Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 10 English Pappachi’s Moth Summary, Lesson Explanation with difficult word meanings from Tulip Book
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Pappachi’s Moth Jammu and Kashmir Board Class 10 English
Arundhati Roy
- Pappachi’s Moth Introduction
- Theme of the Lesson
- Pappachi’s Moth Summary
- Pappachi’s Moth Summary in Hindi
- Pappachi’s Moth Lesson Explanation
Pappachi’s Moth Introduction
The lesson “Pappachi’s Moth” by Arundhati Roy tells us about the story of a retired man named Pappachi and his wife, Mammachi. The lesson shows how Pappachi struggles with feelings of jealousy and bitterness after retiring, while Mammachi becomes successful in making pickles. Pappachi’s unfulfilled dreams and resentment lead to anger and domestic violence. The story explains how these negative emotions affect their relationship and the entire family, showing us the lasting impact of Pappachi’s unresolved regrets.
Theme of the Lesson Pappachi’s Moth
The theme of “Pappachi’s Moth” by Arundhati Roy revolves around the complexities of human emotions, particularly jealousy, resentment, and regret. It explores how unfulfilled ambitions and societal expectations can lead to destructive behavior, impacting not just the individual but also their relationships and family dynamics. The story also touches on themes of gender roles, power, and the long-lasting effects of unresolved bitterness on both personal and familial levels.
Pappachi’s Moth Summary
The lesson “Pappachi’s Moth” by Arundhati Roy talks about the life of Pappachi, a retired government official, and his wife Mammachi, who turns to pickle-making after his retirement. The story begins with Mammachi starting a pickle and jam business after Pappachi retired from his government job in Delhi and moved to Ayemenem. She initially makes banana jam and mango pickle for a local fair, and they sell out quickly. This success leads her to continue making these products throughout the year. Pappachi struggles with his retirement and feels humiliated because he is older than Mammachi and not as active. He is upset that Mammachi is doing well while he feels left out and irrelevant. Even though Mammachi is almost blind and has trouble with her eyesight, Pappachi refuses to help her because he considers pickle-making beneath his former high-ranking status. His jealousy makes him resentful, and he begins to beat Mammachi regularly and destroys her violin.
When their son Chacko comes home from Oxford, he finds Pappachi beating Mammachi. Chacko, who is strong from rowing, confronts his father and warns him never to harm Mammachi again. Pappachi, in response, becomes sullen and isolated. He destroys his favorite rocking chair and refuses to speak to Mammachi, using other people to communicate with her instead. Pappachi tries to destroy Mammachi’s reputation by sewing buttons onto his shirts to suggest that she neglects him. He also buys a sky-blue Plymouth car, which he keeps just for himself and does not allow anyone in the family to use. This car becomes a symbol of his revenge and frustration. The lesson goes on to reveal that Pappachi was a respected entomologist, but he suffered a significant disappointment when the moth he discovered was not named after him. Although he initially thought it was a new species, it was later identified as a variation of an existing species. Years later, the moth was finally recognized as a new species, but Pappachi had retired and could not claim the discovery. This led to further bitterness. Pappachi’s moth, often referred to as “Pappachi’s Moth,” shows his bitterness and moodiness. Despite his ill temper, Pappachi continued to dress formally until his death. Mammachi kept a newspaper cut out about Pappachi’s death, and during his funeral, she cried more out of habit than love, showing how she had become used to his presence and the difficulties of their life together. Ammu, their daughter, explains to her twin children that people can become used to even bad things, like beatings, over time.
