment.
What was Raina’s reaction on
hearing the news of the achievement of Sergius?
When Raina heard about the news
of Sergius leading the Bulgarian army to victory by his heroic cavalry
charge,
she was beside herself with joy. In order to give expression to her feeling of
joy, she pulled her
mother down on the couch and smothered her with kisses.
Why did Raina’s mother admonish
her daughter?
Raina’s mother admonished her
daughter saying that she had kept a hero like Sergius waiting for a full year
before being engaged to him. She further told her that if she had a drop of
Bulgarian blood coursing in her
veins, she should apologize to him on his
return.
What doubts did Raina have about
Sergius?
Raina told her mother that she
had some doubts about the notions of heroism they harboured. She said that
she
had a nagging suspicion that their ideals of heroism were probably inspired by
the reading of the works
of the romantic poets Byron and Pushkin. She further
traced it to their visits to the opera at Bucharest or
their dramatic pursuits.
She doubted Sergius’ heroism to such an extent that she tended to think that he
might
perform poorly beside the brave Russian officers. She said that such
thoughts occurred to her when Sergius
embraced him before leaving for the
battlefield.
What did Louka tell the mother
and the daughter a little later?
Louka, the maid, told them that
the runaway Serbian soldiers were being chased through the pass and there
might
be shooting in the street. She therefore wanted to ensure that the shutters
were properly bolted. When
the mother and the daughter heard of this, they
jumped to their feet with consternation.
How did Raina react to the news
given by Louka?
Raina wished that her countrymen
were not so cruel in killing their enemies. She said that there was no glory
in
killing fugitives who were really miserable without being in a condition to
protect themselves. This way she
reacted to the news with pity and compassion
for the Serbian soldiers, though they were their enemies.
What idea do we form of Raina
from her reaction to the news given by Louka?
Raina’s reaction to the news
given by Louka that the Bulgarian soldiers were in hot pursuit of the defeated
and fleeing Serbian soldiers running through the pass to enter the town, gives
us an idea of the way she can
have compassion even on the enemies without the
slightest trace of malice. This also seems to prepare us for
the way she is
going to have pity on the enemy who is going to enter in her bedroom to hide
himself from the
pursuing Bulgarian enemies.
What was the appearance of the
maid Louka?
Louka was a pretty girl who had
an element of defiance in her disposition. She did not care for Raina and
though she feared Catherine, she seemed to take liberty with her as far as she
could go without taking the
risk of losing her job.
