The Bishop’s Candlesticks Summary

Norman McKinnell s The Bishop’s Candlesticks ’is a very popular play based on the
theme that love and kindness can change a man rather than violence. The play is
about a convict who was arrested because he stole foodfor his starving and dying
wife. He was put in jail where he was tortured and treated like an animal. He ran
away from the ‘hell’ and broke into the Bishop’s house. The Bishop represented all
the noble Christian virtues and gave clothes and bed to the convict. The Bishop’s
kind behaviour softened the convict a little but he could not contain himself from
stealing his silver candlesticks. He was captured and brought back The Bishop
saved him by telling the police that those candlesticks were a gift from him. The act
of the Bishop transformed the convict. He now believed that the spirit of God dwells
in the heart of every human being.

Bishop Always Ready to Help Others

The Bishop is always ready to help the needy pa-sons of his parish. He goes to
attend to Marie’s mother who is feeling poorly. He is out in cold without supper. He
sells his salt cellars to help Mere Gringoire to pay her rents. His sister Persome feels
that her brother is the dupe of every idle vagabond and old lying woman. He has sold
his land, his furniture and spent all his savings to help others. Persome feels that her
brother’s generosity and innocence is being misused by the people of his parish. But
the Bishop thinks that this world is full of suffering and he can do very little to help
the sufferers.

Convict Enters Stealthily with a Knife

The convict enters with a long knife and seizes the Bishop from behind. He warns
the Bishop not to play any trick with him. He is too old a bird to be caught with chaff.
Persome is frightened when she sees a knife in his hand. The convict is staring at
them like a wild beast. The Bishop asks Persome to give company to the guest at
supper. The convict eats greedily and throws a bone on the floor. Persome leaves
the Bishop with the convict and goes to her room. Then the convict narrates his
story.

Convict Narrates His Tragic Story

Once the convict had a little hut and a wife. Then came the bad year. He was out of
job and had no money. His wife Jeanette fell ill. She was dying. He stole to buy her
food. He was arrested. He pleaded to them why he stole but they laughed at him. He
was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks. The night he was sentenced, he was
told that Jeanette was dead.

Life in ‘Hell’
He was no more a man now. He became a wild beast. The jail employees chained
him like a wild beast. They lashed him like a hound. He was fed on filth and covered
with vermin. They took away his soul and gave a devil in its place. But one day they
were careless and he escaped.
Convict Steals Bishop’s Silver Candlesticks
The convict comes to know that he is with a Bishop. He warns him not to try to
convert him. He doesn’t want any damn religion and the church. The Bishop asks
him to go to bed. When left alone, the convict sees the silver candlesticks. He knows
that they were given to the Bishop by his mother. His heart goes soft. But he soon
hardens himself, steals the candlesticks and goes out into the darkness.

Convict is Caught and Brought Back to Bishop

When Persome and the Bishop get up next morning, they find the candlesticks and
the convict missing. Soon they hear a knocking. A sergeant enters with three
soldiers and the convict in chains. The sergeant tells that they found him (convict)
walking on the road with the candlesticks. They arrested him on suspicion. They
identified the candlesticks of the Bishop and so they brought them there to him. The
Bishop saves the convict by declaring that those candlesticks were given to him as a
gift. The convict is freed again.

Convict is Transformed
The Bishop saves the convict from going to “hell” again. This leaves a deep
impression on the convict. He is a transformed man now. He is no more a wild beast.
He sobs and repents. The Bishop gives him the candlesticks and the convict takes
them in absolute amazement. The Bishop shows him a very lonely path through the
woods at the back of his cottage leading to Paris. The soldiers don’t like lonely paths
at night. The Bishop blesses the convict and tells him that “this poor body is the
Temple of the Living God”.

Question 6.
Answer the following questions briefly:
(a) Do you think the Bishop was right in selling the salt cellars? Why/Why not?
(b) Why does Persome feel the people pretend to be sick?

(c) Who was Jeanette? What was the cause of her death?

