Mr. Know All || Four Levels of Interpretation || Flax Golden Tales

Level: B.A/ B.B.S || Lesson 38 Mr. Know All (W. Somerset Maugham, England 1874-1965)

Words Meaning

Accommodation = loading, room and food

Liners = ship

Rigidly = strictly

Dismay = despair

Wardrobe = stock of clothes

Put up with = bear

Berth = sleeping place

Ebony = hard wood

Monogram = two or more letters combined and one design

Blink = to disregard

Tactless = not clever

Study = vigorous

Sleek = smooth

Drapery = cloth

Tumbler = a kind of glass for drink

Chatty = talkative

Martini = a kind of drink

Furnish = provide

Slam = band

Snub = to stop

Compliment = admiration

Affront = insult

Vanity = falsehood

Frigid = hopeless

Dogmatic = orthodox

Resent = to be angrybet

Acrimoniour = bitter

Interminable = endless

Bulged = swelled

Vehement = powerful

Flicker = shine

Desperate = hopeless

Chaff = joking

Flush = shy with shame

Demeanor = manner

Swarthy = dark and dismal

Patron = one who helps with money and other services

Cocktail = mixture of liquors

Pal = friend

Flask = narrow-necked bottle

Ball = social gathering

Loquacious = talkative

Mister = Mr.

Exasperating = irritating

Seized = caught

Dogmatic = conservative

Fetch = seek and bring

Resume = start again

Vaguely = unclearly

Clasp = joining of two palms

Errand = short journey

Triumph = victory

Swarthy = having dark color of skin

Steward = a person who arranges the supply of food

Jolly = happily

Inevitable = certainly

Chap = man, fellow

Vanity = conceit

Bulged = curved outwards

Flicker = burn lightly and irregularly

Vehement = eager in speech

Triumph = win

Summary

The writer Mr. Maugham himself was going to Yokohama, Japan from San Francisco, The USA. He couldn’t get a separate cabin then he shared a cabin with Max Kelda was also English. The writer didn’t like to share anything with Kelda but serves Maugham drink. The writer was worried that he had to spend 14 days with Kelda. When Maugham reached in his cabin, Max Kelda welcomes him with open arms. But the writer didn’t accept his welcome. The writer started playing game but again Kelda came near him. Kelda talked about plays, politics, etc. with the writer. Kelda was talkative and used to go to each passenger on the ship. He became popular among the people who were on the ship. They share the cabin and table.

One American couple was sitting next to their cabin. The American couples were Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. While they were eating. Food, there was a hot discussion about Japanese imitation of pearl. Mr. Kelda said that he was a jewel dealer. He knows about quality of pearl. Kelda saw pearl on Mrs. Ramsay’s neck and Kelda said that pearl of Mrs. Ramsay is original and costs between 15 to 30 thousand dollors. But Mr. Ramsay said that it was duplicate and cost 18 dollor. Mr. Ramsay said that it was bought in New York. Then they bet for one hundred dollor on the pearl of Mrs. Ramsay. Kelda examined the pearl. He looks at Mrs. Ramsay’s face and saw her face red with fear. Mrs. Ramsay hadn’t told her husband reality, she had told her husband that this necklace was duplicate and same thing told Mr. Ramsay to Kelda. Ramsay didn’t know the reality. Then Mr. Kelda accepted his defeat though pearl wasn’t duplicated. He handed one hundred dollor to Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. The next morning, Kelda received one hundred dollors in an envelop. The envelop was pushed into the cabn of Kelda by Mrs. Ramsay. There was one hundred dollors in that envelop. Then Max Kelda informed the writer that pearl was really original so Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay returned his one hundred dollors to him. In this way he had knowledge of all kinds of things so he was called Mr. Know All.

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Four Levels of Interpretation

Literal Comprehension

The writer Mr. Maugham himself was going to Yokohama, Japan from San Francisco, The USA. He couldn’t get a separate cabin then he shared a cabin with Max Kelda was also English. The writer didn’t like to share anything with Kelda but serves Maugham drink. The writer was worried that he had to spend 14 days with Kelda. When Maugham reached in his cabin, Max Kelda welcomes him with open arms. But the writer didn’t accept his welcome. The writer started playing game but again Kelda came near him. Kelda talked about plays, politics, etc. with the writer. Kelda was talkative and used to go to each passenger on the ship. He became popular among the people who were on the ship. They share the cabin and table.

One American couple was sitting next to their cabin. The American couples were Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. While they were eating. Food, there was a hot discussion about Japanese imitation of pearl. Mr. Kelda said that he was a jewel dealer. He knows about quality of pearl. Kelda saw pearl on Mrs. Ramsay’s neck and Kelda said that pearl of Mrs. Ramsay is original and costs between 15 to 30 thousand dollors. But Mr. Ramsay said that it was duplicate and cost 18 dollor. Mr. Ramsay said that it was bought in New York. Then they bet for one hundred dollor on the pearl of Mrs. Ramsay. Kelda examined the pearl. He looks at Mrs. Ramsay’s face and saw her face red with fear. Mrs. Ramsay hadn’t told her husband reality, she had told her husband that this necklace was duplicate and same thing told Mr. Ramsay to Kelda. Ramsay didn’t know the reality. Then Mr. Kelda accepted his defeat though pearl wasn’t duplicated. He handed one hundred dollor to Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. The next morning, Kelda received one hundred dollors in an envelop. The envelop was pushed into the cabn of Kelda by Mrs. Ramsay. There was one hundred dollors in that envelop. Then Max Kelda informed the writer that pearl was really original so Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay returned his one hundred dollors to him. In this way he had knowledge of all kinds of things so he was called Mr. Know All.

Interpretation

This story tries to show how white Americans behave Negros. Max Kelada was a Negro but Maugham was a white. Maugham didn’t like to share joy and happiness of his journey with Max Kelada. When Kelada welcomes him, Maugham doesn’t care. Next thing the writer shows that how women make her husband fool in the absence of their husbands. Here, Mr. Ramsay was an employee at American Consular Office at Kobe in Japan. He had left his young beautiful wife behind in New York for a year. Now he was taking his wife to Japan though Mr. Ramsay didn’t get good salary. Mr. Ramsay’s wife had bought an original pearl necklace. Mr. Ramsay thought it was really duplicate. But Mrs. Ramsay had bought original necklace in the absence of her husband. These types of circumstances occur when women are away from their husbands. It became clear that Mrs. Ramsay had earned money unfairly to buy the chain when her husband had been away in Kobe.

Critical Thinking

This text is easy to understand. There is use of first person-‘I’. the text shows that one should be valued in terms of intelligence not in terms of color of skin. Friendly and good nature of person shpuld be admired. Same things happens in this story. Next for a happy life, husband and wife should live together otherwise there might be like of Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay. But it is difficult to believe that writer didn’t like Mr. Kelada at all though he was open-hearted and frank. Why don’t these whites care their own native people though they claim themselves as the greatest democratic people of the world?

Assimilation

When I read this story, I remembered my village Dalits. Some of my villagers who are rich, get Dalits to work in the field and they do their work well. Everything is done for rich people by these Dalits but rich people who aren’t Dalits don’t let their children play with Dalit’s children though some of the Dalits children are hardworking. These rich people don’t like to share their experiences with Dalits.

Possible Questions

1. Summarize the story MR. KNOW ALL.

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