Facing Death - Exercise NEB [One-Act Play]

Facing Death Exercise of NEB English

The Exercise of Facing Death brings you a detailed note of the One-act Play Which is included in NEB English. The one-act play Facing Death is written by Johan August Strindberg. In this exercise, we have included Understanding the Text, Reference to the Text  and Reference beyond  the Text

Exercise

a. Have you ever observed your parents in a financial crisis? If yes, what was it like?

Answer: Yes, I have observed my parents in a financial crisis. It was the worst experience for them. 

b. Have you ever appreciated your parents’ selfless act for your sake? If yes, how? 

Answer: Yes, I appreciated their selfless act for my sake. I appreciated them for making me educated and capable in this world. 

Understanding the Text

Answer the following questions: 

a. Where does the play take place? 

Answer: The play takes place in the dining room of Monsieur Durand, a former railroad worker, widower and owner of the boarding house who lives there with his three daughters. 

b. Why do the grocery, the baker and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household? 

Answer: The grocery, the bakery and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household because the Durand household hasn't paid their bills for a long time. Therefore, they are unable to deliver even more goods until the bills are paid. 

c. Why does Monsieur Duran spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread? 

Answer: Monsieur Durand spends money on candles when he doesn't have money to buy even bread because he wants to light the candles on the death anniversary of his late dear son, René, who died in his infancy. Durand is saddened by his passing and still has a feeling of affection for the dead child. Durand has another intention to set his house on fire and get fire insurance money to make up for his daughters' fortunes as they grapple with financial troubles. 

d. Why did Monsieur Duran sell his life insurance? 

Answer: Monsieur sold his life insurance to pay off the debtor's loan. His condition was so miserable that the debtor was quite angry with him for not paying the dues. 

e. Why has Monsieur Duran paid fire insurance? 

Answer: Monsieur Durand has paid fire insurance to make a compensation claim later on. He intends to get compensation from the fire insurance by burning his house so that the money given as compensation will help his daughters. 

f. How did Monsieur Duran and Mrs. Duran run out of their inheritances from both sides? 

Answer: Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Durand ran out of their inheritances from both sides by Mrs. Durand's carelessness and foolish speculation. Both of them lost paternal inheritance and maternal inheritance which was used in raising their daughters. 

g. Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace? 

Answer: Monsieur Durand tells a lie about his birthplace because of two different reasons.

▪︎ He fell in love with a woman before his age. He wanted to marry that lady. So he left his birthplace and moved to Switzerland. To save his and his wife's reputation, he tells a lie.

▪︎He fought against his own motherland France from the side of Switzerland. To hide this shame, he tells a lie. 

h. What business is Monsieur Durand running to make a living? 

Answer: Monsieur Durand is running a boarding house to make a living. He has converted his house into a lodge to earn money. He provides lodging and dining services to his guests. There is quite a good facility like a homestay. 

i. What plan does Monsieur Durand have to help his daughters with money?

Answer: Monsieur Durand plans to commit suicide and set his house on fire. He hopes to get compensation from the fire insurance policy so that he can help his daughters with the money. He wants to sacrifice his life for the sake of his three daughters. 

j. How does Monsieur Durand die? 

Answer: Monsieur Durand dies committing suicide at last. He drinks poison to help his daughters with the amount of compensation from the insurance policy. 

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Reference to the Text

a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Durand. 

Answer: Monsieur Durand is the main character of the play "Facing Death". He is a widower, the lodge owner and former railway worker. He is a financially ruined person who has three daughters. All of them live in the lodge. The relationship between Durand and his daughters isn't good. Here, in this play, we find him so loving, caring as well as protective father. Due to his bankruptcy, he is spending his miserable life along with his three daughters. His daughters hate him and blame him most of the time. But he keeps on thinking about the well being of his daughters. 

Monsieur Durand the father sacrifices his life for the welfare of his daughters who hate him. He is full of patience who endures injustice from his late wife and remained silent for the rest of his life, blaming her for the financial ruin. He is also a loving husband. He is a patriot too who loves his native France, although he is forced to live in Switzerland. He is a tragic hero who faces financial difficulties and eventually ends his life tragically committing suicide for the well being of his three daughters. 

b. How do we know that the Durand family has reached a dead end? 

Answer: We know that the Durand family has reached a dead end by seeing their miserable state in their lodge. This family is completely bankrupt. When Mrs. Durand was alive, both husband-wife had lost their maternal and paternal inheritances. Mr. Durund and his daughters spend their miserable life in an economic crisis. Due to their miserable economic status, they have converted their living house into a lodge. 

Mr. Durand household has been borrowing money from others for years. There are numerous bills in the name of the Durand household which must be paid to different debtors. Among all family members, the condition of Durand is so bad. We find him living a tolerant life. He doesn't have good relationships with his daughters. His daughters hate him and blame him for many reasons. 

