A Face In The Dark

                      A FACE IN THE DARK

A face in the dark by Ruskin bond narrates an incident that revolves around MR. oliver an , Anglo-indian teacher who taught in an English school is shimla. He often went to shimla which was a few kilometers away and return by evening. one day while he was returning from shimla, it was late in the evening and he decided to take a short cut through the pine Forest. He carried his torch along and moved briskly. when he was a boy sitting with his head held b/w his hands and sobbing silently. He asked the boy why he was sitting out there as it was not allowed for the boys to move out of the school. the boy said nothing, still sobbing strangely MR. oliver asked him to lift his face up and when the boy lifted his face up, what MR. oliver saw, he was terrified and he started running towards his school. when he saw the watchman with his lantern he asked him why he was running. Mr oliver told him that he saw a boy who had no face. i.e. no eyes , ears ,or any other feature on his face. The watchmen asked him if the boys face looked like it , and he raised the lantern up to his face. Mr. oliver saw his face, no eyes , no ears and no features . At that moment the wind blew and put the lamp out.

Extract I

From before Kipling’s time, the school had been run……..the school for several years.

1.    Who was Mr Oliver? What was his usual leisure activity?

Mr Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher, who was teaching in a school, located three miles away from Shimla. He would usually walk down to the Shimla Bazar and would return after dark by taking a shortcut through the pine forest.

2.    What was called ‘Eton of the East’? Why?

The all-boys school in Shimla, in which Mr Oliver was a teacher has been called ‘Eaton of the East.’

Eton college is one of the most reputable  and expensive English boarding school for boys in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor(UK). Mr Olvier’s school was called ‘Eton of the East’ because the school had been run on English public school lines and the boys, were mostly from wealthy Indian families.

3.    What kind of weather was there on the night when Oliver was returning to his school? How does it add to the setting of the story?

According to the spirit of the story, the author has created an eerie atmosphere in the story. It was night time and a strong wind was blowing, the pine trees were making mysterious sounds, indicating that something evil was likely to happen. The batteries of Oliver’s torch were running down, creating an atmosphere of fear and suspense.

4.    What did Oliver encounter while coming back to school one night? What did he do after that?

While walking back to school one night, he encountered a boy sitting alone on a rock whose head was hung down and whose face was held in his own hands.

After seeing the boy, Oliver stopped near the boy and asked him what he was doing there and why he was crying.

Extract II

“What are you doing out here……felt distinctly uneasy.

1.    Where did Mr Oliver find the boy? What did he notice about the boy?

Walking through the pine forest to return to school, Oliver found the boy sitting on a rock.

He noticed that the boy was crying with his head hung down and his face held in his hands.

2.    Why do you think the boy was called a miscreant? In what condition   was he found by Oliver?

A miscreant is a person who has done some mischief. Boys were  not supposed to be out after dark. Thus the boy sitting alone on the rock in the night forced the author to call him a miscreant.

3.    How did Mr Oliver express his concern for the boy? How did the boy react to it?

Mr Oliver asked him what he was doing there and why he was crying. The boy did not respond and continued to sob. Oliver again enquired what was troubling him and asked him to look up.

4.    How can you explain the boy’s ‘strange, soundless weeping’?

The boy’s strange , boundless weeping that Oliver heard could be explained on the basis  that Oliver was lonely man caught in psychological fears who was imagining frightening and scary things. Thus all Oliver encountered was ‘soundless weeping’ and ‘faceless’ faces.

5.    What strange revelation took place when the boy finally looked up at Oliver?

When the boy finally looked up at Oliver, it was  revealed that the boy had no face. It was without eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round  head with  a school cap on it.

Extract III

The torch fell from his trembling hand……Why are you running?

1.    Whose ‘trembling hand’ is referred to in the above extract? Why was trembling?

Oliver’s ‘trembling hand’ is referred to here.  It was trembling, as Oliver was horrified to see that the boy’s  face was  featureless, without eyes, ears, nose or mouth.

2.    Explain the sentence:

“ He returned and scrambled down the path, running blindly through the trees.”

The ‘faceless’ boy terrified Oliver so much so that he immediately turned and in panic  ran blindly through the forest  to call for help.

3.    What did Oliver answer the watchman’s questions in the extract above?

Oliver told the watchman that he had  encountered  something  horrible  that night-a  ‘faceless’ boy weeping in the forest.

