The Sound Machine Questions and Answers ISC

Part – 1

(a) ‘The Sound Machine’ combines science fiction and environment in a unique way. Discuss with
reference to the story.

Answer : ‘The Sound Machine’ is a popular short story which belongs to the genre of science fiction. But
in tis story Ronald Dahl combines science fiction and environment. On the surface level it is about an
amateur scientist who believes that there are sounds that are so low-pitched or so high-pitched that human
ear can’t hear them. He is so fascinated by acoustics that he is yearning to test his theory . For this he had
contrived a machine with which he wants to prove that the high frequency sound vibrations are audible to
human ear. Klausner is experimenting on sound vibrations to study how the plants feel pain when they are
cut. With this small machine he studies the vibrations of the plants as he asks the neighbour Mrs Saunders
to snip the stem of a plant. Later he himself finds the pain and vibrations as he strikes an axe on a tree. He
is sure of his experiments. He tries to convince his neighbour and then Dr Scott to believe in his theory
that plants feel pain when they are injured or cut. The author wants to suggest through Klausner that most
of us are deaf to the harm we cause to plants around us.

(b) Describe the sound machine and its functioning.

Answer : Klausner was an amateur scientist . He invented a sound machine. It was in the shape of a black
box about three feet long. It looked like a child’s coffin. It was put on a long wooden bench. The top of
the box was open . Inside the box there was a littering and some small tools. In order to test its
connections Klausner began tugging gently at the wires. This fingers moves swiftly and deftly. In front of
the box there were three dials. In order to watch the movement of the mechanism in the box, the dials had
to be twiddled. With the help of this machine one could hear sounds which were either low-pitched or
high pitched. When the earphone is connected to this machine one can hear low sharp sounds at low
internals.

Part – 2

(a) What do you know about the setting of the story ‘The Sound Machine’?

Answer : ‘The Sound Machine’ is the story of an amateur scientist named Klausner. He is obsessed with
sounds and he wants to capture those sounds which are either high pitched or low pitched. The story is set
in Klausner’s laboratory which is located in a secluded wooden shed at the back of his house. The interior
of the shed is an unpainted room. It has a long wooden bench. On this bench lies a black box about three
feet long. It is actually the sound machine invented by Klausner. The top of the box is open. In this box,
there are wires, batteries and small instruments. The purpose of Klausner is to capture those high pitched
sounds which are inaudible to human ear. The other place mentioned in the story is his garden at the back
of his house. It is actually the open space, ideal for listening to the sounds . It is here that Klausner hears
the shrieking sound made by the stem of a plant when his neighbour Mrs Saunders was plucking flowers
in the garden. Another place mentioned in the story is a park where Klausner takes his machine to test its
usefulness.

(b) What is Klausner’s theory of sounds?

Answer : When Dr Scott shows inquisitiveness Klausner explains to him his theory of sounds. IT is that
there are sounds that are so low-pitched or so high-pitched that human ear can’t hear them. We can’t hear
any note having fifteen thousand vibrations a second. Still there are vibrations higher and higher going to
infinity. The same is true about music. If our ears are turned to listening to so high-pitched sounds in the
audible regions, they will go mad. Dr Scott thinks that such things are not probably. Klausner, then, tells.
Dr. Scott things that he has made a simple instrument to prove the existence of many odd inaudible
sounds. His sound machine can pick up sound vibrations that are too high pitched for receptions by the
human ear. His machine can convert these sounds to a scale of audible tones. By turning on the machine,
as if a radio, one can listen to sounds which an average ear can’t listen.

Part – 3

(a) What do you think, is the message that the author wants to convey in the story ‘The Sound
Machine’.

Answer : The Sound Machine is a very meaningful story. It is not difficult to understand the message of
the story. The author wants us to stop being def to plant life, without which our life is at a great peril. He
wants to make us conscious of the conversation of plants and the need to be sensitive to their pain. Very
sensitive person realize this but they are called crazy or mad by the worldly wise people. Such sensitive
persons can feel the cry of pain experienced by the plants when they are cut or injured. Klausner is also
one such man. He can hear the cry of rose bush when a rose is snipped from the stem. Dr Scott and Mrs
Saunders are not as sensitive as Klausner. They can’t hear the slightest vibrations. They can’t feel the pain
and anguish of the plants. Like Jagdish Chander Bose who invented crescograph to study and record the
growth of plants, Klausner could have given a new invention to the world if his machine had not been
shattered to pieces by the falling of big branch of tree.

