SUMMARY of an Angle in disguise
The prose, An Angel in Disguise is a short which
is based on idea that love can conquer everything. It is a story which
depicts the misery of the less fortunate, people who are born into poverty and
who due to physical disabilities are unable to fend for themselves. However, it
is also about the joys of showing kindness to fellow beings and receiving their
unconditional love in return.
Angel in Disguise Summary and Analysis: Plot & Setting
The author, in his formative years, grew up in remote
surroundings and perhaps the setting of this story is inspired by that. In a
sparsely populated rural village, a poor single mother struggles with her
addiction to alcohol while also having to take care of her three children, one
of whom is perpetually sick and bedridden. This unnamed woman had been an
outcast for most of her life since the villagers can show no pity to a person
who is always intoxicated. It is important that the reader understands the time
in which this story has been written as village society back then had yet to
emerge from the clutches of poverty and low standards of living. The people of
the village were themselves destitute and had very little time or inclination
to help others. It was a hard life for them and therefore they had found it
easier to simply exile the wretched woman from their society. The author painstakingly
articulated this setting to make the story more poignant and endearing. The
harshness of the other villagers makes the kindness of one villager shine even
brighter than the lamp of a light in the dark.
After the idle woman dies in a fit of drunkenness in front
of her terrified little children, the villagers find it in their hearts to give
her a proper funeral. Since death is the ultimate punishment for the wicked,
they believed that the woman had suffered enough in her lifetime and she should
receive a good send off. They all gather around the village to arrange for the
ceremony and afterwards they try to contemplate about what they should do about
the three children. This is the basic plot of the story and it develops from
here.
Angel in Disguise Summary:
After the death of an anonymous drunk woman, the people of
her village decide to forgive her previous misconduct and they all come
together to decide the fate of her three little children. One of the farmers
from the village chose to adopt the eldest son, who was twelve years old at the
time. The farmer thought that the boy would be of use to him in the field so he
takes him home as one of his own. Next the young girl Kate gets adopted by Mrs.
Eli, although she does so with great reluctance as Kate was still much too
young to be able to work in any factory and earn money. Mrs. Eli kept chiding
at her for being an undisciplined child and didn’t seem happy at all for having
to feed an extra mouth. At long last did their concern fall upon little Maggie
who was the youngest among all three siblings. None of the people surrounding
the unfortunate family came forward to adopt her, since she was terminally ill and
could be of not material use to them. When Maggie was just a little older than
a toddler, she had fallen down from a window. This accident had resulted in a
permanently damaged spine which had physically disabled her. All agree to put
her up in a poor house but none of the onlookers take any initiative to fulfill
this responsibility. The crude villagers looked upon her as nothing but a
liability and they hastily turned away from her, leaving her alone at the
funeral of her dead mother.
All left, except Joe Thompson who lingered behind to look upon
the poor little child? As a village man, Joe was a hard-working wheel-maker who
earned his living by making wooden wheels for carts and carriages. Although his
personality and demeanor made him appear rough and uncouth he was in reality a
kind man who loved children. He and his wife had been hoping for a baby for a
long time but the distraught couples were left childless despite many attempts.
Maggie notices Joe standing among the parting crowd and beckons him to come
towards her. She realizes that everybody is going away except him and therefore
pleads him not to leave her alone. The gentle-hearted man knew that his wife
will be perturbed if he took her back to his home, but still he gives in to
Maggie’s pleas and carries her away in his arms. As the two of them reached
home, Joe’s wife demanded an explanation for Maggie’s presence in the house.
Joe explained the entire incident to her, and as he had rightly guessed, she
was none too happy upon hearing the news. She was not ready to adopt Maggie as
a child and asked her husband to dispel her from the house. The kind man tried
to reason with his wife by citing a text to her from the Bible. According to
the holy text, those who help children never go unrewarded. Then Joe asks his
wife to set aside the bitterness of her heart and imagine the harsh life that
Maggie has to face everyday just for the sake of survival. The innocent child
is not at fault for her condition and she still has to bear the pain for it.