4.    The story ends with a thrilling  climax. Do you agree? Why?

Oliver ran away from the faceless boy and called for help. He saw a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. What followed  next was a thrilling  climax as Oliver while running  stumbled up to a watchman only to find  that he too was faceless, with no features or even eyebrows. The climax is reached when the wind blew out the lamp, leaving the readers to imagine what might have happened to Oliver.

5.    Comment on the appropriateness of the title.

The title A Face in the Dark is suitable as it describes a strange experience of Mr Oliver, the protagonist of the story. Oliver, on his way back at night, meets a boy in an isolated place sitting on a rock. A close look at the boy horrifies him as he has no face-no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. As he runs horrified by the strange experience, he meets the watchman who is also without a face. Thus, the boy and the watchman, who appeared to be having a face in the dark, did not have a face when seen in light.

A Face in the Dark Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Give a brief description of the public school in which Mr Oliver taught at Simla.
Answer:
Mr Oliver was an Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla. It was one of the best public schools in India. It was often referred to as the “Eton of the East”. Most of the students came from wealthy Indian families. They dressed themselves up in the smart school uniform which included blazers, caps and ties. The school was situated about three miles away from the Simla Bazaar which was known for its cinemas and restaurants. Mr Oliver had been teaching in this school for several years.

Question 2.
Briefly outline the main episode contained in the story “A Face in the Dark”.
Answer: Mr Oliver often strolled into the town in the evening. He returned after dark and usually took a short cut through the pine-forest. One day, when he was returning, he noticed the figure of a boy who was sitting alone on a rock. Mr Oliver sensed that something was wrong. The boy was crying and shaking fitfully. Mr Oliver flashed his torch-light on the boy’s face but was shocked to see that the face had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head with the school cap on top. Mr Oliver was frightened and ran away towards the school. The same thing happened when the watchman of the school was found to have a similar face.

Question 3.
Bring out the element of mystery and suspense in the story “A Face in the Dark”.
Answer:
“A Face in the Dark” written by Ruskin Bond is a story replete with horror, mystery and suspense. A paranormal experience of a school-teacher, Mr Oliver, is the subject of this horror story. The atmosphere has been cleverly built up by the writer.

Mr Oliver, the Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla, often strols into the town because he happens to be a bachelor and has hardly any visitors in the evening. He has to return to the school residence at right and quite often takes a short cut through the pine-forest. When there is a strong wind, the pine trees make sad, eerie sounds. Mr Oliver is a man without a nervous temperament. He always carries a torch while passing through the dark forest.

Mr Oliver encounters a young boy while returning from the town. The boy is sitting on a rock, all alone in the forest. Mr Oliver senses that something is wrong. He finds the boy crying and shaking convulsively. When he questions the boy about his problem, the boy doesn’t look up and keeps on sobbing as before. As the teacher flashes the torch on his face, he is horrified to see that the face has no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It is just a round smooth head with a school cap on. The torch falls from the teacher’s hand and he runs towards the school calling for help. As he stumbles upto the watchman, the latter asks him the cause of his terror. The teacher tells him that he,had seen a boy without a face. “Do you 1 mean it was like this, Sahib ?” asks the watchman.

Then the teacher notices that the face of the watchman also resembles that of the boy – no eyes, no ears, no features – not even an eyebrow ! As soon as the teacher sees this apparition, the wind blows out the lamp in the hand of the watchman. Darkness prevails all around.

Question 4.
How does the writer make supernatural look natural in the story “A Face in the Dark” ?
Answer:
Supernatural or paranormal experiences are beyond all logic and reasoning. Ruskin Bond has told a story by mixing the natural details with the supernatural. The setting is quite natural.

The whole story revolves around an Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla. The teacher is a bachelor and often wanders away to the nearby town in the evening. He returns at night through a dark pine forest. Darkness of the forest adds to the atmosphere of mystery, suspense and horror. The loneliness is another factor which accentuates the element of horror. The repetition of a hollow face – without eyes, ears and mouth – plays on the reader’s nerves and makes him shudder.

Question 5.
What is your impression of Mr Oliver, the Anglo-Indian teacher, in the story, “A Face in the Dark” ?
Answer:
Mr Oliver is teaching in a famous public school at Simla. He is a normal kind of teacher who takes interest in his students and is quite active in his routine. He often visits the Simla Bazaar which is full of hustle and bustle because of its cinemas and restaurants. Being a bachelor, Mr Oliver has hardly any company in the evening. In order to get over his loneliness he strolls out to the Simla Bazaar and often returns at night through the dark pine forest. This shows that he is a daring man without any nervousness or irrational fear. He always carries his torch in order to see through the darkness of the forest. Still, he experiences a paranormal incident on a particular night when he sees a school boy sitting on the dark rocks in the forest. This meeting unnerves not only the teacher but also the reader of the story.

