The Grandmother's Characterization

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Questions and Answers

What did the grandmother use to wash and plaster on the wooden slate?

Red ink

Yellow chalk (correct)

Butter and sugar

Water

Why did the grandmother attend the school with her grandson?

Because the school was attached to the temple (correct)

Because she was a teacher at the school

Because she wanted to learn English

Because she was forced to by the priest

What did the grandmother feed to the village dogs?

Butter and sugar

Stale chapattis (correct)

Sparrows

Yellow chalk

What changed in the grandmother's routine after the family moved to the city?

She started feeding sparrows in the city house Signup and view all the answers

What did the grandmother dislike about the English school?

The lack of teaching about God and scriptures Signup and view all the answers

Why was the grandmother disturbed when her grandson told her about music lessons?

She associated music with lewd things Signup and view all the answers

What did the grandmother do when her grandson told her about the law of gravity and Archimedes' Principle?

She was unhappy and felt she couldn't help with his lessons Signup and view all the answers

What did the grandmother's daily routine include after her grandson started attending the English school?

Waking her grandson up and getting him ready for school Signup and view all the answers

What was the narrator's perception of their grandmother's age?

She was always old and wrinkled. Signup and view all the answers

What did the narrator think about their grandmother's stories of her childhood?

They were absurd and undignified. Signup and view all the answers

What was the narrator's grandfather's appearance like in his portrait?

He wore a big turban and loose-fitting clothes with a long, white beard. Signup and view all the answers

What was the narrator's grandmother's physical appearance like?

She was short and fat with a criss-cross of wrinkles. Signup and view all the answers

What was the narrator's grandmother's daily routine like?

She would hobble about the house in spotless white and pray. Signup and view all the answers

What was the narrator's relationship with their grandmother like?

They were good friends and spent a lot of time together. Signup and view all the answers

Why did the narrator's parents leave them with their grandmother?

Because they were going to live in the city. Signup and view all the answers

What was the narrator's grandmother's spiritual practice like?

She would constantly tell the beads of her rosary and pray inaudibly. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Grandmother's Appearance

The grandmother was old and wrinkled, with a criss-cross of wrinkles on her face.
She was short, fat, and slightly bent, with silver locks scattered untidily over her pale, puckered face.
Her lips constantly moved in inaudible prayer.

The Grandmother's Personality

Despite her old age, she was beautiful and had a serene presence, like a winter landscape in the mountains.
She was a devout woman, often telling her grandchildren stories of the prophets and reading scriptures.

The Grandmother's Relationship with the Narrator

The grandmother and the narrator were good friends, with the grandmother taking care of the narrator when their parents went to live in the city.
The grandmother would wake the narrator up in the morning, get them ready for school, and walk with them to the school attached to the temple.
The grandmother would sit inside the temple reading scriptures while the narrator was in school.

The Grandmother's Routine

The grandmother would carry stale chapattis with her to feed the village dogs.
When the narrator started attending an English school in the city, the grandmother took to feeding sparrows in the courtyard of their city house.

The Grandmother's Disapproval of Western Education

The grandmother was unhappy with the narrator's English education, as it did not teach about God and the scriptures.
She was distressed by the teachings of Western science, such as the law of gravity and Archimedes' Principle.
She was particularly disturbed when the narrator announced they were being given music lessons, as music had lewd associations for her.