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The Play, The Boy Comes Home"

Summary, Theme, Questions and
Characters.
by Amin Goher - 8:59 AM 0

In this article, I have explained the short play "The Boy Comes Home by
Milne. This play is included in the syllabus of my B.A. from Punjab University.
This is one of the most important plays of Milne. I have given the summary,
theme, characters, and important questions which are important for the
examination point of view. I used simple language so that students can
easily learn these questions.

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The Play "The Boy Comes Home"

by A. A. Milne
by Amin Goher - 7:12 AM
Introduction, Characters, Summary, Theme, Passive Voice of Future
Questions, Continuous tense with examples
and exercise.
1. Introduction of the Poet
1st year English letters notes
for Smart syllabus 2021
English author AA Milne was born in 1882. . AA Milne served in two World
wars. He joined the British army as a captain in the world I. He also
Theme and summary of the
participated in world war II. He is a famous novelist, playwright, and poet. He poem The solitary Reaper by
worked as a journalist and in the army for many years. His plays are said to William Wordsworth

be characterized by laughter. His works show the comedy of existence.A. A.

Milne died on January 31, 1956. His One Act play MAIN TAGS

10 class 1st year 9th class

"The Boy Comes Home" is said to be drawn to his war memories. We nd
Application B. A. B. A. Play
the writer's personality and his view in this play. This one-act play deals with
B. A. poem B. A. Short stories
many social issues in funny manners. The play, The Boy comes Home
revolves around a young man who comes back after serving four years in B.A Poem B.A. poem Dialogue

the army The boy comes is a one-act light comedy play dealing with the Direct and indirect speech

return of a young boy that went to the war four years ago. In this play, Milne English composition English Grammar
throws light upon the generation gap and the social crises that de ned the
English Literature English.10th class
society
Essay F. A Guess paper Idioms

2. Characters letters marking sceme MCQs

Novel Parts of speech

I. Philip
Passive Voice personality deveipment

(A young man of 23 old ) personality development precis

Prose Punctuation Short stories

Philip is a young man of twenty-three years old. He returns from war after
summary Tenses uses
four years. He is a carefree type of person. He is joyful in his nature. He is
deeply attached to his aunt Emily. Philp is a hero of youth. He is an ideal
personality who knows how to deal the things to control humans. The
character of Philip shows how the war destroyed innocent youth.
II. James

(Philip's Uncle)

Philip's uncle and guardian of Philip is an old man with an unimpressive

personality. He is a man of short stature with a thin beard. He emphasizes
the importance of punctuality. He's very particular about the great value of
morning time. He is unsympathetic and devoid of human sentiments and
emotions He dislikes emotional expression associated with war, country, or
human relations. He is a very good businessman and thinks practically. He
wants to impose his views on others forcefully. He is a rigid and in exible
character.

III. Aunt Emily

( Wife of uncle James)

She is a kind-hearted woman. Emily is an Aunt of Philip and loves Philip. She
feels concerned about her welfare of Philip. There is a mark of love and
frankness in her conversation with Philip. She is loved and respected by
Philip.

IV. Mrs. Higgins

( House cook)

Mrs, Higgins work as a cook in James's house of James. She acts according
to the instruction of Mr. James and served breakfast at 8 daily. When she is
ordered breakfast at 10 by Philip, she refused to do so. She adjusts herself
according to the situation. Mrs. Higgins is very aggressive in the begging.
She talks very impudently to aunt Emily. When Philip compels her to act
upon his order or leave the service. She changes her mind and serves
breakfast.

V. Mary

(Housemaid)

Mary is the popular maid in the house. She seems to be a little sympathetic
to Mrs. Higgins. She tries to make it clear to Philip that the same old routine
and rules are prevented in the house as they were 4 years before when he
went to war. She is stunned by his order, hesitates for a while, and then
clings to aunt Emily for support as she feels fainting soon she leaves the
room to convey the message.

3. Summary

The boy comes home is written by AA Milne. It is one act play that discusses
many social issues in a light manner. The play “The boy comes Home “is a
humorous play. The plot of the play revolves around two major characters
Philip and his uncle James.

The title refers to a boy who comes home after serving in the army for four
years. There are two important characters in the play. One is Philip who
comes home after serving in the army for four years. He is a young boy 23
years old.

