[1. Why was Maggie interested in knowing whether Mr Gupta was an Indian?
Maggie was interested in knowing whether Mr Gupta was an Indian because her elder brother, Frank, was serving as a soldier in India. She and her mother had not received any letter from him for a long time, and they were extremely worried about his safety.
Maggie had heard frightening stories that India was full of tigers, snakes and dangerous fevers. Her mother was especially anxious and wanted to meet an Indian who could tell her the truth about the country. That was why Maggie watched Mr Gupta curiously at the vegetarian restaurant and even asked the cashier whether he was an Indian.
When she finally spoke to Mr Gupta, she asked him several questions about India. Mr Gupta understood her anxiety and assured her that India was not as dangerous as she imagined. Thus, Maggie's curiosity about Mr Gupta was actually the result of her deep love and concern for her brother.
2. What do we learn about Maggie and her family from the story?
Maggie belongs to a poor English family living in Lambeth, a poor neighbourhood in London. She lives with her old widowed mother, Mrs Clifford. Her elder brother, Frank, is a soldier serving in India and is the only other close member of the family.
Though Maggie is only a young girl, she works as a typist in the Civil Service stores to support her mother. She is not satisfied with her mechanical job and dreams of becoming a secretary so that she can earn more money and provide her mother with a better life. Mrs Clifford also works hard by baking cakes to be sold on Saturday evenings.
Their house has very little furniture, and the carpet is old and torn. Yet everything is kept extremely clean. Their poverty does not destroy their dignity, affection or hope. Maggie's hard work and Mrs Clifford's efforts show how courageously they struggle against poverty.
3. What impression do you form of Maggie from the story?
Maggie is a poor but loving, hardworking and responsible young girl. Though she is only about thirteen or fourteen years old, she works as a typist and helps her widowed mother. She wants to become a secretary because she hopes to earn more money and take her mother away from their poor neighbourhood.
Maggie is deeply attached to her elder brother Frank, who is serving as a soldier in India. When no news comes from him, she becomes anxious. Her concern becomes even greater when her mother falls seriously ill because of her worries about Frank. Maggie is even willing to ask Mr Gupta to tell a lie if it can give her mother some peace of mind.
Her love for Frank is most clearly revealed at the end of the story. She gives Mr Gupta a shilling earned through her hard work and asks him to buy flowers for Frank's grave. Her willingness to sacrifice her small earnings reveals the depth of her affection. Maggie is therefore a memorable character representing love, sacrifice, responsibility and innocence.
4. Why did Maggie and Mrs Clifford believe that the crystal ring had magical powers?
The crystal ring had been sent to Maggie by her brother Frank from India. Frank had told them that a yogi had given him the ring. According to him, if a person concentrated on someone far away while looking into the crystal, that person could be seen along with what he or she was doing.
Maggie and Mrs Clifford believed this story because they had heard that Indian yogis possessed mysterious powers. As they had not received any news from Frank for a long time, they repeatedly looked into the crystal hoping to see him. However, they could never see anything.
When Mr Gupta visited them, they believed that he might be able to use the ring because he was an Indian. Mr Gupta knew that it was merely a brass ring with an ordinary piece of glass in it. Still, he did not want to destroy their faith because their belief was closely connected with their love and anxiety for Frank.
5. Why did Maggie ask Mr Gupta to tell her mother that Frank was alive and well?
Mrs Clifford became seriously ill because she was constantly worried about Frank. The family had received no news from him, and the doctor said that her anxiety about her son was making her illness worse.
Maggie knew that her mother believed in the magical power of the crystal ring. She therefore asked Mr Gupta to look into it once again. But this time she made a special request. Even if he could see nothing, she wanted him to tell her mother that he had seen Frank and that he was alive and well.
Maggie knew that asking someone to tell a lie was wrong. She even reminded Mr Gupta that she had read that Hindus were very truthful. Yet her mother's condition forced her to make the request. She hoped that the comforting words would remove her mother's anxiety and help her recover. Maggie's request reveals her deep love, helplessness and concern for her mother.