Pappachi’s Moth Summary in Hindi
अरुंधति रॉय का पाठ “पप्पाचीज़ मोथ” एक सेवानिवृत्त सरकारी अधिकारी पप्पाची और उनकी पत्नी मम्माची के जीवन के बारे में बात करता है, जो अपनी सेवानिवृत्ति के बाद अचार बनाने का काम करती हैं। कहानी की शुरुआत पप्पाची द्वारा दिल्ली में अपनी सरकारी नौकरी से सेवानिवृत्त होने और अयेमेनेम चले जाने के बाद मम्माची द्वारा अचार और जैम का व्यवसाय शुरू करने से होती है। वह शुरुआत में एक स्थानीय मेले के लिए केले का जैम और आम का अचार बनाती हैं, और वे जल्दी ही बिक जाते हैं। यह सफलता उन्हें पूरे वर्ष इन उत्पादों को बनाना जारी रखने के लिए प्रेरित करती है। पप्पाची अपनी सेवानिवृत्ति के साथ संघर्ष करता है और अपमानित महसूस करता है क्योंकि वह मम्माची से बड़ा है और उतना सक्रिय नहीं है। वह परेशान है कि मम्माची अच्छा कर रही है जबकि वह खुद को उपेक्षित और अप्रासंगिक महसूस करता है। भले ही मम्माची लगभग अंधी है और उसे देखने में परेशानी है, पप्पाची ने उसकी मदद करने से इंकार कर दिया क्योंकि वह अचार बनाने को अपनी पूर्व उच्च रैंकिंग स्थिति से नीचे मानता है। उसकी ईर्ष्या उसे क्रोधित कर देती है, और वह मम्माची को नियमित रूप से पीटना शुरू कर देता है और उसके वायलिन को नष्ट कर देता है।
जब उनका बेटा चाको ऑक्सफोर्ड से घर आता है, तो वह पप्पाची को मम्माची को पीटते हुए देखता है। चाको, जो नौकायन में मजबूत है, अपने पिता से भिड़ जाता है और उन्हें फिर कभी मम्माची को नुकसान न पहुंचाने की चेतावनी देता है। प्रतिक्रिया में, पप्पाची उदास और अलग-थलग हो जाता है। वह अपनी पसंदीदा रॉकिंग कुर्सी को नष्ट कर देता है और मम्माची से बात करने से इंकार कर देता है, इसके बजाय अन्य लोगों को उसके साथ संवाद करने के लिए इस्तेमाल करता है। पप्पाची ने मम्माची की शर्ट पर बटन सिलकर उसकी प्रतिष्ठा को नष्ट करने की कोशिश की, ताकि यह पता चले कि वह उसकी उपेक्षा करती है। वह एक आसमानी रंग की प्लायमाउथ कार भी खरीदता है, जिसे वह सिर्फ अपने लिए रखता है और परिवार में किसी को भी इसका उपयोग करने की अनुमति नहीं देता है। यह कार उसके बदले और हताशा का प्रतीक बन जाती है। पाठ से पता चलता है कि पप्पाची एक सम्मानित कीटविज्ञानी थे, लेकिन उन्हें तब भारी निराशा हुई जब उन्होंने जिस कीट की खोज की उसका नाम उनके नाम पर नहीं रखा गया। हालाँकि उन्होंने शुरू में सोचा था कि यह एक नई प्रजाति है, लेकिन बाद में इसे मौजूदा प्रजाति की भिन्नता के रूप में पहचाना गया। वर्षों बाद, अंततः कीट को एक नई प्रजाति के रूप में मान्यता दी गई, लेकिन पप्पाची सेवानिवृत्त हो गए थे और खोज का दावा नहीं कर सके। इससे कड़वाहट और बढ़ गई. पप्पाची का कीट, जिसे अक्सर “पप्पाची का कीट” कहा जाता है, उसकी कड़वाहट और मनोदशा को दर्शाता है। अपने बुरे स्वभाव के बावजूद, पप्पाची ने अपनी मृत्यु तक औपचारिक रूप से कपड़े पहनना जारी रखा। मम्माची ने पप्पाची की मृत्यु के बारे में एक अखबार काट कर रखा था, और उसके अंतिम संस्कार के दौरान, वह प्यार से अधिक आदत के कारण रोई, यह दिखाते हुए कि कैसे वह उसकी उपस्थिति और उनके साथ जीवन की कठिनाइयों की आदी हो गई थी। उनकी बेटी अम्मू, जुड़वा बच्चों को समझाती है कि समय के साथ लोगों को पिटाई जैसी बुरी चीजों की भी आदत हो सकती है।
Pappachi’s Moth Lesson Explanation
Passage:
Mammachi had started making pickles commercially soon after Pappachi retired from government service in Delhi and came to live in Ayemenem. The Kottayam Bible Society was having a fair and asked Mammachi to make some of her famous banana jam and tender mango pickle. It sold quickly, and Mammachi found that she had more orders than she could cope with. Thrilled with her success, she decided to persist with the pickles and jam, and soon found herself busy all year around. Pappachi, for his part, was having trouble coping with the ignominy of retirement. He was seventeen years older than Mammachi and realized with a shock that he was an old man when his wife was still in her prime.