The second important character is James the owner and guardian of Philip.
The third character is Philip’s aunt, the wife of James. The fourth character is
Mrs. Haggins who is the house cook. The fth character is Mary who is the
maid of the house but the most important characters are Philip and his uncle
James.

The plot of the play revolves around the con ict found between Philip and his
uncle James. Uncle James is shown in the play as a strict and disciplined
man. When Philip comes home after serving four years in the army, he gets
up late the next morning which affects uncle James very much. Philip called
the maid and ask for breakfast.

He was told that breakfast has already been served at 8 o clock. He was told
that he can not get anything according to the rule of the house set by uncle
James. He asks mary to order the house cook to boil some eggs for him.
Uncle James comes home to see Philip. He asked him what he will do
professionally with his life. He tries to impose him to join his business of jam.

He starts waiting for him near the re. Suddenly he falls into deep sleep and
sea a dream in which he is threatened by Philip on behaving strictly toward
him. He sees that Philip has taken off his revolver and says to him, he has no
problem killing his uncle because he killed many uncles in the war. He also
says that he wants to be an architect and he does not want to join his
business of jam. Meanwhile, uncle James woke up. Now he has changed and
he is completely a changed person.

When Philip comes to talk to him. He behaves very politely with Philip. He
asks if he wants to be an architect but Philip is not interested in being an
architect. Philip agrees to join the business of jam. Uncle James is not sure of
his dreams.

4. Theme
I. War
II. Guidance and instruction
III. Generation Gap
IV. Appearance and reality

The rst important theme of the play is war. Human values have not
importance only force is rule of today the most important theme of the play is
the generation gap. When we read the play we nd the authoritative attitude
of uncle James. He treats Philip like a schoolboy and decides everything for
Philip.

War is the most important theme of the play. The playwright artistically
presented the horror of war on the social front. He wishes to make us aware
that war is the antidote to social life. Philip knows that human values have
no importance. He knows that put down force is the rule of society

The generation gap is another important theme of the play. The play writes
suggests that our elders are right but at the same time, our elders should
understand their young generation and give importance of their views.

The third important theme of the play is appearance. Appearance is often

deceptive. Uncle James looks harsh and strict but only one dream reveals
what actually he is.

5. Questions

I. A character sketch of Philip

Mr. Philip is the central character of the play. He creates humor and fun in the
play. He is a pleasant-looking well built person of twenty-three. he has
served in the army for four years and has come back home from France after
the end of the war. He has fought against the Germans. He is a man of
strong determination and possesses an air of decisiveness.

He is an authoritative person. He does not allow the servants to take any

liberty with him. He orders Mary to bring breakfast for him. She refused
breakfast because he is late for it. Mrs. Higgins tells him frankly that she is
not allowed to cook breakfast for anyone. Mr. Philip makes her payment and
dismissed her. It is intolerable to him. His threat works wonder Mrs. Higgins
immediately gives him breakfast.

He is a courageous and bold person. . He lives in his uncle's house and rises
later in the morning. Philip smokes and does not respect his uncle. His uncle
tries to correct his behavior. He refuses to obey his uncle. This shows he does
not learn any lessons from military training.

He is a courageous and bold person. The military career has produced in him
enough courage to confront his uncle. In the war, he makes many advances
on the battle eld. In one battle half of the company is lost but he remains
undaunted. he also confronts his uncle plainly that he cannot live with him.
This annoys his uncle. he takes out his pistol and aims at him. His uncle soon
gives in before him.

II. A character sketch of Uncle James

James is another important character who runs in the plot of the play. He is
Philip's real uncle. He brought up Philip after the death of his brother.. He is
dull and unimpressive in his appearance however he stands for old values
and traditions of life. he is a strict businessman. He is famous for maintaining
discipline in the house.

He is a very strict man. he reacts sharply to any change in the routine of his
life. he does not want any insolation from his nephew Philip. He takes him to
task for getting up late in the morning. He tells him clearly that he does not
like his habit of smoking. He is a man of principles. When Philip demands
from him the wealth his father left. He refuses to pay him the money. He tells
him that according to the will of his father he cannot pay him the money till
he reaches the age of twenty- ve.

He is very proud of his money. This has made him a rude person. He tells
Philip that he can use the force of money to set him. right. Philip does not
yield to him Philip brings out a pistol from his pocket and tells his uncle that
he has killed twenty Germans with it. Later on, he brings a bomb from his
other pocket. He warns his uncle that he will use both of these if he does not
pay him the money. His uncle has to obey him. he proves a weak and timid
person. Outwardly he looks like a lion and out inwardly comes out a jackal.
He is a jackal in the grab of the lion.