Question 6.
Recount the strange, paranormal experience of the school teacher as given in Ruskin Bond’s story “A Face in the Dark”.
Answer:
Mr Oliver, the Anglo-Indian teacher in a public school at Simla, is the protagonist of the story “A Face in the Dark”. His encounter with a school boy in the dark forest is enough to scare him out of his wits. This boy looks more like a spectre when the teacher flashes his torch at his face. The face is without eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It is just a round, smooth head – with a school cap on top of it. Mr Oliver is too shocked to say anything.

However, the teacher’s predicament does not end there. He turns back and runs blindly towards the school building. He sees a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. Mr Oliver stumbles up to the watchman gasping for breath. The watchman asks him why he is looking so upset. The teacher replies that he’ has seen something weird and supernatural – a boy weeping in the forest and having a faceless face. The watchman asks : “Do you mean it was like this, Sahib ?” and raises the lantern to his own face. The teacher is dumbfounded to see that even the watchman has no eyes, no ears, no features – not even an eyebrow ! Instantly, the wind blows the lantern out and the story comes to an abrupt end. The reader is left in the dark without any kind of explanation for this supernatural, paranormal episode.

A Face in the Dark Comprehension Passages

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
The Simla Bazaar, with its cinemas and restaurants, was about three miles from the school; and Mr Oliver, a bachelor, usually strolled into the town in the evening, returning after dark, when he would take a short cut through the pine forest.

(i) Who was Mr Oliver ?
Answer: Mr Oliver, a bachelor, was an Anglo- Indian teacher in a school outside Simla. He had been teaching in the school for several years.

(ii) How had the school been run ? Who studied in that school ? What did the students wear in the school ?
Answer: The school had been run on English . Public School lines. The boys from wealthy Indian families studied in the school. They wore blazers, caps and ties.

(iii) Where did Mr Oliver usually spend his evenings ? When would he return to his lodging ?
Answer: Mr Oliver usually spent his evenings in the Simla Bazaar. He would return only after dark.

(iv) What route did he take to return ? When did most people keep to the main road ?
Answer: He returned through the pine forest. Most people kept to the main road when a strong wind blew and made the pine trees make sad, eerie sounds.

(v) What did Mr Oliver come across when he was passing through the pine forest ?
Answer: Mr Oliver came across a boy sitting alone on a rock.

2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
When there was a strong wind, the pine trees made sad, eerie sounds that kept most people to the main road. But Mr Oliver was not a nervous or imaginative man. He carried a torch, and its gleam – the batteries were running down – moved fitfully down the narrow forest path. When its flickering light fell on the figure of a boy, who was sitting alone on a rock, Mr Oliver stopped. Boys were not supposed to be out after dark.

(i) What did Mr Oliver carry with him when he walked through the pine forest ? What did he come across in the forest ?
Answer: He carried a torch with him when he walked through the pine forest. He came across the figure of a boy who was sitting alone on a rock.

(ii) Describe the posture of the boy.
Answer: The boy sat on the rock with his head hung down and he held his face in his hands and his body shook convulsively.

(iii) Why did Mr Oliver feel uneasy when he walked through the pine forest ?
Answer: Mr Oliver saw the strange figure of a boy. The boy produced a strange soundless voice of weeping. It made Mr Oliver uneasy.

(iv) What did Mr Oliver ask the boy ? Describe the face of the boy.
Answer: Mr Oliver asked the boy, “Well, what is the matter ? What are you crying for ? Tell me the trouble, look up.” The face of the boy had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round, smooth head—with a school cap on top of it.

(v) How did Mr Oliver react when he saw the face of the boy ?
Answer: Mr Oliver got frightened and the torch fell down from his trembling hand. He got nervous and ran blindly through the trees and called for help.

3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
‘What are you doing out here, boy ?’ asked Mr Oliver sharply, moving closer so that he could recognize the miscreant. But even as he approached the boy, Mr Oliver sensed that something was wrong. The boy appeared to be crying. His head hung down, he held his face in his hands, and his body shook convulsively. It was a strange, soundless weeping, and Mr Oliver felt distinctly uneasy.

