NCERT Class 9 English Chapter 14 The Bishop’s Candlesticks

NCERT Solutions for Class 9 English Literature Reader Chapter 14 The Bishop’s Candlesticks

Textbook Questions Solved

Discuss in groups :
Question 1.
What would you do in the following situations ? Give reasons for your answer

  • If you were travelling by bus and you saw someone pick another passenger’s pocket.
  • If you found a wallet on the road.
  • If you ‘were in a shop and you saw a well-dressed lady shoplifting.
  • If your best friend is getting involved with an undesirable set of friends.
  • If you were in school and you saw one of your class-mates steal another child’s pen.

Answer
For discussion. Various answers. One viewpoint is given below :

  • I would raise a cry so that the thief is arrested.
  • I would return it to whom it belongs.
  • I will first go to her. I will ask her why she is doing all that instead of informing the police.
  • I will advise my friend against what he is doing.
  • I shall snub the thief and tell him to be a good boy.

Question 2.
Imagine a child has been caught stealing in school. In groups of eight play the roles of

  • The child caught stealing
  • The child she/he stole from
  • The teacher
  • The headmaster
  • The witnesses

Try to find the reason why the child stole and the possible advice you can give her/him. Should the child be punished ? Or should she/he be counselled ?
Answer
Mainly for role play at the class level under the guidance of the class teacher. Some basic help in the form of the following hints/points would be of immense assistance.

  • The basic aim should be on the reformation of the thief.
  • We should hate the theft, not the thief.
  • We should help the convict to be a reformed person.
  • Conditions to sustain his reformed status must be maintained.
  • Love has no substitute. It can work wonders even on hard-core criminals. But it is not practised. The iron rules of law must not be for increasing more criminals. But these should be to convert them into more gentlemen. True human values like mercy, pity, love, compassion, sympathy etc, should be practised and relied on for change of heart for the better.
  • Basic needs or compulsions turn gentlemen into thieves or convicts or criminals. These must be looked into afresh. Also their bad aspects must be dropped. Fairness must prevail at any cost, though it is difficult.

Question 3.
Copy and complete the following paragraph about the theme of the play in pairs.
The play deals with a _____ and _____ Bishop who is always ready to lend a _____ hand to anyone in distress. A _____ breaks into the Bishop’s house and is _____ and warmed. The benevolence of the Bishop some what _____ the convict, but, when he sees the silver candlesticks, he _____ them, and runs away. However, he is _____ and brought back. He expects to go back to jail, but the Bishop informs the police they are a _____ The convict is _____ by this kindness of the Bishop and before he leaves he seeks the priest’s blessing.
Answer
The play deals with a convict and a Bishop who is always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone in distress. A convict/thief breaks into the Bishop’s house and is given food and warmed. The benevolence of the Bishop somewhat changes the heart of the convict, but, when he sees the silver candlesticks, he steals them, and runs away. However, he is caught and brought back. He expects to go back to jail, but the Bishop informs the police they are a gift given to him. The convict is converted by this kindness of the Bishop and before he leaves he seeks the priest’s blessing.

Question 4.
Answer the following questions briefly

  1. Do you think the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars ? Why / Why not ?
  2. Why does Persome feel the people pretend to be sick ?
  3. Who was Jeanette ? What was the cause of her death ? (V. Imp.)
  4. The convict says, “Iam too old a bird to be caught with chaff.” What does he mean by this statement ?
  5. Why was the convict sent to prison ? What was the punishment given to him ? (V. Imp.)
  6. Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified ? Why /Why not ? Why is the convict eager to reach Paris ?
  7. Before leaving, the convict asks the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this change in him ? (V. Imp.)

Answer
(Varied answers). One version is given below :
1. I think the Bishop was right in selling the salt-cellars because he was an ideal Bishop. An ideal Bishop is a man of God. He keeps the interests of his parishioners above his own. Secondly, real help is that help when it is rendered to a really needy person.

2. Persome is made of a different mind. She feels that the people pretend to be sick so that the Bishop may be near them.

3. Jeanette was the wife of the convict. She fell ill as she did not have food to eat. Her husband did not get any work. She died due to starvation.

