The Ant and The Grasshopper
When I was a very small boy I was made to learn by heart certain of the fables of La Fontaine, and the moral of each was carefully explained to me. Among those, I learnt was The Ant and The Grasshopper, which is devised to bring home to the young the useful lesson that in an imperfect world industry is rewarded and giddiness punished. In this admirable fable (I apologize for telling something which everyone is politely, but inexactly, supposed to know) the ant spends a laborious summer gathering its winter store, while the grasshopper sits on a blade of grass singing to the sun. Winter comes and the ant is comfortably provided for, but the grasshopper has an empty larder: he goes to the ant and begs for a little food. Then the ant gives him her classic answer:
'What were you doing in the summertime?'
'Saving your presence, I sang, I sang all day, all night.'
'You sang. Why then go and dance.'
I do not ascribe it to perversity on my part, but rather to the inconvenience of childhood, which is deficient in the moral sense, that I could never quite reconcile myself to the lesson. My sympathies were with the grasshopper and for some time I never saw an ant without putting my foot on it. In this summary (and as I have discovered since, entirely human) fashion I sought to express my disapproval of prudence and common sense.
I could not help thinking of this fable when the other day I saw George Ramsay launching by himself in a restaurant. I never saw anyone wear an expression of such deep gloom. He was staring into space. He looked as though the burden of the whole world sat on his shoulders. I was sorry for him: I suspected at once that his unfortunate brother had been causing trouble again. I went up to him and held out my hand.
'How are you?' I asked.
'I'm not in hilarious spirits,' he answered.
'Is it Tom again?'
He sighed.
'Yes, it's Tom again.'
'Why don't you chuck him? You've done everything in the world for him. You must know by now that he's quite hopeless.'
I suppose every family has a black sheep. Tom had been a sore trial to him for twenty years. He had begun life decently enough: he went into business, married, and had two children. The Ramsays were perfectly respectable people and there was every reason to suppose that Tom Ramsay would have a useful and honourable career. But one day, without warning, he announced that he didn't like work and that he wasn't suited for marriage. He wanted to enjoy himself. He would listen to no expostulations. He left his wife and his office. He had a little money and he spent two happy years in the various capitals of Europe. Rumours of his doings reached his relations from time to time and they were profoundly shocked. He certainly had a very good time. They shook their heads and asked what would happen when his money was spent. They soon found out: he borrowed. He was charming and unscrupulous. I have never met anyone to whom it was more difficult to refuse a loan. He made a steady income from his friends and he made friends easily. But he always said that the money you spent on necessities was boring; the money that was amusing to spend was the money you spent on luxuries. For this, he depended on his brother George. He did not waste his charm on him. George was a serious man and insensible to such enticements. George was respectable. Once or twice he fell to Tom's promises of amendment and gave him considerable sums in order that he might make a fresh start. On these, Tom bought a motor car and some very nice jewellery. But when circumstances forced George to realize that his brother would never settle down and he washed his hands of him, Tom, without a qualm, began to blackmail him. It was not very nice for a respectable lawyer to find his brother shaking cocktails behind the bar of his favourite restaurant or to see him waiting on the box seat of a taxi outside his club. Tom said that to serve in a bar or to drive a taxi was a perfectly decent occupation, but if George could oblige him with a couple of hundred pounds he didn't mind for the honour of the family giving it up. George paid.
Once Tom nearly went to prison. George was terribly upset. He went into the whole discreditable affair. Really Tom had gone too far. He had been wild, thoughtless, and selfish, but he had never before done anything dishonest, by which George meant illegal; and if he were prosecuted he would assuredly be convicted. But you cannot allow your only brother to go to gaol. The man Tom had cheated, a man called Cronshaw, was vindictive. He was determined to take the matter into court; he said Tom was a scoundrel and should be punished. It cost George an infinite deal of trouble and five hundred pounds to settle the affair. I have never seen him in such a rage as when he heard that Tom and Cronshaw had gone off together to Monte Carlo the moment they cashed the cheque. They spent a happy month there.
For twenty years Tom raced and gambled, philandered with the prettiest girls, danced, ate in the most expensive restaurants, and dressed beautifully. He always looked as if he had just stepped out of a bandbox. Though he was forty-six you would never have taken him for more than thirty-five. He was a most amusing companion and though you knew he was perfectly worthless you could not but enjoy his society. He had high spirits, an unfailing gaiety, and incredible charm. I never grudged the contributions he regularly levied on me for the necessities of his existence. I never lent him fifty pounds without feeling that I was in his debt. Tom Ramsay knew everyone and everyone knew Tom Ramsay. You could not approve of him, but you could not help liking him.