III. " The Boy Comes Home" is a light comedy.

"The Boy Comes Home " by Milne is a comic play. The humor of the play is
tame and passive. It does not depend upon extravagant or the creation of
funny characters. The play revolves around two characters Philip and his
uncle.

The con ict between the old and new generations gives birth to passive
humor. The universal problem of the generation gap has been presented in a
light-hearted manner. The writer shows that the old and the young people
have different lode of thinking and possess different temperaments. The
young people are carefree liberal and self-willed. They do not respect the old
values of morality. The old people are disciplined dictatorial and harsh in their
attitude.

The play has an atmosphere of fun and mirth. Uncle James is a man of
regular habits. He runs a business of jam. His nephew comes home after
serving in the army. He is twenty-three years old. His father had died and he
lives under the guardship of his uncle.

He is supposed to get the money and property left by his father when he
reaches the age of twenty- ve. he wants to become an architect but his
uncle forces him to join his business. The fun of the play lies in the con ict
which exists in the temperament of both the uncle and his nephew.

The uncle is a harsh and domineering type of person. He rebukes Philip for
smoking in his presence. he also objects to his late breakfast and blames him
for not being punctual. Philip does not like the harsh attitude of his uncle and
tells him frankly that he needs a separate house.

He cannot live with him. He asks his uncle to give him an allowance till he
reaches the age of twenty- ve but his uncle refuses to do so. Thisphew
deepens and gives an amusing con ict between the wills and temperaments
of both the uncle and the nephew deepens and gives an amusing color to the
story.

IV. The Boy Comes Home is a play about the

generation gap.

The Boy Comes Home is a light comedy in which the writer has discussed a
very important issue in an entertaining way. comments generation gap and
the general mentality of the youth that participated in world war 1. The main
action of the play takes place in the dream. of Mr. James. However, the
dream opens James's eyes to the reality that the time has, at last, changed
and it demands a different response from the elders towards their young
ones.

As the begins, we come to know Philip has come home after serving in the
army for four years during World war 1. He is a young man whose parents
have passed away. They made his uncle, his guardian, so he was living with
him before he went to the front. A strict discipline chartered by his uncle is
observed in his uncle's house. He is a businessman who values time a lot
that impressive yet he wants to dominate others in all affairs. He believes in
the power of purs. He does not think that army has given Philip any
experience for successful social life.

On the other hand, Philip is an entirely different person from what he was
before he joined the army. He is fed up with a disciplined life and wants to
live a bit leisurely. He gets up at the usual hour and asks for breakfast. at this
time. He is told that Mrs. Higgens, the kitchen maid, will mind giving
breakfast at this time, He tackles the matter in an authoritative way and
makes Mrs. Higgins submit his will. It is the rst re ection of the fact the boy
has learned how to respond to bullying.

When aunt Emily, Jame's wife, tells James of the incident, she means to
convey to her husband that he should not Philip like a small dad. James tells
his wife that he wants to see Philip in order to discuss his future plans. When
Emily goes to convey his message to Philip, James is asleep under the impact
of the warmth of the re.

In his dreams, Philip sees that Philip comes from the inner room. James asks
him what he wants to do now. Philip tells him that he wants to study to
become an architect. James considered it an absurd idea. He suggests that
Philip should join him in his jam business. He thinks that is a waste of time to
start studying after losing four years in the war. Philip argues that if he has
lost four years, everyone in the country is in the same situation.

James as the guardian proposes to apply the power of purs. At this Philip
ares up and brings out a pistol and threatened his uncle to use the power of
a weapon to counter of a purse. James gets frightened and pleads to him
that he can do whatever he wants to do

At this point, James wakes up and nds Philip coming from the inner room.
James is unable to distinguish between reality and dreams. He asks Philip
what he wants to be. He is astonished to hear that Philip wants to join the
jam business at once. As they leave the room. J.ames is still astonished if it is
a dream or reality

You can also read

Summary and theme of the play The Bear

Tags: B. A. Play, summary

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Amin Goher
I am a published author of dozens of books in Pakistan. I have been Editor of The
Guide in National University of Modern Languages Islamabad (NUML). I am MPhil
in Applied Languistics from University of the Lahore. Being an M.Ed I mostly
spend my time training the teachers.

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