(b) How did the machine made by Klausner get smashed?

Answer : Wishing to make another experiment the next morning, Klausner got an axe, carried it across
the road into the par. Here he swung the axe into the base of the beech tree. In his earphones he heard a
harsh, noteless, low-pitched screaming sound. It seemed to be the wail of the tree. The axe had sunk into
the bark of the tree. There was a gash in it. Klausner felt sorry for his act. At once Klausner called Dr
Scott. He wanted to show the result of his experiment on the sound machine. When the Doctor came
Klausner was very much excited. He wanted the doctor to hear with the help of the earphones, what he
could hear when the axe was swung on the tree. The Doctor put on the earphones. Klausner once again
struck the axe on the tree. The Doctor could hear just humming sound and nothing else. But then the
ground shook a bit and a large branch of the tree came cascading down. It smashed the sound machine
into pieces. It was a miraculous escape for both of them. Perhaps the writer wants to warn us. Human
beings are ignoring the nature’s sound which it gives through natural calamities. If we continue to ignore
the sound of nature and keep on indiscriminately cutting trees, we will meet the same fate as the sound
machine.

(c) The sounds of nature are a warning to man that if he continues to destroy nature recklessly,
nature will one day destroy him. Do you agree?

Answer : Klausner was an amateur scientist. He was obsessed with the sounds -especially with the sounds
– in nature. He wanted to capture all the sounds made by plants, animal and insects which are not audible
to man. He invented a sound machine and tested it for the first time when a neighbour Mrs Saunders was
cutting the stems of rose plants. When he put on the earphones and turned on the machine he could hear
strange shrieking sounds. He felt that the stems were in pain. He narrated his experience to Mrs Saunders
but unconvinced she went inside her house.

The next day, early in the morning Klausner, carried out an experiment. He put on the earphone, turned
on the machine and hit the trunk of the tree with an axe. He heard a scream. He felt sorry for his act. Then
he called Dr Scott and repeated the same experiment but the Doctor could not hear any cries. In fact the
pain of the tree did not matter to him when Klausner hit the tree for the second time a large branch fell
and destroyed the machine.

We think that human beings are ignoring the nature’s sounds. Nature gives out a number of sounds
through natural calamities. It is warning to man. The smashing of sound machine is only symbolic. It
could be any disaster that nature can inflict upon humans if treated cruelly. Thus if we ignore the sounds
of nature and keep on cutting the trees indiscriminately we will meet the same fate as the sound machine.

Part – 4

(a) How would you justify the title of the story ‘The Sound Machine’?

Answer : The title of the story ‘The Sound Machine’ is quite appropriate. The whole story is about the
idea that we can hear even inaudible sounds with the help of a machine. Klausner, an amateur scientist is
obsessed with sounds. He believes that there are sounds, low pitched or high-pitched that a human ear
cannot hear. But with the help of a mechanical device these sound vibrations or notes can be made
audible to the human ear. He has made an instrument which can prove the existence of sounds. This is a
sound machine. When one puts on earphones and the machine in turned on he can hear even the sounds of
cries of pain when the base of a trunk is hit with an axe. Klausner tries to convince Dr. Scott and his
neighbour Mrs Saunders, but he fails. In the meantime a large branch of the tree falls and the machine
gets destroyed. Thus, we see the sound machine remains in focus throughout the story. So the title is quite
apt and suggestive.

(b) Klausner seems to be an eccentric man but his concerns are quite real. Discuss with reference to
the story ‘The Sound Machine’.

