A Respectable Woman

Understanding the Text

Answer the following questions.

a. Why was Mrs. Baroda unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm?
Ans: Mrs. Baroda was unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm because she had listened about many times but never met with him and she was looking forward to a period of unbroken rest, now, and undisturbed tete-a-tete with her husband.

b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation?
Ans: Gouvernail was different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation because she thought that Gouvernail was tall, frank, thin and cynical, wearing eyeglasses and holding his hands in his pockets but he wasn’t frank and he was quite silent person.

c. How does Mrs. Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?
Ans: Mrs. Baroda compares Gouvernail with her husband as she founds Gouvernail is silent, simple and reserved nature person and her husband is frank, brilliant and friendly person.

d. Why and how did Mrs. Baroda try to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits?
Ans: Mrs. Baroda tried to changed Gouvernail’s solitary habits because she wanted Gouvernail to be friendly and frank to her but he enjoyed and preferred to be alone.

Mrs. Baroda tried to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits by assuring him to be more adaptable to the situation.

e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail’s character?
Ans: Gaston disagrees with his wife on Gouvernail’s character by the character of Gauvernail’s as he was not friendly and frank.

 f. Why is Gaston surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end of the story?
Ans: Gaston is surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end of the story because she proposed, wholly from herself to have Gouvernail visit them again.

Reference to the Context

a. What is the cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind? What role does Mrs. Baroda ‘being a respectable woman’ play in the story?
Ans: The main cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind is she had been attracted towards his husband’s friend, Gouvernail. Being a respectable woman, Mrs. Baroda controls her wishes. She controls her feelings and doesn’t want to go against the social norms.

b. Sketch the character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston.
Ans: The characters of the story “A Respectable Woman” were Gaston, Mrs. Baroda and Gouvernail. From the story, we get to know that Gouvernail is a journalist. He is not social and friendly with others. He is a reserved guy and wants to be lonely and isolated.

Gaston is the husband of Mrs. Baroda and friend of Gouvernail. He is frank and social guy. He loves to be friendly with others and shares his joy and happiness.

c. Why does Mrs. Baroda not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband?
Ans: Mrs. Baroda doesn’t disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband because she was known as the ideal of being a respectable women and if she discloses her feelings, she would be in great trouble and she thought that the friendship of Gaston and Gouvernail will be collapsed.

d. The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist. After reading these three sentences, how do you analyze Mrs. Baroda’s attitude towards Gouvernail?
Ans: The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist. Due to the social norms and values, Mrs. Baroda controls her feelings. She hasn’t changed her mind about Gouvernail. She has overcome not just her discontent with Gouvernail, but also her intellectually bankrupt emotional feelings for him. I think she will appear nicely towards Gouvernail next time and gives him nice hospitality.

Reference beyond the text

a. The entry of an outsider into a family has been a recurring subject in both literature and films. Narrate a story real or imaginative where an outsider’s arrival destroys the intimate relationship between the husband and the wife and causes break up in marital relationship without direct fault of anyone. Anton’s Chekhov’s story ‘About Love’ is a story on this subject.
Ans: “About Love” by Anton Chekhov is the interesting story where the mother of two children gets attracted and loved with another man in presence of her husband. It is the similar story like “A Respectable Woman”.

There are three love stories in About Love. Among them the love story of Anna and Alyohin is also one of them. Mr. Luganovich and Anna were the beautiful couple who lived together in the city. Anna is a young woman, attractive, beautiful and kind. Her voice, beauty and hospitality is very impressive to others. One day, Alyohin arrived to their house in the party. That was the first time they saw each other. From the first day, they fall into love with each other. They used to meet continuously. Anna forgot about her family and her children. Later on, she understood that the act that she is doing was against the social norms and her family. She falls victim to mental illness thinking about such things. After being unwell from these acts, she thought to break up with Alyohin and she did same. Their last meet with each other in train where Alyohin was moving his town and did last hug with each other in train. Then, they moved to their own life.

b. Mrs. Baroda makes an expectation about Gouvernail even before meeting him. Suppose you are a mature girl/boy and your family members are giving you pressure for getting married. Write in about 200 words describing what qualities you would like to get in your future husband/wife.
Ans: If my family members are giving me pressure for getting married, I would like to get following qualities in my future wife:

1. She should be well-mannered with all the people.

2. She should be polite with others and help every people in need.

3. She should know the responsibility towards family members.

4. I need someone who understand me and my family.

5. I need someone who will be my backbone in my difficult situations.