Poor George, only a year older than his scapegrace brother, looked sixty. He had never taken more than a fortnight's holiday in the year for a quarter of a century. He was in his office every morning at nine-thirty and never left it till six. He was honest, industrious, and worthy. He had a good wife, to whom he had never been unfaithful even in thought, and four daughters to whom he was the best of fathers. He made a point of saving a third of his income and his plan was to retire at fifty-five to a little house in the country where he proposed to cultivate his garden and play golf. His life was blameless. He was glad that he was growing old because Tom was growing old too. He rubbed his hands and said:
'It was all very well when Tom was young and good-looking, but he's only a year younger than I am. In four years he'll be fifty. He won't find life so easy then. I shall have thirty thousand pounds by the time I'm fifty. For twenty-five years I've said that Tom would end in the gutter. And we shall see how he likes that. We shall see if it really pays best to work or be idle.'
Poor George! I sympathized with him. I wondered now as I sat down beside him what infamous thing Tom had done. George was evidently very much upset.
'Do you know what's happened now?' he asked me.
I was prepared for the worst. I wondered if Tom had gotten into the hands of the police at last. George could hardly bring himself to speak.
'You're not going to deny that all my life I've been hard working, decent, respectable, and straightforward. After a life of industry and thrift I can look forward to retiring on a small income in gilt-edged securities. I've always done my duty in that state of life in which it has pleased Providence to place me.'
'True.'
'And you can't deny that Tom has been an idle, worthless, dissolute, and dishonourable rogue. If there were any justice he'd be in the workhouse.'
'True.'
George grew red in the face.
'A few weeks ago he became engaged to a woman old enough to be his mother. And now she's died and left him everything she had. Half a million pounds, a yacht, a house in London, and a house in the country.'
George Ramsay beat his clenched fist on the table.
'It's not fair, I tell you, it's not fair. Damn it, it's not fair.'
I could not help it. I burst into a shout of laughter as I looked at George's wrathful face, I rolled in my chair, I very nearly fell on the floor. George never forgave me. But Tom often asks me to have excellent dinners in his charming house in Mayfair, and if he occasionally borrows a trifle from me, that is merely from force of habit. It is never more than a sovereign.
✍ Somerset Maugham
Summary
As a great short story writer of the 19th-century of English literature, W. Somerset Maugham enjoyed tremendous popularity during his long literary career. In his long literary life, he wrote a great number of literary pieces in different forms. Among the short stories are remarkable works that bear testimony to his artistic capacity. He is regarded as a master of short stories. The stories “The Ant and The Grasshopper” deserve special mention in this regard. Maugham has presented two interesting characters here.
Maugham’s story bases itself on the well-known fable of La Fontaine of the same title. The exposition presents a brief summary of the fable, followed by the narrator’s expression of bias against the ant in La Fontaine’s story. Since in the exposition the narrator uses the fable to introduce his story of the Ramsay brothers, the reader’s expectations from the development of the plot are already determined to a certain extent. The complication begins with the narrator meeting George Ramsay in the restaurant. From here onwards, the plot takes the form of recapitulation, where the reader is presented with a comprehensive account of the lives of the two Ramsay brothers, George and Tom, which are studied in contrast. As this part of the plot unfolds, the reader is able to match the characters of George and Tom to those of the ant and the grasshopper respectively. The narrator suspects from George’s behaviour in the restaurant that Tom has committed the worst of his misdeeds, and wonders if he has gone to prison. The resolution however ends on a note of surprise for the narrator, and possibly the reader as well, as George’s anger is shown as the result of “in the workhouse”, as George had uncharitably hoped for. Thereby, the plot maintains the element of suspense, despite having disclosed a blueprint at the outset. What could have prepared the reader for this ending is the narrator’s personal bias against the ant that he reveals in the introduction, but the reader’s realization is likely to come only from hindsight. Suspense is also produced by the discontinuous or interrupted temporal flow; for instance, the narrator meets an angry George in the restaurant, but the reader along with the narrator does not find out why George is in the restaurant, but the reader along with the narrator does not find out why George is angry, till the recapitulation in flashback-mode is completed.
When the story opens we are introduced to the two main characters referring to them as George and Tom. The characters are introduced after a short introduction about the story of the ant and the grasshopper. In this fable, we learn that the ant in the story is much like the character of George. The ant begins working away throughout the summer collecting his food and building his shelter in order to prepare for the upcoming winter. The Grasshopper on the other hand enjoys his summer months by “sitting on a blade of grass singing to the sun”. The characteristics of the grasshopper are also seen through the character of Tom. George is considered “hardworking, decent, respectable and straightforward”, whereas Tom is portrayed as an idle, worthless, dissolute, and dishonourable rogue”. We cannot help but feel drawn to sympathize with George’s character because throughout the story George is seen to be the individual that has worked for everything he has. We see evidence of this when the narrator states, “Poor George, only a year older than a fortnight’s holiday in the year for a quarter of a century. He was in his office every morning at nine-thirty and never left it till six. He was honest, industrious, and worthy. He made a point of saving a third of his income and his plan was to retire at fifty-five to a little house in the country. Maugham uses this character to portray the preferred life that we as humans try to live each day. By going to work and supporting a family we are much like the ant in the story living each day in order to prepare ourselves for the future. Within the story, Maugham created Tom's character to portray the characteristics of the grasshopper. “He stopped working and wanted to enjoy himself. He had little money and he spent two happy years in various fields.
