THE OYSTER AND THE PEARL

SHORT ANSWERS
1. Where does the play take place?
Ans The “The Oyster _____________ takes place at the of Harry Van dusen, a barber.
2. Why is Harry sitting in the barber’s chair?
Ans: Harry, the barber is seated in the chair clay Larrabee is giving him a hair cut. Harry
seated in the chair, clay Larrobee is giving him a hair cut. Harry seated in the chair, is
also reading a book there are so many books in his shop.
3. According to Harry, How does one bring merriment to the tired old human heart.
Ans: As Harry explains. There are as many ways o bringing merriment to the tired old
human hearts; by composing a symphony, painting, picture, wrings book and
inventing a philosophy. He himself has invented a philosophy of ‘Take-it-easy’ The
trouble with his philosophy is, as he himself admits, he kept forgetting to take it easy.
4. What is Harry’s philosophy?
Ans: His philosophy is take-it-easy. According to him it is just a way to live. However, he
himself has forgotten to take it easy.
5. How much Harry pay for his barber shop?
Ans: He paid seventy five dollars for the shop. It also include free hair cut.
6. How long has he been in O.K. by-the-Sea?
Ans: Harry has been in O.K . by-the-sea for twenty four years.
7. How much does Harry charge for hair ents?
Ans: Harry gets a dollar a hair cut.
8. Where is clay going?
Ans: He is going to the beach now and look for the stuff washed up by the sea tide.
9. Why does clay need money?
Ans: Clay needs money to get his father come home again. He will also buy a present for
his mother. His father simply has left home without telling any one. The quarrel with
his wife forces him to leave home perhaps to earn money. If Clay gets money he will
bring his father & back. It is absence of money that has separated the family.
10. What has happened to Clay’s Father?
Ans: Subsequent to his quarrel with his wife, Clark Larraby simply leaves the home
without telling any body.
11. What does Clay want to put in the local newspaper.
Ans: He wants to put an add in the local newspaper. The gull urging him to come home. He
tells him to forget the past and come back home as all members of the family miss
him.
12. Who is Miss McCutcheon? How dows she feel about her Job?
Ans; She is a new teacher at the school in the town. She in from San Francisco. One week
at the school has quite upset her. She wants to quieted go home but at the same time.
She has feeling to stay. She is in search of a chance to teach.
13. What is Miss Mc Cutcheon looking for? How does she feel about the children of the
town?
Ans: She is looking for a chance to tech. She claims that children of the town are last
bothered by their poor academic performance. She further complains that almost all of
them are indisciplined the only thing they seem to be interested in is games and the
sea. Her devotion to teaching and concern for their welfare takes her to the beach to
study their behavior. She believes that fun and play is their only ambition.
14. What does Harry advise her to do?
Ans: Harry advises her, first of all, to decide what she aims at, To him she is too young and
too intelligent. She need not run after having a poodle haircut or change her
appearance any more.
15. What kind of hair cut does Miss want?
Ans: She wants poodle hair cut. Thus she wants to change her appearance. She believes a
poodle hair cut will first her into the scenery around.
16. Can Harry give a poodle hair cut?
Ans: Harry does not know how to give a poodle hair cut. He asserts even if he know how to
give one, he wouldn’t do it. His shop does not give women haircuts.
17. What does she think that poodle hair cut will do for her appearance.
Ans: I will change her appearance and she will fit into the new scenery. She will no longer
look Miss America. She believes the town will accept her if she dons a new
appearance.
18. Where has Clark Larrabee been? Harn did he get to O.K. by-the-sea?
Ans: He has been working in Salinas. He got a ride down to the town (O.K.by-the-sea) in a
truck the truck is across the street now at the gasoline station. He has to go back to
Salinas by that very truck.
19. What does Clark give Harry? For what purpose?
Ans: Clark gives Harry thirty dollars for his son clay to take the money home to his mother.
He further asks Harry not to disclose it to Clay.
20. How far is it to Hollywood from O.K.by-the-sea?
Ans: It is about two hundred miles straight down the highway.
21. What work does the Man do?
Ans: He is a writer. He writes a little bit of every thing. Besides Fenton Lockhart, he is the
second man who wields his pen may he to make his livings.
22. What did Clay find near Block Rock?
Ans: Clay happened to fined the Oyster at the Ocean side of the Black Rock. He correct
saying that he went looking for it. The tide went low enough for him to get around to
the Black rock . He looked for the Oyster around there and found it.
23. What does Clay believe is in the Oyster. How much is it worth?
Ans: The Oyster is shut tight, it is alive clay believes there’s pearl in it which is worth at
least three hundred dollars. He disagrees with others and is of firm opinion that there
is a big pearl in the Osyter.