4. By this he means to say that he has spent a long period of ten years in prison. So he has learnt a lot of tricks of the convicts. He can’t be cheated by any kind of softness of the heart.

5. The convict was sent to prison because he had stolen the food. He was beaten like a hound while in jail. He slept on the boards. He was given a number after taking his name. He was made to eat filth. He had had vermin on his body. He had turned into a wild beast. It is due to the ill-treatment by the police in jail.

6. I think the punishment was not at all justified. Such a horrible punishment is given to murderers or killers. The convict had stolen food. At the most he should have been fined or imprisoned for a brief spell and treated like a human being.
The convict is eager to reach Paris. It is because there he won’t be easily traced by the police. The police would be after him to arrest him again. It is because he has not yet completed his sentence. He has run away from jail.

7. The Bishop’s large-heartedness and kindness brought this change in him. He is now a gentleman and not a wild beast. So he asks the Bishop to bless him.

Question 5.
Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct options.
(A) Monseigneur, the Bishop is a … ahem !
(a) Why does Persome not complete the sentence ?

  1. she used to stammer while speaking.
  2. she was about to praise the Bishop.
  3. she did not wish to criticise the Bishop in front of Marie.
  4. she had a habit of passing such remarks.

(b) Why is she angry with the Bishop ?

  1. the Bishop has sold her salt-cellars.
  2. the Bishop has gone to visit Mere Gringoire.
  3. he showed extra concern for Marie.
  4. she disliked the Bishop.

(B) She sent little Jean to Monseigneur to ask for help.
(a) Who sent little Jean to the Bishop ?

  1. Mere Gringoire
  2. Marie
  3. Persome
  4. Marie’s mother.

(b) Why did she send Jean to the Bishop ?

  1. so that he could pray for her.
  2. as she knew that he was a generous person.
  3. as she was a greedy woman.
  4. as she was a poor woman.

(C) I offered to take her in here for a day or two, but she seemed to think it might distress you.
(a) The Bishop wanted to take Mere Gringoire in because ____.

  1. she was sick.
  2. she had no money.
  3. she was unable to pay the rent of her house.
  4. she was a close friend of Persome.

(b) Persome would be distressed on Mere Gringoire’s being taken in because____.

  1. she did not want to help anyone.
  2. she felt that Mere Gringoire was taking undue advantage of the Bishop.
  3. she was a self-centred person.
  4. she would be put to a great deal of inconvenience.

Answer
(A) (a) 3
(b) 1
(B) (a) 1
(b) 2
(C) (a) 3
(b) 2

Question 6.
Identify the situations which can he termed as the turning points in the convict’s life.
Answer
These situations are as follows :

  1. Convict’s stealing to buy his wife food.
  2. His being caught by the police and inhuman treatment meted out by the jail authorities.
  3. His escape from the jail and meeting the Bishop.
  4. His stealing the Bishop’s candlesticks.
  5. His being caught and brought before the Bishop and the Bishop’s getting him free from the police sergeant.
  6. Bishop’s advice and telling him the way to Paris.

Question 7.
The convict is the product of the society he lived in, both in terms of the suffering that led him to steal a loaf of bread, as well as the excessive sentence he received as punishment for his “crime”. He was imprisoned for stealing money to buy food for his sick wife, this filled with despair, hopelessness, bitterness and anger at the injustice of it all.
Conduct a debate in the class (in groups) on the following topic. Instruction for conducting a debate (and the use of appropriate language) are given in the unit ‘Children’ of the Main Course Book.
‘Criminals are wicked and deserve punishment ’
Answer:
Respected President and Dear Friends!
They say hate the sin and not the sinner. How did the convict in the story become a “convict”? He was a man like us once. He had a wife. Then suddenly, things changed for the worse. He was out of job. His wife fell ill. She was starving and dying. He stole for food, caught and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Sir, do we think the punishment he received justified his crime? He was not a seasoned criminal. He had no previous record of stealing. A poor man out of job and his wife ill and dying. What would he do? Let me ask it the other way round: What will we do in these circumstances?