George and Tom are brothers but they differ from each other in their nature and attitude to life. Of them, George Ramsay is older and Tom Ramsay is younger. The former was fifty but looks like sixty. On the other hand, the latter was forty-six but looks only thirty-five. In the story, Ramsay is the ant who saves money for the future by working hard, and Tom Ramsay is the grasshopper, who never saved anything for the future but wanted to enjoy a luxurious life. In order to serve his own purpose, he did not hesitate to exploit his brother and take money from his friends. He found it amusing to spend money on luxuries. He maintained a hedonistic attitude to life. He used to engage himself in gambling, racing, philandering with beautiful girls, dancing, and eating in the most costly restaurants. He dressed tastefully and beautifully.
On the other hand, George Ramsay was always serious and punctual in the performance of his duties and responsibilities. He was never late in reaching his office and never left his place earlier. He was a good father and a good husband too. He was honest, hardworking, and worthy. He was always anxious about his brother’s future. He always tried to protect their family image and prestige. As a respectable lawyer, he always aimed at taking good care of his brother, Tom. But at one stage his brother went out of his control. He was the black sheep of the family and thus unscrupulous and dishonest Tom became an object of great trouble to George Ramsay. But the irony of fate is that at the end of his career he lived a modest living with a modest income. But the idle, dishonest, worthless and rogue Tom married an old lady in another country. The lifelong hard work, common sense, and wisdom did not pay George properly and richly. Rather his scapegrace brother earned a lot by dint of his crafty and calculated marriage.
We are thus brought to the conclusion that Maugham has presented the reality of life in this modern world. Honesty, wisdom, industry, and common sense are not always paid properly in this modern world. Through the difference between these two characters, Maugham has shown the hard labour of George like the ant, who paid only modestly whereas the singing grasshopper enjoyed his life, though by crafty means, luxuriously.
Analysis
Somerset Maugham is one of the well-known English writers. His short story “The Ant and the Grasshopper” is a striking example of life’s little ironies. In this story, the writer reverses the moral of the traditional fable. In the fable, the ant gathers food during the summer whereas the grasshopper wastes time. When the rainy season comes, the grasshopper begs the ant for food. But the writer is very sceptical about the moral of this fable and presents a different situation in his story.
The story is narrated by an unnamed narrator. George Ramsey is a hardworking person. He saves money for his peaceful retired life. But his brother Tom has a different personality. He does not go to work and prefers to enjoy life. He abandons his wife and children. He borrows money from many people and Ramsey settles some of the debts in order to save the reputation of the family. He expects his brother Tom to have an unpredictable future since he has no savings.
However, Tom is engaged to an old woman who is old enough to be his mother. The lady dies suddenly from whom he inherits half a million pounds. Referring to this incident, Ramsey feels as though there has been an injustice done. It is very much like the ant (George) versus the grasshopper (Tom). As the grasshopper made no provisions for the winter, Tom too made no provisions for his future. But in real life, Tom enjoys life better than his brother and is well-settled in life.
When George is sharing about the new fortune of his brother, the narrator laughs heartily. His reaction to Tom’s success in life mirrors the attitude of society also. In modern times, society does not care about the means of someone’s success. This story records the truth that all those who work hard do not gain success. Though this story presents the darker side of life, it discloses the drastic changes that take place in the minds of the people regarding life.
The Ant and the Grasshopper Exercise Grade 9 NEB
A. Choose the appropriate words given below to replace the underlined words in the given sentences.
[industry, hilarious, qualm, enticements, obliged, amendments, expostulations]
a. If your talent combines with diligence, you can excel in your field.
industry
b. The dessert menu has a lot of delicious temptations.
enticements
c. The House passed the bill without listening to the public objections.
expostulations
d. Knowledge of the ill effects of tobacco has led to modifications in smoking behaviour. amendments
e. Without any regret, Yule started spending his father's inheritance.
qualm
f. Mr. Smith read a humorous story which matched his real life.
hilarious
B. Put the following sentences from the story in the correct order.
The correct order is:
a. The Ramsays were perfectly respectable people.
b. Tom left his wife and his office.
c. When his money was spent, he borrowed it from friends and spent it on luxuries.
d. George continued to pay for his brother's expenses.
e. Tom promised to make a fresh start.
f. Tom bought a motor car and some very nice jewellery.
g. Tom never settled down.
h. Tom began to blackmail his brother for money.
i. Tom took the help of Cronshaw to cheat his brother, and left for Monte Carlo.