We even find that the family doesn't have money to buy bread for coffee. Due to hunger, we find Durand eating the rat's bait. This family has reached a dead end due to this financial crisis. Due to this financial hardship, Durand has planned to kill himself and burn down his lodge for the welfare of his daughter. Here, we find Durand successful in his deadly plan at last. 

c. ‘The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially Theresa.’ Do you agree? 

Answer: Yes, I agree with this statement. Here in this play, we find that the mother has had a great influence on her daughters, especially Theresa. While their mother was alive, she used to teach the children to hate their father Durand. She made them obey herself. Most of the time, she blamed her husband and became successful to make the children against their father. After her death, 

Mr. Durand remained silent all his life because he did not want his daughters to doubt their mother's goodness. He is full of patience who endures injustice from his late wife and remained silent for the rest of his life, blaming her for the financial ruin. Due to the mother's teaching, all three daughters hate their father. They think that their father was the main cause of their financial ruin. 

Theresa is the one who has been influenced much by her mother. She shows rude behaviour most of the time. She snatches the matches away from her father when he was about to inhale tobacco with a briar pipe. Similarly, she seizes the glass of milk from him. She seems so unkind towards her father. Among the three sisters, she is the one who is filled with much anger against her father. 

d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Duran and his wife. 

Answer: The relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife was not so good. While Mrs. Durand was alive, she used to blame Mr. Durand though she herself had ruined the ancestral property. Due to her negligence and foolish conjecture, she ruined the ancestral property. She used to spend household money on lottery tickets. After being abused, she threatened her husband to become a prostitute for money. He called her a lone soldier. She taught all her daughters to hate their father and filled their minds with all the negativities. She had become successful to divert her daughters' minds and made them against their father. 

e. ‘Money determines the relationship between characters in this play.’ Elaborate this statement with examples from the play. 

Answer: Here in this play 'Facing Death' money has played a very vital role in the life of Mr Durand and his daughters. Money is the first and foremost thing that has become the sole cause behind all the problems in this drama. The economic hardships of Mr Durund's family have forced the entire family members to live a miserable life with a lack of various essential needs. This family has been presented in agony due to hunger. Due to the economic crisis, the family is unable to buy bread. 

Mr. Durand has to live with hunger for a long time. He is even seen eating rat's bait in the drama. Mr. Durund is unable to provide for the basic needs of his daughters due to this economic crisis. The relationship between Mr. Durand and Mrs. Durand also deteriorated due to the struggle to lose wealth. The daughters do not like the father because he doesn't have enough money to support the family. Economic crisis leads them to convert their living house into a lodge. Here, we find that money determines the relationship between the characters. 

Mr. Durand's three daughters hate and blame him most of the time. They show their rude behaviours to him. The daughters do not even give a glass of milk because the father cannot bring bread. They snatched the glass of milk from him. They snatch the matches from him when he goes to smoke. They show their kind behaviour to their father when their father says "I'll bring you money." They even kiss him lovingly. They use the words kindness and love. They even apologize for their rude behaviour. 

f. Monsieur Durand kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as compensation from the insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him? 

Answer: In the play 'Facing Death', Mr. Durand has been presented as a tragic protagonist who commits suicide by drinking poison and sets fire to his house to get compensation from the fire insurance company to improve the financial condition of his daughters.

Mr. Durund has been spending his life in extreme poverty. Due to the financial crisis, he has been blamed most of the time by his daughters. He has been considered a failed and irresponsible father. His plan for the welfare of his daughters tells us that he is so caring as well as loving father who keeps on thinking much about his children's future. He is the man who sacrifices his life for the bright future of his three daughters. 

g. Discuss Facing Death as a modern tragedy. 

Answer: By modern tragedy, we mean a play about tragic circumstances with an unfortunate ending, particularly one about the demise of the main character. The drama 'Facing Demise' is a contemporary tragedy since it concludes with Mr. Durand's terrible death. Modern tragedy is concerned with accurate portrayals of prevalent issues. Modern drama is characterized by realism and naturalism.

An ordinary man is the main character of a contemporary tragedy. Modern tragedies also address issues facing the contemporary person, such as broken family ties, social issues, loneliness, etc. Characters suffer as a result of their sociocultural surroundings, fate, social status, gender, and environment. We can clearly see the characteristics of contemporary tragedy in this play.

This drama depicts the enormous crises in the life of a typical modern guy. He and his three kids have been going through a lot of difficulties because of the economy. We can clearly see issues with negative relationships and low economic standing in the play. Mr. Durand, a typical modern guy, has had a lot of hardship as a result of financial issues. The terrible demise of Mr. Durand, the play's protagonist, occurs at the play's conclusion. For the sake of his three kids, he commits suicide and even sets his home on fire. Both reality and naturalism are conveyed in this drama.