The laws are to punish the guilty and not to punish the victims of circumstances, disease and poverty. The prisons are to reform the criminals. Sir, certainly, they are not the slaughter houses. They can’t be turned into little ‘hells’ where prisoners are fed on filth and tortured. I personally feel, and all of you will agree with me, that such a cruel punishment for such a petty offence only makes a person a hard-hearted criminal like the convict.

Question 8.
The convict goes to Paris, sells the silver candlesticks and starts a business. The business prospers and he starts a reformatory for ex-convicts. He writes a letter to the Bishop telling him of this reformatory and seeks his blessings.
As the convict, Jean Valjean, write the letter to the Bishop.
Answer
Jean Valjean Reformatory Paris
23 April, 20 …
Venerable father

You’ll be amazed to receive this letter from an ex-convict. It was a turning point in my life when I met you. You are the noblest soul I have met so far. I lack words to express my overwhelming sense of gratitude to you. You have rightly helped me with your cherished candlesticks.

I sold the candlesticks and started a reformatory for ex-convicts. I introduced various trades in it. It was to make the ex-convicts work and earn money for their needs. They would then live with dignity. The focus of this reformatory is to make the ex-convicts real human beings. So we focused on real Christian or human virtues. These are mercy, pity, peace, fellow¬feeling, cooperation, genuine sympathy etc. We also intended to make them earn money through various trades. We arranged for weekly moral preachings. These lectures were delivered by great men. The reformatory has now become famous all over the world for its values.

I am glad to say that we have maintained an alumni of this reformatory. The Govt, has also sanctioned a huge grant for the rehabilitation of the ex-convicts.

We would really be glad to honour you on the reformatory’s annual function. I shall write next time more about it.
Seeking your blessings
I remain
Yours sincerely
Jean Valjean

Question 9.
The play is based on an incident in novelist victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables.’ You may want to read the novel to get a better idea of the socio-economic conditions of the times and how people lived. Another novel that may interest you is Charles Dickens ‘A Tale of Two Cities.’
Divide yourselves into two groups in the class and read a book each. Later you may want to share your views of the book each group selected. Select an incident from the novel to dramatise and present before the class.
Answer
Mainly meant for discussion at class level. One group may cover Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’. The other group should cover Charles Dickens’s ‘A Tale of Two Cities’.

Of A Tale of Two Cities

The socio-economic conditions are almost the same as given in ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’. In ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ the theme centres on Manette’s spiritual renewal after 18 months’ imprisonment. It comes through Lucy’s love that enables Manette’s ‘rebirth’. This shows that sacrifice is necessary to achieve happiness. Likewise, Carton’s transformation into a man of moral worth is a kind of commentary. It is on the bitter aspects of life. These are revealed in the convict’s treatment meted out to him in jail in ‘The Bishop’s’Candlesticks’.

Thus the socio-economic conditions are: grim poverty, inequality, unequal opportunities, rule of the thumb and the stick, loss of freedom and autocracy, unfair trial, maladministration of police, etc.

An incident from the novel to be dramatised

The year is now 1780. Charles Darnay stands accused of treason against the English crown. A lawyer named Stryver using long and difficult words pleads Darnay’s case. But it is not until his drunk, good-for-nothing colleague, Syden Carton, assists him that the court acquits Darnay. Carton clinches his argument by pointing out that he himself bears a strange resemblance to the defendant. It weakens the prosecution’s case for unmistakably identifying Darnay as the spy, the authorities spotted.
This Scene can be enacted by the students with proper props and directions.

Of Les Miserables

After 19 years on the chain gang, Jean Valjean finds that the ticket of leave he must display condemns him to be an outcast. Only the Bishop of Digne treats him kindly. Valjean is embittered by years of hardship. He repays him by stealing some silver. Valjean is caught and brought back by the police. He is astonished when the Bishop lies to the police to save him. Valjean decides to start his new life anew.

An incident from the novel that can be dramatised

Jean Valjean spends nineteen years in jail for stealing a loaf of bread and for several attempts to escape. He is finally released. But his past keeps haunting him. At Digne, he is refused shelter for the night. Only the saintly Bishop, Monseigneur Myriel, welcomes him. Valjean repays his host’s hospitality by stealing his silverware. When the police brings him back, the Bishop protects him by pretending that the silverware is a gift to him. With a pious lie, he convinces him that the convict has promised to reform. After one more theft, Jean Valjean does indeed repent. Under the name of M. Madeleine he starts a factory. Thereof, he brings prosperity to the town of Montrevil.

