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[1. Character Sketch of Maggie
Alice Margaret Clifford, affectionately called Maggie, is the central character in The Price of Flowers. She is a young English girl of about thirteen or fourteen years. Though she lives in poverty, she is hardworking, responsible, loving and selfless.
Maggie lives with her old widowed mother in Lambeth, a poor neighbourhood of London. Her clothes reveal her poverty, and her large eyes have a sad expression. She works as a typist in the Civil Service stores. She is not satisfied with her mechanical job and wishes to become a secretary so that she can do “brain work” and earn more money. Her greatest desire is to take her mother away from their poor surroundings.
Maggie is a loving and caring daughter. She understands her mother's difficulties and wants to provide her with a better life. When Mrs Clifford becomes seriously ill because of her anxiety about Frank, Maggie does everything possible to comfort her. She even requests Mr Gupta to tell her mother that Frank is alive and well, though she knows that asking him to lie may be wrong.
Maggie is also a deeply affectionate sister. Her elder brother Frank is a soldier serving in India. When the family receives no news from him, she becomes extremely worried. After learning about his death, she gives Mr Gupta a shilling from her hard-earned money and asks him to buy flowers and place them on Frank's grave.
Maggie is also polite, innocent and grateful. She treats Mr Gupta with great respect and appreciates his kindness towards her family. Her final sacrifice makes a deep impression on him.
Thus, Maggie represents love, responsibility, hard work, innocence and sacrifice. Her willingness to give up her precious shilling for flowers for her brother's grave makes her one of the most touching characters in the story.
.2. Character Sketch of Mr Gupta
Mr Gupta, the narrator of The Price of Flowers, is an Indian staying in London. He is a kind, sympathetic, thoughtful and compassionate person. His friendship with Maggie and Mrs Clifford reveals his deep concern for other human beings.
Mr Gupta first meets Maggie in a vegetarian restaurant. When he learns about her poverty and her anxiety regarding her brother Frank, he becomes interested in helping her. He willingly accompanies Maggie to her home and meets her mother.
Mr Gupta is friendly and understanding. He patiently answers Mrs Clifford's questions about India and removes her fears about snakes, tigers and fevers. He reassures her that Punjab, where Frank is serving, is a healthy place.
He is also sensitive to the feelings of others. When Maggie and her mother show him the crystal ring, he understands that it has no magical power. However, he does not laugh at their belief or hurt their feelings. He knows that their faith in the ring comes from their anxiety and love for Frank.
His greatest act of compassion occurs when Mrs Clifford becomes seriously ill. Maggie requests him to tell her mother that Frank is alive and well. Though Mr Gupta values truth, he agrees to tell this compassionate lie because he hopes it will comfort the suffering mother. His words give Mrs Clifford peace and help her recover.
Mr Gupta also has a strong conscience. When he later discovers that Frank had already died when he told Mrs Clifford that he was alive, he feels ashamed to face her. At the end, he accepts Maggie's shilling because he understands the emotional value of her sacrifice and promises to place flowers on Frank's grave.
Thus, Mr Gupta is a kind-hearted, humane, sympathetic and considerate person. Through him, the story shows that compassion and human affection can overcome barriers of nationality, culture and social position.
.3. Character Sketch of Mrs Clifford
Mrs Clifford is Maggie's widowed mother and Frank's mother. She is a poor, hardworking and affectionate woman whose life is centred on the welfare of her children.
Mrs Clifford lives with Maggie in a modest house in Lambeth. The family faces serious financial difficulties. To earn a living, she makes cakes on Saturdays and sells them in the streets. Though the furniture in their house is cheap and the carpet is old and torn, everything is kept extremely clean. This shows her dignity, discipline and self-respect even in poverty.
She is a loving and concerned mother. Her son Frank is serving as a soldier in India, and she becomes extremely anxious when she receives no news from him. She has heard frightening stories about India and worries about tigers, snakes and fevers. Mr Gupta's reassuring description of India gives her some comfort.
Mrs Clifford is also superstitious and innocent in her beliefs. She believes that the crystal ring sent by Frank has magical powers. She hopes that Mr Gupta, being an Indian, will be able to look into it and see Frank. Her belief arises mainly from her desperate desire to know that her son is safe.
Her love for Frank is so intense that continued anxiety about him affects her health. She becomes seriously ill. When Mr Gupta tells her that he has seen Frank in the crystal and that he is alive and well, she is filled with happiness and blesses him. The relief eventually helps her recover.
Mrs Clifford is also a caring mother to Maggie. She recognises Maggie's musical talent and wishes to arrange proper violin lessons for her if their financial condition improves.
Thus, Mrs Clifford is portrayed as a hardworking, loving, anxious and devoted mother. Through her character, the story presents the struggles of poverty as well as the depth of a mother's love for her children.]
[Note Capsule Notes Storyboard Essays Paragraph Questions Character Sketches Malayalam Summary Grammar Discourse Questions ]
[Prepared By Sindhu.P,HSST English ,GGHSS Kallai]