(d) The convict says, “I am too old a bird to be caught with chaff.” What does he mean by
this statement?
(e) Why was the convict sent to prison? What was the punishment given to him?
(f) Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified? Why/Why not? Why is
the convict eager to reach Paris?
(g) Before leaving, the convict asks the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this change
in him?
Answer:
(a) The Bishop was right in selling the salt cellars. Like” a true Christian, the Bishop always
tried to help the needy. Mere Gringoire was ill and had not paid the rent. The bailiff would
not wait any longer and threatened to throw her out. So she sent little Jean to the Bishop for
help. He had no money. So he had to dispose of the salt cellars to help her.
(b) Persome is made of different stuff. She lacks the basic understanding and
sympathy for men. She only believes in safeguarding her and her brother’s interests.
She believes that people are not really sick. They only pretend to be so to get help
from the Bishop.

(c) Jeanette was the wife of the convict. It was a bad year and Jeanette fell ill. The
convict had no job and money even to buy food. She was ill, starving and dying. So,
he stole to buy her food. At last, she died of illness and starvation.

(d) The convict tries to give a message to the Bishop and Persome that he is a hard-
hearted and cunning person. He is not an innocent fool who can be caught by chaff
like a new bird. He had lived in prison or ‘the hell’ for quite a long time. He had learnt
all the tricks and cunningness of seasoned criminals. The Bishop’s outwardly soft
behaviour and kind gestures can’t trap him in their net.

(e) It was really a bad year for the convict. He had no job and no money. His wife
Jeanette fell ill. She was starving. He had to steal to buy her food. He was caught
stealing and sent to prison. He told them why he stole, but they laughed at him. He
was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks.

(f) I think, the punishment given to the convict was not justified. He was not a
seasoned or habitual criminal. He had no money and had to steal for food for his ill
wife. He was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks. He should have been let off
with a mild fine or a token punishment.
He is eager to reach Paris as it is abig city. He cannot be easily traced by the police
in such a big city and would be able to lead a new life.

(g) Love and human sympathy are great healers. The large-heartedness of the
Bishop saved the convict from going to ‘hell’ again. The Bishop told the police that
those candlesticks were given by him as a gift. It left a deep impression on the
convict. The wild beast was a man again. He was a reformed and transformed man
now. Therefore, he asked the Bishop to bless him before leaving him.

Reference To Context

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow:
Question 1.
“Mere Gringoire indeed! Mere Gringoire! What, the old witch who lives at the top of
the hill, and who says she is bedridden because she is too lazy to do any work? And
what did Mere Gringoire want with the money, pray?” (Page 115)
(а) Why is Persome angry at Mere Gringoire?
(b`) Why does Mere Gringoire pretend to be bedridden, according to Persome?
(c) Find a word from the extract having same meaing as ‘confined to bed’.
Answer:
(a) Persome is angry at Mere Gringoire because her brother, the Bishop has sold the
beautiful salt cellars only to help her with money.
(b) According to Persome, Mere Gringoire pretends to be bedridden because she is
too lazy to do any work.
(c) Bedridden.

Question 2.
Oh, mon Dieu! it is hopeless, hopeless. We shall have nothing left. His estate is sold,
his savings have gone. His furniture, everything. Were it not for my little dot we
should starve! And now my beautiful-beautiful (sob) salt cellars. Ah, it is too much,
too much. (She breaks down crying.) (Page 115)
(a) Who says the situation is hopeless and why?
(b) What saved them from starving?
(c) Find a word in the extract having same meaning as ‘Property’.
Answer:
(a) Persome, Bishop’s sister feels that her brother’s actions have brought them in a
hopeless
situation. He has sold his estate, furniture and spent all his savings. They have
nothing left now. .
(b) Persome thinks that the little dowry that she had helped them from starving.
(c) Estate.

Question 3.
“Yes, or meat off the floor, I suppose. Oh, it’s coming to that. And as for that old
wretch, Mere Gringoire, I wonder she had the audicity to send here again. The last
time I saw her I gave her such a talking to that it ought to have had some effect.”
(Page 116)
(a) Explain: “Oh, it’s coming to that”.
(b) What wrong did the ‘old wretch’ Mere Gringoire do according to Persome?
(c) What did Persome do when she met Mere Gringoire last time?
Answer:
(a) The Bishop had sold the beautiful silver salt cellars and now suggests eating salt
out of China. Persome gets angry and taunts him that they can eat meat off the floor.
Things have come to such a hopeless situation.
(b) The ‘old wretch’, Mere Gringoire had the audacity to send a message to the
Bishop for helping her with money.
(c) The last time when Persome met Mere Gringoire, she gave a piece of her mind to
her. She asked her to mind her own business and not to harass the Bishop for
nothing.