Students as two different groups :
Group A
Students who have read ‘A Tale of Two Cities’
Group B
Students who have read ‘Les Miserables’
Some points for sharing common or different views

  • Socio-economic conditions grim
  • Wide gaps between the rulers and the ruled
  • Grim poverty, especially at the lower level of the society
  • Maladministration
  • Corruption
  • Nepotism
  • Autocratic tendencies of the rulers
  • Unfair treatment meted out to the undertrials
  • Voice of Truth quelled
  • General well-being of people ignored

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Answer each of the following questions in 30-40 words ?

Question 1:
What makes Persome lost her temper ?
Answer:
Persome feels irritated that the Bishop has gone out in the extreme cold. When she learns from the maid, Marie, that he has gone to see Marie’s ailing mother, she loses her temper.

Question 2:
What grouses does Persome have about her brother ?
Answer:
Persome is the Bishop’s sister. The Bishop is in the habit of helping all who seek his help. He has sold his estate, his furniture and many other valuable things to help the poor. Persome who feels concerned about his future naturally has grouses in her mind about this kind of behaviour on his part.

Question 3:
What comes as a shock to Persome ?
Answer:
Persome is already pained at her brother’s excessive magnanimity. When she learns about his selling of his silver salt-cellars to help an old lady to pay her rent, she is shocked.

Question 4:
How and when does the convict enter the Bishop’s room ?
Answer:
It is almost midnight. The Bishop is reading in his room. A convict enters his room stealthily. It is not difficult for anyone to enter the Bishop’s house as its doors and windows are never shut.

Question 5:
How does the convict behave when he encounters the Bishop ?
Answer:
The convict enters the Bishop’s room. He seizes the Bishop from behind and demands something to eat at once. He threatens to kill him if he raises an alarm.

Question 6:
How is the convict treated by the Bishop ?
Answer:
The Bishop treats the convict as if he were his guest. He calls him ‘son’ and tries to calm him down. He asks his sister to bring some food for the guest. He offers him bed for rest.

Question 7:
Why was the convict caught and imprisoned ?
Or
‘Now I’m not a man, now I’m a number.’ How had the speaker become a number ?
Answer:
The convict’s wife was ill and starving. He had no money and work at that time. He had to steal to feed his sick wife and was thus caught and imprisoned. In the prison, he was given a number. He suffered there so much that he had forgotten his name. He had been reduced to a mere number.

Question 8:
Why does the convict call the prison a hell ?
Answer:
The convict recalls his days in the prison which was nothing short of Hell. He was chained like an animal. He was fed on filth. He was made to sleep on boards. He suffered from vermins. He was often beaten mercilessly. He became a beast.

Question 9:
Why does the convict show contempt for the Bishop’s good behaviour ?
Answer:
The convict was in the prison for ten years. He was treated very badly. He lost faith in God and humanity. So he has nothing but contempt for any good behaviour shown by the Bishop.

Question 10:
Who was Jeanette ? What was the cause of her death ?
Answer:
Jeanette was the convict’s wife. She fell seriously ill. The convict was out of work then. He had no money to feed and treat her. When he stole and got arrested, she died of starvation.

Question 11:
Do you justify the Bishop’s behaviour in not handing over the convict to the police when he decamps with his silver candlesticks ? Give reason.
Answer:
Had the Bishop handed the convict over to the police, the convict would never have got another chance to reform himself. As the Bishop wants to give him a chance to start a new life he saves him from the police.

Question 12:
What brings about real transformation in the convict ?
Answer:
When the Bishop gives the convict his silver candlesticks as a gift before he leaves for Paris, the convict is speechless. He kneels himself down before the Bishop and weeps. He feels that he has become a ‘man’ once again. His tears are a symbol of his transformation.