Answer : Klausner is the protagonist in the story. He is an amateur scientist who is fond of sounds. He is
weak, pale and agitated type of person. He seems to be a crazy fellow. His large head, with his hat on, is
generally kept inclined toward his left shoulder as though his neck were not quite strong enough to
support it rigidly. His face is smooth and pale, almost white, and the pale grey eyes that blink and peer
and behind a pair of steel spectacles are bewildered, unfocussed, remote. He looks like a moth of man,
dreamy and distracted. While working on his machine, he gets excited and animated. He keeps on gently
scratching the lobe of his ear while explaining some point to his friend Dr Scott. In fact, he is taken to be
a fantastic, peculiar person by both the Doctor and Mrs Saunders.

Whether Klausner is eccentric or not is a debatable question. He may be fantastic but his concerns are
real. He wants others to realize that our attitude towards plant life is harmful. Plants too have life like
human beings. They too feel pain if they are hit. They cry with pain when they are brutally cut. In fact
Klausner is concerned with conservation of environment and deforestation.

(c) How does Roald Dahl show his concern for nature in his story. The Sound Machine?

Answer : ‘The Sound Machine’ deals subtly with the theme of nature. Klausner is an amateur scientist.
He believes that there is a sphere of sounds inaudible to humans that is so powerful it would drive people
mad to hear it. According to him, there are some sounds that are so high-pitched or low-pitched that
human ear can’t hear them. In order to test his theory he has devised a complicated machine . He takes
into confidence his doctor (Doctor Scott) about his theory and his machine. The doctor feels that he is not
in his senses. He does not seem to believe what he says.

He explains his theory to Mrs Saunders but she too thinks that Klausner is a peculiar man and she goes
inside. But Klausner being a sensitive man can feel the cry of the plants. Mrs Saunders and Dr. Scott can’t
hear any sound but Klausner hears it three times. It is suggestive of the apathetic attitude most of the
people have towards nature. Klausner after hitting the trunk of the tree with an axe feels sorry for his
action and apologies to the tree. This shows his concern for nature. He tries to press the edges of the gash
to close the wound. He invites Dr. Scott to show him the experiment. He imagines what sort of a noise
would be created if five hundred wheat plants were to be cut simultaneously. When the doctor comes
Klausner asks him to hear the sound but he is not able to hear any sound. Klausner then gives another
blow at the trunk of the tree. Before the doctor leaves he asks the doctor to stitch the wound and apply
iodine.

Thus through Klausner’s concern for nature the writer wants to remind us that we should not cut plants
recklessly. We must hear the nature’s sound. It is giving us a warning. If we continue to cut trees
indiscriminately we will meet the fate of the sound machine. Plants too have life. They feel the pain we
should not inflict pain on them. Otherwise nature will punish us.

Long Questions

Question 1 : ‘The Sound Machine’ makes us realize that we hear what we want to. Do you agree?
Discuss with reference to the story.

Answer : ‘The Sound Machine’ is a story about the obsession of an amateur scientist named Klausner.
Klausner’s belief is that there is a sphere of sound inaudible to humans that is so powerful it would drive
people mad to hear it. According to him, there are some sounds that are so high-pitched or low-pitched
that human ear can’t hear them. In order to test his theory he has devised a complicated machine. He takes
into confidence his doctor (Doctor Scott) about his theory and his machine. The doctor feels that he is not
in his senses. He does not seem to believe what he says.
Klausner takes his machine into the garden. He sees Mrs Saunders, her neighbours, cutting yellow roses
across the lawn in her garden. He puts on the earphones and turns the knob of his machine. Suddenly he
hears a frightful shriek – he has already heard it in his room. He hears twice or thrice the same sound.
Then he suddenly realises that it has a connection with Mrs Saunders’ cutting the roses. He requests Mrs
Saunders to cut another rose stem with her clippers while he has put on the earphones. Mrs Saunders
considers the request with suspicion by obliges him. Once again he hears a frightful, throatless shriek. He
seems to be reassured that a rosebush feels pain when its stem is cut.