Word Meanings:
pickles (n): vegetables (especially cucumbers) preserved in vinegar or brine.
commercially (adv): related to making a profit or being intended for sale.
fair (n): a type of entertainment in a field or park
persist (v): to continue to exist or try to do something despite difficulties
thrilled (adj.): extremely happy or excited
ignominy (n): public shame or disgrace
prime (adj.): someone or something is at its best, most successful, or most productive stage
Explanation: Once Pappachi retired from his job and moved to Ayemenem with Mammachi, she started making pickles and jams to sell. Her banana jam and mango pickle were so popular at a local fair organized by the Kottayam Bible Society that she quickly got more orders than she could handle. Excited by her success, she decided to keep making these products throughout the year. On the other hand, Pappachi faced difficulties with his retirement. He was 17 years older than Mammachi and felt upset and embarrassed because he realized he was getting old while his wife was still lively and successful.
Passage:
Though Mammachi had conical corneas and was already practically blind, Pappachi would not help her with the pickle-making, because he did not consider pickle-making a suitable job for a high-ranking ex-government official. He had always been a jealous man, so he greatly resented the attention his wife was suddenly getting, He slouched around the compound in his immaculately tailored suit, weaving sullen circles around mounds of red chillies and freshly powdered yellow turmeric, watching Mammachi supervise the buying, the weighing, the salting and drying, of limes and tender mangoes. Every night he beat her with a brass flower vase. The beatings weren’t new. What was new was only the frequency with which they took place. One night Pappachi broke the bow of Mammachi’s violin and threw it in the river.
Word Meanings:
conical (adj.): shaped like a cone
corneas (n): the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris and pupil
resented (v): felt bitterness or indignation at a situation, action, or person
weaving (v): forming fabric by interlacing threads
sullen (adj.): bad-tempered and sulky; showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence
slouch (v): to stand, sit or walk with the shoulders hanging forward and the head bent slightly over so that you look tired and bored
immaculate (adj.): perfectly clean or tidy
mound (n): a large pile of earth, stones, etc. like a small hill. Here, pile of red chillies
bow (n): a thin piece of wood with hair from the tail of a horse stretched along it, which is used to play musical instruments that have strings. Violins are played with bows.
Explanation: Despite Mammachi’s severe vision and eye problems, Pappachi refused to help her with making pickles. He thought that pickle-making was below him because he was a high-ranking government official before retiring. Pappachi was also very jealous of the attention Mammachi was getting for her successful business. He spent his time walking around their property, dressed in his fancy suit, while Mammachi worked hard managing the pickles. He hated her success so much that he started to beat her regularly with a flower vase. Although he had been abusive before, the beatings became more frequent. One night, in a fit of anger, he even broke the bow of Mammachi’s violin and threw it into the river.
Passage:
Then Chacko came home for a summer vacation from Oxford. He had grown to be a big man and was, in those days, strong from rowing for Balliol. A week after he arrived he found Pappachi beating Mammachi in the study. Chacko strode into the room, caught Pappachi’s vase-hand and twisted it around his back.