6. Why did Mr Gupta agree to tell Mrs Clifford a lie about Frank?
Mr Gupta agreed to tell Mrs Clifford a lie because he understood Maggie's helpless situation. Mrs Clifford was seriously ill, and her anxiety about Frank was making her condition worse. Maggie believed that hearing that Frank was safe would give her mother hope and peace.
Mr Gupta knew that the crystal ring had no magical power and that he could not actually see Frank through it. At first, he hesitated because Maggie was asking him to say something that he did not know to be true. But when he saw Maggie crying and understood the purpose behind the request, he decided to help her.
He told Mrs Clifford that he had seen Frank in the crystal and that he was alive and well. His words filled the mother with happiness and relief, and she eventually recovered. Though his statement was untrue, it was motivated by kindness and compassion rather than selfishness. The incident shows how comforting words can sometimes bring hope to a suffering person.
7. Why did Mr Gupta feel ashamed to face Mrs Clifford later?
After Mrs Clifford recovered, Mr Gupta learned that Frank had been killed while fighting on the Northwest Frontier. Maggie sent him a card with a black border informing him of Frank's death.
Mr Gupta calculated the dates and realised something painful. Frank had already been dead for several days when he had told Mrs Clifford that her son was alive and well. Though he had said it only to comfort the sick woman, the discovery made him feel guilty and ashamed.
He had intended to visit Maggie and Mrs Clifford before returning to India, but he could not bring himself to face Mrs Clifford after learning the truth. Instead, he wrote them a letter informing them of his departure and saying goodbye. His reaction shows that Mr Gupta is a sensitive and compassionate person with a strong conscience.
8. Why did Maggie give a shilling to Mr Gupta before he left for India?
Before Mr Gupta returned to India, Maggie came to meet him. She told him that Frank had been buried at Fort Monroe near Dera-Ghazi-Khan. Mr Gupta promised that if he went to that part of India, he would visit Frank's grave and write to her.
Maggie then took a shilling from her pocket and gave it to Mr Gupta. She requested him to use the money to buy flowers and place them on her brother's grave. The shilling was especially valuable because Maggie had earned it through hard work despite her poverty.
Mr Gupta initially wanted to return the money because flowers were plentiful in India. But he realised that the shilling represented Maggie's love and sacrifice. By giving up something valuable to her, she was expressing her affection for her dead brother. Mr Gupta therefore accepted the shilling so that he would not deprive Maggie of the joy and emotional comfort of making that sacrifice.
9. Explain the significance of the title The Price of Flowers.
The title The Price of Flowers becomes fully meaningful at the end of the story. Before Mr Gupta leaves London, Maggie gives him a shilling and requests him to buy flowers with it and place them on the grave of her dead brother Frank in India.
For a poor working girl like Maggie, a shilling is not a small amount. She has earned it through hard work and could have used it for her own needs. Yet she willingly sacrifices it because of her deep love for her brother. Therefore, the real price of the flowers cannot be measured simply in money.
The shilling represents Maggie's hard work, sacrifice, grief and affection for Frank. Mr Gupta understands this and accepts the money even though flowers are easily available in India. The title therefore suggests that the emotional value of an act of love is far greater than its monetary value. The flowers become a beautiful symbol of love, remembrance and sacrifice.
10. How does The Price of Flowers show the importance of love and compassion in human relationships?
The Price of Flowers presents love and compassion as forces that connect people beyond differences of nationality, culture and social position. Mr Gupta is an Indian, while Maggie and her mother are poor English people. Yet a deep human relationship develops between them.
Mr Gupta understands the anxiety of Maggie and Mrs Clifford about Frank and patiently removes their misconceptions about India. He visits their home, becomes their friend and tries to help them in difficult situations. When Mrs Clifford becomes seriously ill, he even tells a compassionate lie about Frank because he knows that it will give her hope and peace.
Maggie's actions also reveal the power of love. She works hard to support her mother and deeply cares for her brother. Finally, she sacrifices a shilling from her small earnings so that flowers can be placed on Frank's grave.
Through these incidents, the story shows that kindness, sympathy, sacrifice and understanding are more powerful than differences of race, nationality or wealth.]
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[Prepared By Sindhu.P,HSST English ,GGHSS Kallai]