Should Wizard Hit Mommy

Value based Points

The chapter captures a very sensitive reaction of a small girl to an important aspect of the
story that her father narrates to her. The story reveals the worldview of a little child to a
difficult moral question that shows her mental or psychological richness. Jo is a little girl of
four years. She is engaged in a story session with her father. Jack, the father used to tell her
a story every evening and especially for Saturday naps. Jo feels herself involved with the
characters and the happenings. The story always had an animal with a problem.
Roger Skunk is a very obedient child but he feels very sad and upset because he smells so
awful that nobody wants to befriend him and play with him. The old owl advises him to visit
the wizard who would solve the problem. He visited the wizard who changed it to the smell
of roses He feels excited about the change for everyone likes his new smell and readily
agrees to play with him. However, Roger's mother does not like the change. For her, Roger
was better off with his original smell. So, she makes the wizard restore Skunk's original smell.
Roger meekly accepts his mother's decision and other children get used to Roger's awful
smell and don’t complain about it anymore.
On hearing the story of Roger Skunk, Jo was not happy with the ending. She feels that mother
is wrong in getting her son's original smell back and wants her to be spanked by the wizard
for her mistake. She wants her father to change the ending. She wants the wizard to hit the
mother back and let Roger be which her father was not ready to do to establish his authority.
This raises a difficult moral question whether parents possess the right to impose their will
on their children. Her father finds it difficult to answer her question. . Her father, who has
modelled Skunk's story on his own story, strongly defends the mother Skunk's decision.
• The chapter captures a very sensitive reaction of a small girl to an important aspect of
the story that her father narrates to her.
• The story reveals the worldview of a little child to a difficult moral question that shows
her mental or psychological richness.
• Jo is a little girl of four years. She is engaged in a story session with her father.
• Jack, the father used to tell her a story every evening and especially for Saturday naps.
• Jo feels herself involved with the characters and the happenings.
• The story always had an animal with a problem. The old owl advises him to visit the
wizard who would solve the problem.
• Skunk’s problem- he smelt bad, visited the wizard who changed it to the smell of roses.
• Skunk’s mother was unhappy with it and took him back to the wizard. She hit the wizard
and asked him to restore the original smell. She wanted her son to keep his identity of a
skunk and wanted his friends to accept him for himself. So the wizard changes him back
to smell like a skunk.
• After hearing the story of Roger Skunk Jo was not happy with the ending.
• She wants her father to change the ending. She wants the wizard to hit the mother back
and let Roger be which her father was not ready to do to establish his authority. This
raises a difficult moral question whether parents possess the right to impose their will on
their children.
• Her father finds it difficult to answer her question.

Answer Questions
1. How did the wizard help Roger Skunk?
Ans. The wizard was moved by Roger skunk's story. On finding his magic wand - chanted
some magic words & granted that Roger should smell like roses.
2. How did Roger Skunk's Mommy react when he went home smelling of roses? How did
the Skunk's mother get him his old smell back?
Ans. Roger Skunk began to smell like roses. Mommy asked about the smell. Roger Skunk
replied that the wizard had made him smell like that the mother did not like that and asked
Roger to come with her. Mother was furious to learn about the wizard who changed the
original smell. She immediately visited the wizard and hit him on his head and asked him to
restore the original smell.
3. Who is Jo? How did Jo behave in 'reality phase'?
Ans. Jo is Jack's 4 year old daughter. She is not a patient listener. She does not take things
for granted and tries to see things in her own way.
4. Why did Jo want the wizard to hit mommy?
Ans. Jo was mentally drawing a parallel between mommy skunk and her own mother. She
perceived both of them as interferring factor in independent growth of their children. So,
she wanted wizard to hit mommy as she had failed to empathize with her son's (baby
skunk) problem of not having anyone for his company.
5. Was Roger skunk's mother justified in forcing him to retain his original smell?
Ans. Up to some extent, I agree with the point of view of mother but not with the way she
opted for. She wanted her child to retain his unique identity. But she resented the rose smell
very sternly. Rather, it should be not forced. The child should be taken in confidence before
being convinced and should be made aware of the pros and cons.
6. How does Jo want the story to end? Why?
Ans. Children have a very different view of life than that of adults. They dream and live in
their imaginative world. Jo does not like the ending that mommy should hit the wizard.
Rather she wants that the Wizard should hit the Mommy for her failure to realize the
problems of Roger Skunk. She calls her 'Stupid Mommy" and insists for a change in the
storyline. She has got sympathy for Roger Skunk. She thinks it to be unfair on the part of
Roger Skunk's Mommy to go to Wizard and get Roger smell bad again.
7. Drawing inference from lesson "Should Wizard Hit Mommy", elucidate perception of
imposing parents?
Ans. In the lesson 'should wizard hit mommy', mother skunk was not supporting the idea of
changed identity of baby skunk. The story presents that Roger skunk felt alienated because
of his bad smell. The elders failed to recognize his feelings and pain. His mother
vehemently opposed the changed smell though it was pleasant to smell. She perceived the
stink as unique characteristic means the individuality. But her reaction was impulsive.
Taking a clue from thoughtful parenting, she could respond in a subtle manner. So as to
make the child to understand her point of view. A healthy discussion in an amiable
environment leads to agreeable solution. It is always preferable to adopt time tested
strategies of give and take to make people convince.