24. Does Miss ___________ believe that there is a pearl in the Oyster?
Ans: She believes that only one Oyster in Million has a pearl in it. Truth favors the
probability that the Osyter in question is not eh millionth Oyster which he believed
(erroneously of course) has a pearl in it. She ask them to face the truth which will free
them of the pearl myth, She believes that the Oyster found by Clay is without any
pearl.
25. Why does Miss ___________ have a chair with three legs?
Ans: People of the town got to the beach to look for the washed up things. She is too is
conforming to their established habit. This venture has enabled her toe come up with a
three-begged chair.
26. What kind of judge in Judge appleagarth.
Ans: He judged animals at a country fair, So became well knows with this nick name. What
did he judge or if he really judged any thing ___ these questions were not looked into.
27. It in 1953.
28. What does ( ) have in a bottle?
Ans: It is sea water He maintains that water of sea in full of things. There are living things
in the water of the sea. If he looks deeply into the bottle, he can see some of them
now.
29. Who suggests that they open the Oyster?
Ans: It is Miss_____ who suggests that they open the Oyster that will help Clay see for
himself that there is no pearl in it. She wants Clay to face this reality.
30. Why do they want Wozzech to come.
Ans: Harry wants Wozzech to come and open the Oyster. Harry fears that he will damage
the pearl if he opens it. Wozzech who himself claims as an expert watch repair and
per hops more suited for the task than Harry is going to open the Oyster.
31. How does Harry describe the inhabitants of O.K.by –the-sea?
Ans: Harry had painted a most pathetic pictures of inhabitant of the O.K. town. Most of
them can afraid to pay for the hair cut, A few people find jobs only for a couple of
months. A few get pension. Every family sells home grown vegetables or egg. There
is not one rich man among a thousand people, However Harry is all praise for the
people of the town. Thy want money for the integration want their kids to enjoy all
good thing of life. Parents quarrel when they find their kids do not have all these most
checked things of life. It is belief (in future prosperous life) which keeps people of the
town going.
32. How does Miss ________ view Harry’s thinking about the pearl in the Oyster?
Ans: She differs with Harry in his opinion about the pearl in the Oyster. She wants to teach
the children the principles of truth so that they live with the reality of things. Harry
does not seem to clash with the prevailing practices or traditional belief of the people
of the town. Unlike him she wants them people to face reality and undo the influenced
exercised by Harry or people who like him up hold traditional thinking Miss MC
cutcheon in a change agent who is going to would thinking of the children in a way
which enables them to live up to reality.
33. Why does the Judge think that Miss___ will not last as a teacher. What kind of does
he think is needed.
Ans: The Judge has surveyed her knows, Calver, enables and bow-tied sandals (it also
reminds us how he is believed to have judged animal sat country fair which has
earned him the title of a judge) He concludes that she being too pretty, won’t last a
month. He further calls her a bathing beauty. The judge is of the view that their school
needs a well disciplined and experienced teacher. He cannot tolerate her simply
because she is pretty but she means, she is likely to face resistance from the people
like the judge who want to see their past repeated.
34. What is Applegarth’s complaint about the sea.
Ans: Apple garth seems to be haunted by his past. To him the beach has also changed. The
quality of the things asked up by the sea is not good any more. He talks as if in his
past there were so many Oysters (with pearls in them).
35. What kind of gadget does the writer describe?
Ans: This gadget is for haircuts. It is good for a big family. A father can sare a lot of money
giving his bides and hair cut. But there are certain factors which seems to work
against its massive acceptance. There is also a talk of boys who want to get a
professional – looking hair cut the writer also shows concern for the barbers as this
gadget is likely to put them out of business.
36. Who buys the Oyster? How much does he pay?
Ans: The writer buys the Oyster. He believes the pearl inside the Oyster had not stopped
growing. He pays three hundred dollars for it. Wozzeck receives a pleasant shock to
listen of the price. The writer is not worried about the presence of the pearl inside the
Oyster.
37. Does the writer open the Oyster? Why not.
Ans: The writer does not open the Oyster. The presence or otherwise of the pearl inside the
Oyster does not worry him. He wants the mystery to remain unexploaded. For him the
whole of Oyster is a pearl. This is how it can retain his charm. In a way, he is also
helping the town people retain their beliefs against the teacher is eusading.
38. Why does Clark Larrabee return?
Ans: He happens to see the classified and given by Clay, his son, to the local weekly The
Gull. Larrabee has also earned some money. Clay has sold his Oyster for three
hundred dollars which in windfall. The amount in enough to integrate members of the
family. In short, absence of money tore the family apart. Larraby and clay have
earned money, which can satisfy needs of the family and unite it as well. This justifies
Larrabee’s coming back for a long time.