This softened the childless mother’s heart and she felt compassion for the
bedridden Maggie who was now all alone in the world without a home. She
suppresses her emotions and doesn’t talk about it at the moment and goes to
work in the kitchen. Later in the night she went herself to feed Maggie some
supper. Next day, Joe gets the permission from the authorities at the poor
house and return home to see his wife and young Maggie conversing with
each other. He was pleased to see his wife’s changed expression and they looked
as if they were bonding. The couple came to an understanding that they should
help Maggie recover her health and so they decided to let her stay with them a
few more days before she was to be sent off to the poor house. Somehow, the
sweet angelic face of Maggie and her deep sense of love and gratitude for them
won the hearts of the Thompsons and she eventually became their daughter.
Angel in Disguise Analysis:
T. S. Arthur, as a writer had been much preoccupied with
elevated language and all his stories include strong vocabulary and complex
style of writing. The prose, Angel in Disguise is no exception and its long
winding sentences prove to be a challenge for the reader. The characters and
the setting have been described in vivid detail. The way the characters speak
and present themselves, stresses on reality rather than on fiction making the
story a good rendition of the human psychology, especially under circumstances
of social strain. It also speaks about the helplessness of children who are
left without parents and the kind of dilemma they are made to go through. Most
of the villagers are selfish and only looking for any scope of
self-gratification. They hardly care about the children’s welfare or the future
and select them only the basis of business. It’s like an auction where a master
pay’s for a lifetime of servitude through food and shelter. Young John was the
first to get picked by the farmer so that he could be made to work in the
field.
There is no mention of the name of the place where the
story enfolds, but the reader can guess that it’s an old rural place where
money came before morals. All the villagers were acquainted with each other
because they were a small society of people. This detail works in favor of
highlighting each character and giving it a life of its own. The conservative
and stifling atmosphere of the story brings out the narrow-mindedness of the
people, especially in the manner in which they treat the outcast woman and her
children. It’s like, emotions of love, sympathy and compassion are bereft among
these people and they follow only base rituals and ceremonies because of fear
of religion and judgment.
The flow of the narrative is outstanding as the author is
careful in arranging the sequence of events in a natural manner. The eloquent
vocabulary is just for the use of old English communicative mannerisms. It
relates to that period in history where people used to talk, act and behave as
indicated in the story. Hence, the author has remarkably created and influenced
the characters to realistically tell the story of an all-enduring love in an
orthodox society.
Angel in Disguise Theme
The
central theme of the narration is obviously about love and the appeal of
parenthood. Other themes like general social prejudices and personal
selfishness act as contiguous elements that further reinforce the power of
unconditional love and affection. It is important to note the physical and
psychological damage that irresponsible parents can inflict upon their
children. The survival and care of the three unfortunate kids had been left to
the mercy of the rude and greedy villagers.
Death also plays a major determining role in this story as
the poverty-stricken family of four could receive attention from the village
people only after the death of the mother. If the poor single mother had been
given some counseling and help before she died of excessive alcohol
consumption, she could have perhaps overcome her addiction and led a
respectable life. This speaks a lot about the nature of society as they prefer
to provide sympathy by organizing a funeral after death but could not help
while the person was still alive. It’s like dead people are given more value
than living people.
Angel in Disguise Character Sketch
The
character of Maggie is perhaps the main character of the story because the
‘Angel’ in the title is referred to her. However, some critics have pointed out
that the title could also be in reference to the character of Joe. Since Joe
was the brutish wheel-maker and the only person who could find enough love in
his heart to care for the unwanted and neglected little girl, he could in full
right be the real “angel in disguise”.
The wife of Joe is also a vital aspect of the story as the
small sick girl could make her way into her heart and gain her confidence.
Maggie had touched her dormant motherly affection and turned her into a loving
person. It was her acceptance that altered the future of Maggie. From being a
rejected orphan, Maggie had become a part of their family.
Conclusion
The story, Angel in Disguise, is a heart-touching tale of a little girl who finds comfort in the form of a home and a family with the Thompsons. Arthur as a writer has excellently captured the blunt truth about human society and portrayed the evils inside the hearts of men. The villagers simply wish to go on with their lives without giving any care to the fellow humans who falter. Even then, in the end it showcases the victory of love and kindness over selfish ignorance.
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