Word Meanings:
rowing (n): the sport or activity of rowing a boat
Balliol (n): here, the Balliol College in Oxford, England
Explanation: When Chacko came home for his summer vacation from Oxford, he had become a strong and physically impressive young man from his rowing activities. About a week after his arrival, he found Pappachi attacking Mammachi in the study room. Angered by the sight, Chacko quickly entered the room, grabbed Pappachi’s hand (which was holding the vase), and forcefully twisted it behind his back to stop the violence.
Passage:
‘I never want this to happen again, ‘he told his father, ‘Ever.’
For the rest of that day Pappachi sat in the verandah and stared stonily out at the ornamental
garden, ignoring the plates of food that Kochu Maria brought him. Late at night he went into his
study and brought out his favorite mahogany rocking chair. He put it down in the middle of the
driveway and smashed it into little bits with a plumber’s monkey wrench. He left it there in the
moonlight, a heap of varnished wicker and splintered wood. He never touched Mammachi again. But he never spoke to her either as long as he lived. When he needed anything he used Kochu Maria or Baby Kochamma as intermediaries.
Word Meanings:
smash (v): to cause something to break noisily into a lot of small pieces.
Intermediary: someone who carries messages between people who are unwilling or unable to meet.
verandah (n): a raised, covered, sometimes partly closed area, often made of wood, on the front or side of a building
stonily (adv): in a way that shows no sympathy or kindness
ornamental (adj.): beautiful rather than useful
mahogany (n): a dark red-brown wood used to make furniture
driveway (n): a private area in front of a house or other building onto which you can drive and park your car
varnished (adj.): covered with varnish, a liquid that is painted onto wood or paintings to protect the surface, or the hard shiny surface it produces when it dries
wicker (adj.): made of very thin pieces of wood twisted together
splintered (n): a small, sharp, broken piece of wood, glass, plastic, or similar material
wrench (n): a tool for holding and turning objects, especially one that can be made larger and smaller to hold different sized objects
Explanation: After Chacko held Pappachi’s hand to stop the abuse, he told Pappachi that he never wanted to see him hurt Mammachi again. For the rest of that day, Pappachi sat outside on the verandah, staring blankly at the garden and ignoring the food that was brought to him. Later that night, he went to his study, took out his favorite chair, and broke it into pieces with a wrench. He left the broken chair outside in the moonlight. From then on, Pappachi never harmed Mammachi again, but he also stopped speaking to her. Instead, he communicated his needs through others, like Kochu Maria or Baby Kochamma.
Passage:
In the evenings, when he knew visitors were expected, he would sit on the verandah and sew buttons that weren’t missing onto his shirts, to create the impression that Mammachi neglected him. To some small degree he did succeed in further corroding Ayemenem’s view of working wives.
Word Meanings:
neglected (adj.): not receiving enough care or attention
corroding (v): to destroy or be destroyed
Explanation: In the evenings, when Pappachi knew that people would be coming over to their house, he would sit outside and sew buttons onto his shirts, even though the buttons were not missing. He did this to give the idea to people that Mammachi was neglecting him. By doing this, Pappachi made people in Ayemenem think even worse of working wives. It made it look like Mammachi was not taking good care of him because she was busy with her pickle business.
Passage:
He bought the sky blue Plymouth from an old Englishman in Munnar, He became a familiar sight in Ayemenem, coasting importantly down the narrow road in his wide car, looking outwardly elegant but sweating freely inside his woolen suits. He wouldn’t allow Mammachi or anyone else in the family to use it, or even to sit in it. The Plymouth was Pappachi’s revenge.
Word Meanings:
plymouth (n): Plymouth was an automobile brand that was discontinued after the 2001 model year
outwardly (adv): in a way that relates to how people, situations, or things seem to be, rather than how they are inside
coasting (v): to move forward in a vehicle without using the engine, usually down a hill
Explanation: Pappachi bought a sky blue Plymouth from an old Englishman in Munnar. He drove it around Ayemenem, where it became a well-known sight. Though he looked stylish and elegant in his car, he would actually sweat a lot because he would wear his woolen suits. He wouldn’t let Mammachi or anyone else in the family use the car or even sit in it. The Plymouth was his way of getting back at them.