Question 13:
Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified ? Why/ Why not ? Why is the convict eager to reach Paris ?
Answer:
The punishment given to the convict for a minor crime was too much and was unjustified. He did not commit a murder or indulge in any other major crime. His circumstances had forced him to steal. No, it.
He should have been given a light punishment instead of ten years in a hell­like jail.

Question 14:
Before leaving, the convict asks the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this change in him ?
Answer:
The convict had lost all faith in goodness. The Bishop’s love, kindness and generosity bring about a remarkable change in him. He feels as if he were a man once again. He regains his faith in God. So he asks the Bishop to bless him.

Question 15:
Identify the situations which can be termed as the turning points in the convict’s life ?
Answer:
There are many situations in the play which can be termed as the turning points in the convict’s life. He stole to feed his sick wife. His consequent arrest on the charge of stealing was the first significant turning point in his life. His encounter with the kind, noble and generous Bishop was another turning point in his life. Again, his arrest for having stolen the Bishop’s candlesticks and the Bishop’s magnanimity and kindness in saving him from the police and gifting him his candlesticks are the other turning points in the convict’s life.

Question 16:
How does the Bishop’s attitude touch the convict ?
Answer:
The Bishop’s attitude towards the convict is extremely amiable, kind and geneous. He calls the convict his ‘son’ and ‘friend’ – the words the convict has forgotten in his life. He offers him food and shelter. Even when the convict decamps with his cherished candlesticks, he saves him from the clutches of the police. He even gifts the candlesticks to the convict and helps him escape to Paris. His attitude moves the heart of the convict. The convict feels as if he were a human being again. He sees a ray of hope in his life.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Question 1:
‘It is easy to close the doors but difficult to open a window.’ Comment with reference to the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
The statement -‘It is easy to close the doors but difficult to open a window’- is true. It is easy to close the doors implies that man can easily live selfishly; he can easily shut doors on others and live a life of a recluse, as some religious people do. It is not difficult to dislike or hate others. But to open a window for others is not easy. To go out of one’s way to show the right path ‘ or to help other is indeed a difficult but divine task.
The Bishop in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ keeps his doors and windows literally open for needy persons. He does everything possible to help the poor. But the way he treats the convict is something uncommon. He goes beyond the call of his duty. When his beloved candlesticks are stolen, he finds it difficult to forgive the thief, but very soon he realizes his mistake. By gifting the candlesticks he touches the raw nerves of a hardened criminal. He opens a window at the back of his house for the convict to go to his destination and start a new life. What a noble act !

Question 2:
‘Minds are open only when hearts are open. Keeping this in mind, the Bishop’s house had unshuttered windows and unbarred doors for thirty years. Discuss.       (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
It is unthinkable that one could keep the doors and windows of one’s house open for thirty long years. Only a really fearless hermit can do it. The Bishop keeps the doors and windows open so that the poor and the needy could come anytime to his house. It reveals that his mind and heart are open. He is so generous and magnanimous that he attaches no importance to any material thing. He sells his estate, his silver salt-cellars and many others valuable things to help the poor. Though he cherishes his silver candlesticks, he readily gifts them to the convict.
Earlier in the play, Persome reminds the Bishop how people take undue advantage of his generosity. Even the convict mocks at him for leaving his windows and doors open. But the Bishop does not have a second thought at what he does.

Question 3:
Love, compassion and forgiveness are great human values which we must try to imbibe. Discuss it in the context of the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks.’
Answer:
There is no doubt that love, compassion and forgiveness are great human virtues. We should try to imbibe them in our day-to-day life. We should learn to love all. We should be compassionate towards the weak. We should forgive all those who offend or harm us in any way.The Bishop in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ is a true Christian who has imbibed in him the divine virtues of love, compassion and forgiveness. He loves one and all without any discrimination. He treats even the convict as his friend and guest. The convict proves to be ungrateful by stealing the silver candlesticks of a person who offered him food and shelter and comforted him. However, the Bishop forgives him easily. Rather he gifts the candlesticks to him so that he may start a new life. This is what we sould do in our life, though it is not an easy task.