The next morning he takes his machine across the road into the park. He puts on the earphones and stats
his machine. Then he swings the axe into the base of the tree. He hears a harsh, noteless, screaming
sound. There appears a gash into the woodflesh of the tree. He feels sorry to the tree. Then he calls Doctor
Scott and asks him to put on the earphones and hear the painful sound he has heard. As the doctor does
what he is asked to do, he takes another slice at the tree. As he does it, the ground shakes a bit and a large
branch comes cascading down. He and the doctor are not hurt but the machine is destroyed. He asks the
doctor if he heard any screaming sound, the doctor denies having heard any sound: For God’s sake, how
could I tell, what with half the tree falling on me and having to run for my life.

The writer leaves it to readers to decide whether the plants actually gives screams in pain, when hurt. It is
possible that a possessed man like Klausner hears the screaming sound it has overpowered his mind for
long. A man who is possessed of anything sees what he wants to see and hears what he wants to hear. Of
course ,we cannot brush aside the scientifically proven fact that plants have life, though it is not certain if
they do cry out in pain when they are cut.

Question 2 : Describe Klausner’s experiments with sound. Suppose it were a success, how would it
benefit mankind?

Answer : Klausner was a sort of scientist. He believed that there are sounds that are so low-pitched or
high-pitched that the human ear cannot hear them. We cannot hear any note having fifteen thousand
vibrations a second. Still there are vibrations higher and higher going to infinity. The same is true of
music. If our ears are tuned to listening to so high-pitched sounds in the inaudible regions, we will go
mad.

This was the theory of sounds in the mind of Klausner. In order to test his theory he has made a simple
machine which looks like a coffin. The machine was so designed as to pick up the sound vibrations that
were too high-pitched for reception by the human ear, and to convert them to a scale of audible tones. By
turning on his machine, as if on a radio, he would be able to listen to sounds which an average ear cannot
listen.

In order to test his machine, he carried it to his garden. He saw his neighbour, Mrs Saunders, cutting
yellow roses across the lawn in her garden. When he put on the earphones and turned on his machine, he
heard a loud screaming sound each time a rose was cut. He got agitated. He took his machine out. Then
he gain put on the earphones and turned on the machine. He swung an axe at the base of a tree. He heard a
very harsh, loud scream. He was no sure that when plants were cut they cried in pain. However, Dr Scott
could hear no sound when he used his axe on the tree again. There appeared a gash, like a wound, into the
woodflesh. Klausner made the doctor put the iodine on it as if the tree were a living human being.
Now if we suppose that Klausner’s experiment were a success, it would certainly help promote
conservation of environment. People would naturally come to realize that plants and trees should not be
felled down casually. Religious people would never resort to cutting trees. It meant that deforestation
would cease, resulting in the reduction of global warming which is certainly a major problem in our
world.

Though Klausner’s machine is a figment of imagination, we should keep in mind the experiments done by
Jadgish Chander Bose in his laboratory in Calcutta (now Kolkata). He proved through his scientific
devices that plants have life and feel pain. Despite this knowledge, we continue to regard plants as non-
living because we don not hear the painful screams when they are hurt in the manner human beings do in
similar circumstances.

Question 3 : Who was Klausner What did he experiment with, and what for?

Answer : Klausner was a crazy but amateur scientist. He as obsessed with sounds. He himself told his
physician friend Dr. Scott, “I like sound.” He had evolved his theory about sounds. The theory was that
the human ear can’t hear everything. It can hear certain sounds, whether high-pitched or low-pitched.
Such sounds can also be called ‘notes’. Explaining his theory, he explained to Dr Scott that a human can’t
hear any note having more than fifteen thousand vibrations a second. Likewise such sound vibrations may
go higher and higher to infinity, even beyond the stars. Indeed , there is a whole world of sound above us
all the time that we cannot hear. Similar is the case with music being created in the inaudible regions. If
made to be heard, this music would drive us mad.