Passage:
Pappachi had been an Imperial Entomologist at the Pusa Institute. After Independence, when the British left, his designation was changed from Imperial Entomologist to Joint Director, Entomology. The year he retired, he had risen to a rank equivalent to Director.
Word Meanings:
entomologist (v): the scientist who studies insects.
designation (n): an official title or name
equivalent (adj.): having the same amount, value, purpose, qualities, etc
imperial (adj.): relating or belonging to an empire, here the British empire
Explanation: Pappachi used to be an Entomologist working for the British government, at the Pusa Institute. After India gained independence and the British left, his job title changed to Joint Director of Entomology. By the time he retired, he had reached a rank similar to that of a Director.
Passage:
His life’s greatest setback was not having had the moth that he had discovered named after him.
Word Meanings:
moth (n): an insect with wings that is similar to a butterfly, usually flies at night, and is attracted to light
setback (n): something that causes delay or stops progress
Explanation: The biggest disappointment in Pappachi’s life was that the moth he had discovered was not named after him.
Passage:
It fell into his drink one evening while he was sitting in the verandah of a rest house after a long day in the field. As he picked it out he noticed its unusually dense dorsal tufts, he took a closer look. With growing excitement he mounted it, measured it and the next morning placed it in the sun for a few hours for the alcohol to evaporate. Then he caught the first train back to Delhi. To taxonomic attention and, he hoped, fame, after six unbearable months of anxiety, to Pappachi’s intense disappointment, he was told that his moth had finally been identified as a slightly unusual race of a well-known species that belonged to the tropical family, Lymantridae.
Word Meanings:
dorsal (n): of, on or near the back of an animal
tuft (n): a number of short pieces, especially of hair or grass, which closely grow together or are held together near the base.
taxonomic (n): systematic naming and organizing of things, especially plants and animals into groups which share similar qualities
mounted (adj.): something that is mounted is fixed to a wall, in a frame, etc., so that it can be looked at or used
Explanation: One evening, while Pappachi was relaxing on the verandah of a rest house after a long day, a moth fell into his drink. When he took it out, he noticed that the moth had unusual features. Excited, he carefully mounted and measured the moth, then left it in the sun to dry out the alcohol. The next morning, he rushed back to Delhi, hoping to gain fame with the discovery. However, after waiting for six months, he was disappointed to find out that the moth was just a rare version of a known species and not a new discovery.
Passage:
The real blow came twelve years after, when, as a consequence of a radical taxonomic reshuffle, lepidopterists decided that Pappachi’s moth was, in fact, a separate species and genus hitherto unknown to science. By then, of course, Pappachi had retired and moved to Ayemenem. It was too late for him to assert his claim to the discovery. His moth was named after the Acting Director of the Department of Entomology, a junior officer whom Pappachi had always disliked.
Word Meanings:
radical (adj.): believing or expressing the belief that there should be great or extreme social or political change
lepidopterists (n): someone who studies butterflies and moths
hitherto (adv): until now or until a particular time
genus (n): a group of animals or plants, more closely related than a family, but less similar than a species
Explanation: Twelve years later, scientists decided that Pappachi’s moth was actually a new type of moth never seen before. By then, Pappachi was already retired and living in Ayemenem. It was too late for him to claim the discovery. The moth was named after a junior officer who was now in charge of the Entomology Department, someone Pappachi didn’t like. This incident increased the bitterness in him.
Passage:
In the years to come, even though he had been ill-humored long before he discovered the moth, Pappachi’s Moth was held responsible for his black moods and sudden bouts of temper. Its pernicious ghost gray, furry and with unusually dense dorsal tufts haunted every house that he ever lived in. It tormented him and his children and his children’s children.