Question 4.
Good to you, yes! I should think so. I should like to know where you would be without
me to look after you. The dupe of every idle scamp or lying old woman in the parish!
(Page 116) lestions
(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom?
(b) What would happen if Persome doesn’t look after the Bishop?
(c) How would the Bishop become the ‘dupe of every idle scamp or lying old woman’
of the parish?
Answer:
(a) These lines are spoken by Persome to her brother, the Bishop.
(b) Persome feels that if she doesn’t look after her brother, he will be miserable and
become an easy target for cheats and liars.
(c) Without Personae’s control, the Bishop would become an easy target for cheats
and liars in the parish. They would exploit his generosity to serve their own interests.

Question 5.
it down!!! (The Bishop sits smiling.) None of that, my friend! I’m too old a bird to be
caught wfth chaff. You would ask your sister for the keys, would you? A likely story!
You would rouse the house too. Eh? Ha!! ha! A good joke truly. Come, where is the
food? I want no keys. I have a wolf inside me tearing at my entrails, tearing me;
quick, tell me; where the food is. (Page 118)
(a) Why does the Convict say that he is too old a bird to be caught with chaff?
(b) Wliat does the Convict want the Bishop to be asked from his sister?
(c) Explain: “I have a wolf inside me tearing my entrails”.
Answer:
(a) The Convict reminds the Bishop that he is not a novice but clever and mature. He
is not to be ‘caught with chaff’ or small temptations.
(b) The Convict wants the Bishop to ask his sister to handover the keys to him.
(c) It means that the Convict is very hungry and can’t afford to be hungry any more.

Question 6.
Suffer? (puzzled) suffered? My God, yes. (Drinks) But that’s a long time ago. Ha! ha!
That was
when I was a man. Now I’m not a man; now I’m a number; number 15729, and I’ve
lived in Hell for tern years. (Page 120)
(a) When was the Convict “a man?”
(b) Why was he reduced to a number?
(c) Where’did he live in for ten years?
Answer:
(a) Before he was arrested and sent to jail, the Convict was a man with all human
qualities.
(b) The hard life of the prison, the cruelties and tortures of the police took away all
human qualities from him. He was reduced to a number and they never called him by
his name.
(c) The Convict led’ most hellish life in prison for ten long years.

Question 7.
They caught me. I pleaded to them, I told them why I stole, but they laughed at me,
and I was sentenced to ten years in the prison hulks (pause), ten years in Hell. The
night I was sentenced, the gaoler told me—told me Jeanette was dead. (Sobs with
fury) Ah, damn them, damn them. God curse them all. (Page 121)
(a) Why did the police arrest the Convict?
(b) Did they listen to his pleadings? What did they do with him?
(c) Find a word in the extract opposite in meaning to ‘praise’.
Answer:
(a) They arrested the Convict because he was stealing to buy food for his hungry
wife.
(b) No, they didn’t listen to his pleadings and he was sent to jail for stealing.
(c) Curse.

Question 8.
“Yes, to starve. They feed you in Hell, but when you escape from it you starve. They
were hunting me everywhere and I had no passport, no name. So I stole again. I
stole these rags. I stole my food daily. I slept in the woods, in bams, anywhere. I
dare not ask for work, I dare not go into a town to beg, so I stole, and they have
made me what I am, they have made me a thief. God curse them all.” (Page 121)
(a) What is the difference of being ‘in the Hell’ and out of it?
(b) Why did the Convict steal?
(c) Why does the Convict curse them all?
Answer:
(a) When you are inside the prison, the police at least give you some food to eat. But
when you are outside it, you starve.
(b) The Convict had no money. He needed food and rags. He was without any work.
Hence, he had to steal for buying food and clothes.
(c) The Convict curses them all as they made him a thief and a beast from a man.

Question 9.
Tell you about it? Look here, I was a man once. I’m a beast now, and they made me
what I am. They chained me up like a wild animal, they lashed me like a hound. I fed
on filth, I was covered, with vermin, I slept on boards, and I complained. Then they
lashed me again. For ten years, ten years. Oh God! They took away my name, they
took away my soul, and they gave me a devil in its place. (Page 121)
(a) The speaker was a man once but he is a beast now. How?
(b) Who made him what he was?
(c) Describe the tortures and sufferings the speaker had to go in prison.
Answer:
(a) Before he was arrested and put in prison, the Convict was a man with all human
qualities. The jail-life has reduced him to a beast.
(b) The tortures of the police made him a beast and reduced him to what he was.
(c) The Convict was chained and lashed like an animal. He was fed on filth and
covered with vermin and it continued for ten years.