Klausner was so much fascinated with his idea of sound that he went crazy to test it on a complicated
machine. It was just a contraption, three feet long, having the shape of a child’s coffin. It was a black box
with a littering of wires and batteries. With the help of this machine he wanted to study subtle sounds and
vibrations. He made a simple instrument that proved to him the existence of many odd inaudible sounds.
Klausner was so obsessed with it that he would sit for hours and watch the needle of his instrument
recording the presence of sound vibrations in the air when he himself could hear nothing. He wished to
listen to all those sounds as his machine was so designed to pick up sound vibrations that are too high-
pitched for reception by the human ear. He wanted to convert these vibrations to a scale of audible tone
by tuning it like a radio.

Taking his device into the garden, Klausner put on earphones over his head and tried to listen to any
specific sound around him. At once he could hear a cracking sound produced as his neighbours Mrs
Saunders was clipping the stem of a rosebush. He called out to her to repeat her act of snipping the stem
once again. As she did it, Klausner heard a frightful, throatless shriek in his earphones. He took it to be
the plant’s cry of pain. Later next morning he experimented on a beech tree by swinging his axe on it.
Once again he heard a similar throatless cry. He felt sorry to the trees. He at once called Dr Scott to prove
his theory. In Dr Scott’s presence, he swung the axe again and asked the Doctor to tell him what he
listened. But then the tree shook , a big branch of the tree came falling on the device, shattering it to
pieces. The Doctor and Klausner had just a narrow escape. Perhaps nature did not want any more harm to
be done to the tree.

Question 4 : In what way the story ‘The Sound Machine’ deals with the theme of environment?
Discuss and elaborate.
Answer : We human beings are indifferent to all species other than homo sapiens. We are least careful
towards animals, birds, insects and plants. We have been considering all these existing for the service of
mankind. We have been slaughtering them for our needs over the millennia. This is particularly true of
plants. We are literally deaf to the harm we are causing to the plant life around us.

Klausner is considered as crazy because he is harping on something which does not interest those for
whom plants are as good as dead. He is an amateur scientist and is obsessed with his theory of sounds. He
makes a machine in order to test his theory. At first he uses it in his garden and finds that it registers
sounds which are emitted when his neighbour Mrs Saunders cuts rose stems in her garden. He tries
explaining this to her but she flees in fear.

The next day the ‘possessed’ scientist takes his machine outside in a park. He axes a tree and hears a
similar cry. He quickly telephones Dr Scott whom he has already told about his theory and his machine.
He wants to make sure that his machine really works. Dr Scott is made to put on the earphones. The
machine is turned on. Klausner uses his axe on the tree again. The ground shakes and a large branch falls
down and destroys the machine – possibly the tree’s revenge for hurting it again. When Klausner asks the
doctor if he heard the scream, he says: I don’t know …… I don’t know what I heard. Probably the noise of
the branch breaking.

Thus, like Mrs Saunders Dr Scott, too, proves to be deaf to the pain of the plants when hurt. Both dismiss
Klausner as a crazy fellow. In a way, the writer indicts all those who pay no attention to the fact that
plants have life. Klausner may be ‘crazy’ but he wants others to realize that our attitude towards plant life
is harmful. This becomes clear the way he forces the Doctor to put iodine on the gash in the woodflesh of
the tree. The Doctor obliges Klausner but behaves as if he were in the clutches of a mad man. The healing
touch which Klausner administer to the ‘wounded’ tree is symbolic. All of us should realize that when we
cut a tree we are harming it like a human being. Its hurt is sure to hurt mankind in the long run. Thus, the
story conveys the idea of conservation of environment and deforestation in an interesting ‘crazy’ way.

Critical Questions and Answers

1. (a) With reference to the story "Sound machine' explain what made the Doctor intrigued and
inquisitive ? What explanation did the "strange patient" offer to satisfy the curious mind of the
Doctor?