C. Answer the following questions.
a. Why is Tom described as the ‘black sheep of the Ramsay family?
⇒Tom was a black sheep in Ramsays' family because he always created problems.
b. What was a respectable profession for Tom?
⇒To serve in a bar or to drive a taxi was a respectable profession to Tom.
c. Why was George Ramsay staring into space?
⇒George Ramsay was staring into space because his only brother, Tom, troubled him very much. d. Why did Tom leave his work and wife?
⇒Tom left his work and wife because he wanted to enjoy himself.
e. How did Tom manage his life when he ran out of money in the beginning?
⇒Tom managed his life when he ran out of money at first by borrowing from friends.
f. How did Cronshaw and Tom cheat George?
⇒Cronshaw and Tom cheated George by creating a fake case at the court.
g. What made George realize that his brother would never settle down?
⇒George gave Tom considerable sums for the amendment which Tom spent to buy a car and jewellery. Such situations forced George to realize that his brother would settle down.
h. What is the moral of the story ‘The Ant and Grasshopper?
The story writer reverses the moral of the traditional fable. The story presents the truth that all those who are honest and work hard do not gain success. The story reveals the darker aspect of life. At the same time, it encourages us to be optimistic even in hard times.
D. Read the story again and write a brief summary.
⇒Ramsays were respectable people. George Ramsay had a brother, Tom, who was not laborious but problematic. Though he started a business, he left thinking that it was boring. He not only left his business but also his wife and two children and went travelling. He borrowed money from friends when he had none and George continuously helped him with the money thinking that he would start a new business and settle one day. But with the money George gave, he bought a car and some jewellery. He never settled down and when he did not get money from his brother, George, he started blackmailing him. Lastly, he sued a fake case with the help of Cronshaw and got five hundred pounds, and as soon as they cashed the cheque, they both went to Monte Carlo and remained there for months.
Grammar I
Causative Verbs
B. Fill in the gaps with the correct form of have, get or make.
a. Did they ……….. you give a speech on behalf of the group?
⇒make
b. Instead of buying a new car, why don't you …… the old one fixed?
⇒get
c. I ……… my hair cut tomorrow morning.
⇒will get
d. The teacher ………. every one of us to write an essay yesterday.
gets
e. Ms Shrestha usually …………. her hair dried at the hairdresser’s.
⇒gets
f. My mum always ……….. me clean my room on Saturdays.
⇒makes
g. I ………. my landlord to fix the broken windowpane this morning.
⇒got
h. Suman ………. all the Maths problems solved by the teacher.
⇒had
C. Rewrite the sentences with have, get or make.
a. She will ask her sister to light the lamp.
She will make her sister light the lamp.
b. I am going to ask the dentist to fill my teeth.
I get the dentist to fill my teeth.
c. Will you ask the barber to cut your hair?
I get the barber to cut my hair.
d. I can’t design my house myself. So I am going to ask an architect to do it.
I have an architect design my house.
e. The girl asked her mechanic to repair her moped.
She got her mechanic to repair her moped.
f. The landlady asks the gardener to cut the grass.
The landlady makes the gardener cut the grass.
D. Choose the best alternatives and complete the sentences.
a. Mina got Shambhu ……………… (carry/to carry/carried) her suitcase.
to carry
b. Rita had Ankit ………………… (wash/to wash/washed) her clothes.
wash
c. They got me ……… (dance/to dance/danced) at my brother's wedding.
to dance
d. Kumari was made………….(turn on/to turn on/turned on) the television.
to turn
e. Barsha got new books …………… (buy/to buy//bought) her last week.
bought
f. Upendra got Mukesh ………… (watch/to watch/watched) his house.
to watch
g. My father is very kind. He never makes us …...… (do/to do/done) heavy work. do
h. The film was very humorous. It made us all………………… (laugh/to laugh/laughed) throughout the film. laugh
i. His hair was too long. So he had it ………………… (cut/to cut/cutting) yesterday. cut
j. The manager……………..(made/got/make) his secretary attend the conference. made
k. Mathew made the mechanic ………………… (overhaul/to overhaul/overhauling) his car. overhaul
l. Smith had Jacque ……………… (fetch/to fetch/fetched) a pail of water.
to fetch
m. My maths teacher asked us to remember all the theorems. In other words, we were made ……… (remember/remembered/to remember) all the theorems.
to remember