Question 10.
You are going to try to convert me. Oh! ha! ha! That’s a good idea. Ha! ha! ha! No,
no, Monseigneur the Bishop: I don’t want any of your Faith, Hope, and Charity-see?
So anything you do for me you’re doing to the devil—understand? (defiantly) (Page
122)
(a) Who is going to convert and whom?
(b) What does the speaker want?
(c) Doing anything for him means ‘doing to the devil’. How?
Answer:
(a) The Convict says that the Bishop is trying to convert him to his Faith.
(b) The speaker doesn’t want any of the Bishop’s Faith, Hope and Charity.
(c) The Convict is no more a man but a beast. Hence, doing anything good to him
means ‘doing to the devil’.
Question 11.
Worth hundreds I’ll warrant. If I had these turned into money they’d start me fair.
Humph! The old boy’s fond of them too, said his mother gave him them. His mother,
yes. They didn’t think of my mother when they sent me to Hell. He was kind to me
too-but that’s a Bishop for except to be kind to you? Here, cheer up, my hearty, you’r
getting soft. God! Wouldn’t my chain-mates laugh to see 15729 hesitating about
collaring the plunder because he felt good. Good! Ha! ha! Oh, my God! Good! Ha!
ha! 15729 getting soft. That’s a good one. Ha! ha! No, I’ll take his candlesticks and
go. (Page 123)
(a) What and how will the candlesticks help the speaker to start fair in life again?
(b) Why doesn’t the speaker consider the fact that those candlesticks were given to
the Bishop by his mother? Why does he steal them?
(c) Write the noun form of ‘warrant’.
Answer:
(a) The silver candlesticks could fetch a lot of money if they were sold. With that
money the Convict could start his life afresh again.
(b) The Convict knows that the Bishop is very fond of the candlesticks as they were
given to him by his mother. However, he doesn’t respect this fact. They didn’t care
for his mother when he was sent to jail.
(c) Warranty.

Question 12.
“If you won’t tell the police, I will. I will not stand by and see you robbed. I know you
are my brother and my Bishop, and the best man in all France; but you are a fool, I
tell you, a child. I will not have your goodness abused, I shall go and inform die
police.” (Page 124)
(a) Who is the speaker and why can’t she stand by and see him robbed?
(b) Why is the “best man in all France” a fool?
(c) How will she not have his goodness abused?
Answer:
(a) The speaker of these lines is Persome, the Bishop’s sister. She can’t stand by
and let the Convict rob him of his silver candlesticks.
(b) The Bishop has all noble and human qualities in him to be the “best man in all
France.” However, he is also a fool as he is an easy target of every cheat and liar in
the Parish.
(c) Persome will not have the Bishop’s goodness abused by the Convict. She will go
to inform the police about the theft.

Question 13.
“Yes, madam, we found this scoundrel slinking along the road, and as he would not
give any account of himself we arrested him on suspicion. Holy Virgin, isn’t he strong
and didn’t he struggle? While we were securing him these candlesticks fell out of his
pockets.” (Page 124)
(a) Who is’ the ‘scoundrel’ being referred to here and who found him stealthily along
the road?
(b) Why did the police arrest that ‘scoundrel’?
(c) What happened when they were seeming him?
Answer:
(a) The Convict who stole.the Bishop’s candlesticks is being referred to as a
‘scoundrel’ here. The police found him moving stealthily along the road.
(b) The police arrested that ‘scoundrel’ on suspicion. He failed to give any
satisfactory account
of himself. ,
(c) When they were arresting him, the silver candlesticks that he stole from the
Bishop’s house, fell down from his pocket.

Question 14.
Ah, thanks, thanks, Monseigneur. I—I—(He sobs.) Ah, I’m a fool, a child to cry, but
somehow you have made me feel that—that it is just as if something had come into
me—as if I were a man again and not a wild beast.
(a) Why does the speaker thank the Bishop? –
(b) What did the Bishop make the Convict feel?
(c) Why does the Convict feel as if he were a man again and not a beast?
Answer:
(a) The Convict thanks the Bishop for saving him from getting arrested and going to
that hellish prison once again.
(b) The Convict felt as if he were a transformed man with human feelings.
(c) Because the Convict is no more a hardened and ferocious beast. He is sobbing
like a child
and is filled with human feelings once more.