(i) Why did Mr Oliver move closer to the boy whom he had come across in the pine forest ?
Answer: Mr Oliver moved closer to the boy in order to recognize the boy.

(ii) What did Mr Oliver sense when he saw the boy crying ?
Answer: Mr Oliver sensed that there was something wrong when he saw the boy crying.

(iii) How did the boy’s body shake ?
Answer: His head hung down, and he held his face in his hands and his body shook convulsively.

(iv) When did Mr Oliver feel uneasy ?
Answer: Mr Oliver felt uneasy when he heard a strange, soundless voice of weeping.

(v) When did Mr Oliver’s anger give way to concern ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver felt uneasy, he asked the boy in anger, “What is the matter ?” Soon his anger gave way to concern when he asked the boy, “What are you crying for ?”

4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
‘Well, what’s the matter ?’ he asked, his anger giving way to concern. ‘What are you crying for ?’ The boy would not answer or look up. His body continued to be racked with silent sobbing. ‘Come on, boy, you shouldn’t be out here at this hour. Tell me the trouble. Look up!’ The boy looked up. He took his hands from his face and looked up at his teacher. The light from Mr Oliver’s torch fell on the boy’s face – if you could call it a face.

(i) Why did the torch from Mr Oliver’s hand fall ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver saw the face of the boy which had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth, he got frightened and his torch fell down from his trembling hand.

(ii) Why did Mr Oliver tell the boy that he should not be out there at this hour ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver saw the boy sitting alone on the rock at night in the pine forest, it appeared strange to him. He felt that the young boys should not stay away from their homes at that time of the night. So he told him that he should not be out there at that hour.

(iii) What did Oliver do when he saw the face of the boy ?
Answer: He got frightened and his torch fell down from his trembling hand. He ran blindly through the trees and called for help.

(iv) What did he see when he was running towards the school building ?
Answer: He saw a lantern swinging in the middle of the path when he was running towards the school building.

(iv) Who did Mr Oliver stumble upto ? What was his condition at that time ?
Answer: Mr Oliver stumbled upto the watchman gasping for breath. He was nervous and frightened at that time.

5. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
It had no eyes, ears, nose or mouth. It was just a round smooth head – with a school cap on top of it ! And that’s where the story should end. But for Mr Oliver it did not end here.
The torch fell from his trembling hand. He turned and scrambled down the path, running blindly through the trees and calling for help. He was still running towards the school buildings when he saw a lantern swinging in the middle of the path. Mr Oliver stumbled up to the watchman, gasping for breath. ‘What is it, Sahib ?’ asked the watchman. ‘Has there been an accident ? Why are you running ?’

(i) What had no eyes, nose or mouth ?
Answer: The face of the boy that Mr Oliver saw in the pine forest had no eyes, nose or mouth.

(ii) Why did Mr Oliver call for help ?
Answer: When Mr Oliver saw the face of the boy which had no eyes, nose or mouth, he got frightened. His torch fell down from his trembling hand. He ran blindly through the trees and called for help.

(iii) In what condition did the watchman find Mr Oliver ? What did the watchman ask Mr Oliver ?
Answer: The watchman found Mr Oliver nervous and frightened. Seeing his nervous condition, the watchman asked him if there had been an accident and further asked him why he was running.

(iv) What answer did Mr Oliver give when the watchman asked him why he was running ?
Answer: Mr Oliver answered that he had seen something horrible and added that he had seen a boy weeping in the forest who had no face.

(v) What did the watchman do ?
Answer: The watchman raised the lamp to his face and asked him if he meant it had been like that.

A Face in the Dark Assignment

1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow :
‘I saw something – something horrible – a boy weeping in the forest – and he had no face!’
‘No face, Sahib ?’
‘No eyes, nose, mouth – nothing !’
‘Do you mean it was like this, Sahib ?’ asked the watchman, and raised the lamp to his own face. The watchman had no eyes, no ears, no features at all – not even an eyebrow! And that’s when the wind blew the lamp out.
(i) Why did Mr Oliver’s hands tremble ?
(ii) Why did Mr Oliver scramble down the path in the pine forest ?
(iii) What did Mr Oliver see in the middle of the path ?
(iv) Why did the boy’s face look horrible to Mr Oliver ?
(v) How did the watchman react when Mr Oliver told him about the boy ?

2. (a) How does Mr Oliver react when the boy sitting on the rock looks up at him ?
(b) How does Ruskin Bond build up the atmosphere of strangeness and mystery in the story ‘A Face in the Dark’ ?