Word Meanings:
pernicious (adj.): having a very harmful effect or influence.
ill-humored (adj.): unfriendly or in a bad mood
tormented (n): great mental suffering and unhappiness, or great physical pain
Explanation: Even though Pappachi was already grumpy before he found the moth, people started blaming it for his bad moods and sudden moments of anger. The moth, with its gray color and thick fur, seemed to bring a lot of trouble and unhappiness wherever he lived. It became a symbol of Pappachi’s bad temper and affected his family too, causing problems for them for a long time.
Passage:
Until the day he died, even in the stifling Ayemenem heat, every single day, Pappachi wore a well-dressed three-piece suit and his gold pocket watch. On his dressing table, next to his cologne and silver hair brush, he kept a picture of himself as a young man, with his hair slicked down, taken in a photographer’s studio in Vienna where he had done the six-month diploma course that had qualified him to apply for the post of Imperial Entomologist. It was during those few months they spent in Vienna that Mammachi took her first lessons on the violin. The lessons were abruptly discontinued when Mammachi’s teacher, Launsky-Tieffenthal, made the mistake of telling Pappachi that his wife was exceptionally talented and, in his opinion, potentially a concert class.
Word Meanings:
stifling (adj.): extremely hot and unpleasant
cologne (n): a type of perfume, liquid with a pleasant smell used on the skin
abruptly (adj.): sudden and unexpected
exceptionally (adv): in a way that is much greater than usual, especially in skill, intelligence, quality, etc.
Explanation: Until he died, Pappachi always wore a formal three-piece suit and his gold pocket watch every day, even though it was very hot in Ayemenem. On his dressing table, next to his perfume and hairbrush, he kept a photo of himself as a young man from when he studied in Vienna. He had spent six months there to become an Imperial Entomologist. During this time, Mammachi started taking violin lessons, but the lessons ended suddenly when her teacher told Pappachi that she was very talented and could be a great performer.
Passage:
Mammachi pasted, in the family photograph album, the clipping from the Indian Express that reported Pappachi’s death. It said:
Noted entomologist, Shri Benaan John Ipe, son of late Rev. E John Ipe of Ayemenem (popularly known as Punnyan Kunju), suffering a massive heart attack and passed away at the Kottayam
General Hospital last night. He developed chest pains around 1.05 a.m. and was rushed to hospital. The end came at 2.45 a.m. Shri Ipe had been keeping indifferent health since last six months. He is survived by his wife Soshamma and two children.
Word Meanings:
clipping (n): a piece that has been cut off something
Explanation: Mammachi included a newspaper clipping in the family photo album that reported Pappachi’s death. It stated that Shri Benaan John Ipe, a well-known entomologist from Ayemenem, had suffered a massive heart attack and died at Kottayam General Hospital. The report mentioned that he had experienced chest pains around 1:05 a.m. and was taken to the hospital, where he passed away at 2:45 a.m. It noted that he had been in poor health for the previous six months and that he was survived by his wife, Soshamma, and their two children.
Passage:
At Pappachi’s funeral, Mammachi cried and her contact lenses slid around in her eyes. Ammu
told the twins that Mammachi was crying more because she was used to him than she loved him. She was used to having him slouching around the pickle factory, and was used to being beaten from time to time. Ammu said that human beings were creatures of habit, and it was amazing the kind of things they could get used to. You only had to look around you, Ammu said, to see that beatings with brass vases were the least of them.
Word Meanings:
funeral (n): a (usually religious) ceremony for burying or burning the body of a dead person
contact lenses (n): a small round curved piece of transparent plastic, worn on the surface of the eye to improve your sight
Explanation: At Pappachi’s funeral, Mammachi cried, and her contact lenses kept moving around in her eyes. Ammu told the twins that Mammachi’s crying was more about being used to Pappachi than truly loving him. She was used to him being around and to the times he would beat her. Ammu said that people get used to many things just because they are used to them, and that even being beaten with brass vases was just one example of this.