Question 4:
The prison is meant for reformation, not punishment. Justify this statement with reference to the lesson ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.(CBSE 2014)
Answer:
The prison is meant for reformation. That is why, it is often called ‘Sudhar Ghar’. Here the prisoners should be treated in such a way that they realize their mistakes and reform themselves. They should not be treated like animals as was done in the prison which the convict calls ‘Hell’. The convict had to steal out of compulsion. When he was in the prison, he was given a number. He was fed on filth. He had to sleep on boards. He was beaten mercilessly. They turned him into a hardened criminal. He lost faith in humanity. He began to hate everybody. When he escaped from the prison, he was not a reformed person. He again stole-this time the silver candlesticks of a really noble person, the Bishop.
If he was changed man towards the end, it was due to the Bishop’s extremely kind and humane treatment. The Bishop changed his heart by his kindness and generosity.

Question 5:
‘I’m a number, number 15729’. An individual’s human identity is being degraded to a mere number.
What does your conscience tell you about this ? (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
The convict became a victim of circumstances. He was once a normal human being. He led a poor life with his wife, Jeanette, in a little cottage. She was ill and starving. He was out of work and had no money to buy food for his wife. So he stole money to buy her food and was caught by the police. He tried to explain to the policemen why he had stolen. But they laughed at him and he was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks. The convict was treated like a beast. He was tortured and beaten. The policemen chained him like a wild beast and lashed him like a hound. He was fed on filth and was covered with vermin. He slept on the board and when he complained, he was lashed again. They treated him cruelly and took away his soul and made him a devil. They took away his name. Now he was not a man; he was a number; number 15729 and he had lived in Hell for ten long years. He lost faith in the essential goodness of man. As for the church he began to hate church. He was so fed up with the society that he told the Bishop that he did not want any of his Faith, Hope and Charity. He considered himself a devil and told the Bishop that his efforts to convert him would fail. He lost belief in religion. He had no identity, no faith in humanity, no faith in church and religion.
Thus, a man who is brutally treated loses his identity and conscience. But it is the society which is at fault in making him what he is.

Question 6:
In the end realization dawns upon the convict that he is a man again and not a wild beast. Who do you think is responsible for this change in the convict and what qualities would you associate with him ? (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
The convict, who had been brutally treated in jail for ten long years, escaped, but only to starve. One night he entered the Bishop’s room and demanded food at the point of knife. The Bishop was very kind, generous and loving towards him. He gave him cold pie, bottle of wine and some bread. He also gave him bed to sleep. But the convict stole his candlesticks and ran away. He was arrested by the police and brought to Bishop’s house. The Bishop pleasantly surprised the convict and the sergeant by saying that the convict was his very good friend. The Bishop told the sergeant that he had supped with him the previous night and that he had given him the candlesticks. He called the convict his ‘son’. So unlike the police and the rest of the society, the Bishop treated him gently and kindly. He called him son and friend. Such affectionate words were not heard by the convict in his life. The Bishop offered him food, shelter and saved him from the clutches of police. The kindest act that the Bishop did was to gift the prized silver candlesticks to him and suggested him a safe passage to Paris. Bishop’s kindness, benevolence and love helped the convict to rediscover his innocence and goodness. In fact, he rediscovered his essential human self. Finally, he learnt from the Bishop that the body is the Temple of the Living God. In this way, the Bishop reformed the convict.

Question 7:
The Convict goes to Paris, sells the silver candlesticks and starts a business. The business prospers and he starts a reformatory for ex­convicts. He writes a letter to the Bishop telling him of this reformatory and seeks his blessings.
As the convict, Jean Valjean, write the letter to Bishop.
Answer:
J.V. Reformatory Paris
16 March, 20…
Venerable Father
You will be delighted to know that your ‘son’ has at last found his feet. The candlesticks that you gifted me did wonders for me. I sold the candlesticks and opened a workshop. By the grace of God and with your blessings, my business flourished and I earned a lot of money. I am now a happy and respectable person in the society. I have recently opened a reformatory for ex­convicts. My aim is to enable the ex-convicts to lead a life of dignity and respect. They work and lead a comfortable life. Learned men are invited for weekly discourses on religious and moral matters. Their discourses leave a great impact on them.
I seek your blessings.
Yours sincerely
Jean Valjean

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