Answer The Doctor is intrigued by a black box which was the size of a coffin and almost three feet long.
The top of the box was open and displayed the numerous colourful wires and silver tubes inside it. The
sheer complexity of the box intrigued the Doctor to know more about it. To add to the Doctor's curiosity
was his strange patient, who was caught up so excitedly with the box that he behaved rather strangely. His
deft handling of the innards of the box, his enthusiasm and rapt attention had made the Doctor inquisitive
about what he was up to. The patient's attempt was to create a sound machine that would allow humans
to hear the high-pitched voices otherwise inaudible to the human ear. The "strange patient" offered to
satisfy the curious mind of the Doctor by explaining the entire theory behind his innovation of the sound
machine. The human ear is incapable of hearing certain high-pitched and low-pitched sounds, in
particular the notes with more than fifteen thousand vibrations a second. According to him there is a
whole world of sound that humans cannot hear due to the high frequency of notes emitted. There is a
whole gamut of exciting music, with subtle harmonies and grinding discords missed out on by humans
due to their sheer incapacity of hearing these sounds. The strange patient is eager to tap on the unheard
powerful music produced with its sound machine that would enable people to hear these unheard sounds
which would ideally drive them mad if they were to hear it with their ears.

(b) With reference to the story 'The Sound Machine' answer why did Klausner take the machine to
the park next day ? What happened to the machine ?

Answer The Sound Machine' by Roald Dahl explores the obsession of Klausner with sound. He invents a
sound machine in order to allow humans to hear the high pitched voices otherwise inaudible to the human
ear. According to him, there is a whole world of sound that humans cannot hear due to the high frequency
of notes emitted. There is a whole gamut of exciting music, with subtle harmonies and grinding discords
missed out by humans due to their sheer incapacity of hearing these sounds. Klausner is eager to tap on
the unheard powerful music produced with its sound machine that would enable people to hear these
unheard sounds that would ideally drive them mad if they were to hear it with their ears. Klausner
decides to take this machine to the park for experiment and prove it to others with concrete evidence that
what he harped about was in fact true. Klausner takes the machine to the park at six in the morning with a
view to hear the sound emanated by the tree that he was going to axe. The first blow that he aims at the
beech tree, Klausner believes he heard a 'harsh, noteless, enormous noise, a growling, low-pitched,
screaming sound...loudest at the moment when the axe struck, fading gradually fainter and fainter until it
was gone.' Klausner believes that he heard the voice and calls his friend, the doctor to validate his
experiment. However, on his second attempt to axe the tree, Klausner hits the roots of the tree making the
sixty feet long branch fall off which destroys the sound machine into pieces.

(c) Why did Klausner call the doctor hurriedly? Why did he come immediately? What does this
reveal to the readers about their relationship?

Answer Klausner during his experiment with the sound machine in the park at the wee hours is
convinced that he had a breakthrough with his invention. He heard a loud shriek from the tree which
sounded like "a harsh, noteless, enormous noise, a growling, low-pitched, screaming sound." Klausner
though convinced himself about the success of his machine, he wanted to apprise his friend the doctor to
validate the same that he had heard. Therefore, he calls him up hurriedly to be a part of this experiment
and hear the same shrieking sound from the tree as he had heard when the tree was axed. The doctor
receives the phone immediately as he was attuned to people calling him at any hour for his help. He is
amazed at Klaunser's obsession for the sound machine and his belief in the experiment. However, his tone
at that hour in the morning sounded like a desperate cry for help, almost as if it was an emergency case.
The doctor came immediately because he saw a friend in Klausner. However, unbelievable did the
experiment sound, the doctor was curious to know more on this matter. The doctor and Klausner shared a
friendship that went beyond his professional realm. He is a loyalist stand by his friend throughout despite
being convinced of his invention or the theory. His concern for Klausner is palpable in his conversation
with him. He cares for him and makes those extra efforts to enquire about his health even when there is
no need. He also tries his level best to avoid the truth of the sound he heard to ensure Klausner is not
disappointed but fails. The doctor is a curious soul, inquisitive about the many things that Klausner
does. He is keen to know about Klausner's invention and theory behind it, but he does not agree to the
whims and fancies of Klausner's brain and instead relies on his own experience. He is a sceptic and does
not believe the theory and story provided by Klausner, but he is a sympathetic friend who understands
Klausner's situation and to heal him of his bad notions agrees to stitch the wounded tree. The Doctor is a
nervous soul, but a true and loyal friend, a characteristic that wins him the hearts of Dahl's readers. Their
relationship is more of friendship rather than a doctor and a patient and that is why the two remain etched
in the mind of the readers for a long time.