8. What impression do you form of Jack as a father in the story, ‘Should Wizard Hit
Mommy?’
Ans. Jack is portrayed as a loving father, who loves telling stories to his four-year-old
daughter, Jo. He brings in the dramatic element in his otherwise lame and boring story by
using a lot of gestures and dramatic voices. This thrills his daughter, which eventually thrills
him. Everything is fine till one day his daughter starts questioning his stories. She views
each statement that her father makes with a critical eye and has a lot of questions. Instead
of pacifying her by answering her questions, Jack tried to enforce his views on her.
Therefore, we can say that Jack is loving and responsible but slightly an immature father.
9. What story did Jo want to hear the next day and why? What was father’s reaction to it?
Ans. Jo wanted to listen that wizard hits the mommy straight into the middle of her head
because Jo, being a four-year-old girl, always lived in a rose-tinted world. For the wizard,
mommy is not a good mommy, who is hitting the wizard for changing his smell. Jack’s
reaction was one of the disdains. He was in a dilemma what to do.
10. What problem did Roger Skunk face when he went to play with his friends? How did he
solve it?
Ans. Roger Skunk smelt so bad that none of the other woodland creatures would play with
him. They would make fun of him and call him ‘Roger stinky skunk’ and run away. He would
just stand there alone and cry. He went to the owl, sitting on a big tree and was asked to go
to the wizard’s house near a river. On his request, his smell was changed into that of roses.

MCQ
1. Why does Jo’s father has a different opinion from Jo?
(a) because Jo is a child
(b) because he has a mature thought
(c) he doesn’t go by facial expression
(d) All these
Ans- (d) All these
2. Where does Jo prefer to live?
(a) in the world of friends
(b) in the school of swings
(c) in her world of dreams and fantasies
(d) none
Ans- (c) in her world of dreams and fantasies
3. What part of the story did Jack himself enjoy the most?
(a) when mother hits the wizard
(b) when Roger finds pennies from the magic well
(c) when at the wizard’s house, Roger imitates wizard’s voice
(d) none
Ans- (c) when at the wizard’s house, Roger imitates wizard’s voice
4. What advice did the wise owl give to Roger Skunk?
(a) to visit his friends
(b) to think deeply
(c) to consult his mother
(d) to consult the wizard
Ans- (d) to consult the wizard
5. _______ was Jo’s brother.
(a) Roger
(b) Bobby
(c) Skunk
(d) Jack
Ans- (a) Roger
6. When the problem is solved ___ is demanded
(a) fee
(b) happiness
(c) nothing
(d) food
Ans- (a) fee
7. Roger Skunk’s smell makes ______ creatures run away
(a) Woodland
(b) Wood York
(c) Yorkshire
(d) Wood hills
Ans- (a) Woodland
8. What is a crick?
(a) A hill (b) A little river (c) A park (d) A dress
Ans- (b) A little river
9. Jack felt being ___ suited him
(a) an old man (b) an Owl (c) a Skunk (d) a kid
Ans- (a) an old man
10. Mommy skunk was ___with the wizard?
(a) angry (b) pleased (c) indifferent (d) civil
Ans- (a) angry