2. Explore the various themes interwoven in the story "The Sound Machine'. What does the story
convey?

Answer. Roald Dahl's story makes us think a lot regarding man's relationship with nature, with other
human beings and the values that shape our very being. It has multiple themes that can be explored at
various levels. The first theme is the individual versus conformity. Individual theories meet opposition
when they are against the accepted beliefs or norms of society. This makes us timid as we fear ridicule.
So is the case with Klausner who has to hide his machine from public view as he is not sure of himself.
This approach comes in the way of free thoughts and experimentations. The world is losing many
innovations due to this. The only way is to overcome obstacles with belief in oneself. One has to have the
courage to stand by one's convictions. A compromise is required from both sides.

The second theme is madness vs. sanity- those who come up with different theories or interpretations are
considered mad. Klausner can be labelled as mad because he behaves strangely. He seems odd to his
neighbour. The doctor is also sceptical about his invention. Yet another theme, put forward is that of
appearance vs. reality- are the sounds real or imaginary? Klausner is convinced of sounds, but are they
figment of imagination of a feverish brain, obsessed with sounds? The machine breaks into pieces, so
there is no way for the 'sane' doctor to hear it and vouch for it. Rejection or acceptance is another aspect
dealt with, in the story. Which is the right way? People are different, their behaviour, attitude and
convictions may be different but they should not be rejected. Even if their beliefs are unacceptable to you,
do not demean them. It is possible to live in harmony. This way everyone can have convictions without
fear and this will lead to innovations. The doctor and the inventor walking arm in arm at the end of the
story, suggests this harmony. One theme that stands out and compels our attention is human attitude to
Nature. We should not forget that Nature is a living entity, and every cut we make on the plants or
animals transmits pain. But at the same time this awareness will not permit us to live. We will not be able
to eat or drink if we entertain this sensibility. Somewhere a line has to be drawn.

On the whole, we can say, the story sends a strong message that one has to respect people with different
views. We should accept and admire all forms of life and the environment. We should not mistrust
indiscriminately and give labels. The ones in search should not cease their pursuit even if they have to
continue on their own.

3. Attempt a character sketch of Klausner and Dr. Scott.

Answer The writer portrays characters through narration, characterisation, actions, own words and what
other characters say or behave. Klausner is shown checking some machine in a wooden shed. There is
something secretive about him, in the way he surreptitiously guards his contraption. He speaks softly to
himself, nodding, smiling, and his mouth shifting in curious shapes. He becomes more animated every
moment. His physical attributes tell us something about his character. He is a small frail man, nervous
and twitchy. His large head is inclined toward his left shoulder as though his neck is not strong enough to
support it. He is bespectacled, and his eyes are bewildered, unfocused and remote, dreamy and distracted.
He gives a strange impression that his mind is far away from his body. This description in itself gives the
idea that he is different from most of the people. That he is meticulous in whatever he does is shown by
the way he handles the machines. His insecurity and lack of confidence is shown by his twitchiness and
the way of speaking. Klausner's obsession with sound creates a greater sensitivity towards all the
creatures around him. He hears the cry of the plants and trees. He wonders how he is going to eat his next
meal when he imagines thousands of wheat and vegetable plants scream in pain when they are cut. The
groan of the tree, when cut by his axe, haunts him. This is the reason why he insists that Dr. Scott applies
medicine on its gashes.

In contrast to Klausner, Dr. Scott is sceptical and practical. He is not overly sensitive to things around
him. Yes, as a doctor, he is concerned about his patients. That is the reason why he visits Klausner. When
he sees the curious looking machine, like anyone else, he wants to know what it is all about. In spite of
not believing in what Klausner says, he does not ridicule him but humours him. He is a foil to Klausner as
he is calm and collected. He is a tall man and very confident of himself. He is sensible enough not to
protest but meticulously applies for medicine on the tree, just to bring down the heightened reactions of
his patient. Thus with simple, straightforward, descriptive details, actions and words, Roald Dahl
sketches the characters of Klausner and his doctor.