Question 15.
(Putting his hand on his shoulder). Always remember, my son, that this poor body is
the Temple of the Living God.
(a) Who is speaking and to whom?
(b) Did the Convict still behave like a wild beast? What was the transformation?
(c) What final advice did the Bishop give to the Convict?
Answer:
(a) The Bishop is speaking to the Convict.
(b) No, the Convict was no more like a wild beast. He sobbed and behaved like a
child.
(c) The Bishop advised the Convict that the poor body of man is the Temple of the
Living God. Man must keep it chaste and pure by his noble actions.

Read the extracts given below and answer the questions that follow :

Question 1:
Marie : Pardon, Madam, but I think it was for Mere Gringoire.
Persome : Mere Gringorie indeed. Mere Gringoire. What, the old witch who lives at
the top of the hill, and who says she is bedridden because she is too lazy to do any
work ? And what did Mere Gringoire want with the money, pray ?
(a) What was done for Mere Gringoire ?
(b) Why does Persome refer to Mere Gringoire as an old witch ?
(c) What does the extract reveal about Persome’s character ? (CBSE
2014)
Answer:
(a) The Bishop had to sell his salt-cellars to pay the house rent of Mere Gringoire.
(b) Persome does so as she feels Mere Gringoire is wicked and selfish woman.
(c) The extract reveals that Persome is short-tempered and narrow-minded. She is
not generous like her brother.

Question 2:
You told him she was feeling poorly, did you ? And so my brother is to be kept out of
his bed, and go without his supper because you told him she was feeling poorly.
There’s gratitude for you !
(a) Who is ‘she’ in the above extract ?
(b) Who is the speaker’s brother and why was he kept out of bed ?
(c) Explain the line ‘there’s gratitude for you’. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
(a) ‘She’ in the extract is Mere Gringoire.
(b) The speaker’s brother is the Bishop. He was kept out of bed in order to help Mere
Gringoire.
(c) Persome remarks ironically that Marie had paid her gratitude to the Bishop by
making him help her mother in such a bad weather. She wants to say that she had
proved to be ungrateful to the Bishop.

Question 3:
Bishop : That is why they are left open.
Convict: Well they are shut now!
Bishop (sighs) : For the first time in thirty years.
(a) Why were ‘they’ left open ?
(b) Why are they shut now ?
(c) Why weren’t they shut for thirty years ?
Answer:
(a) ‘They’ are doors and windows which were left open to welcome any person who
came in.
(b) ‘They’ are shut now by the convict to prevent anybody else in the house.
(c) ‘They’ were not shut for thirty years to let anyone come at any time to see the
Bishop.

Question 4:
Bishop : The knife, oh, well, you see, dear, perhaps he may have thought that 1-1
had sold ours, (laughs gently)
Persome : Brother, I am frightened. He glares at us like a wild beast (aside to him).
(а) What is the tone of the Bishop in the above extract ?
(b) Why is Persome frightened ?
(c) Why is‘he’being compared to a wild beast? (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
(a) The Bishop’s tone is kind and gentle.
(b) Persome is frightened because the convict’s looks are very cruel and dangerous.
(c) ‘He’ is being compared to a beast as there is no human feeling on his face.
Moreover, his way of eating is just like any beast’s.
Question 5:
None of that, my friend ! I’m too old a bird to be caught with chaff. You would ask
your sister for the keys, would you ? A likely story ! You would rouse the house too.
Eh? Ha! A good joke truly. Come, where is the food. I want no keys. I have a wolf
inside me tearing at my entrails, tearing me; quick, tell me where the food is,
(а) What does the convict mean when he says I’m too old a bird to be caught with
chaff ?
(b) Why does the convict say, ‘I have a wolf inside me’ ?
(c) Why does the convict think it is ‘a good joke’. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
(а) The convict wants to say that he is too experienced to be duped in by cheap
tricks.
(b) The convict says so as he is very hungry and can tear anything apart like a
hungry wolf.
(c) The convict thinks it to be a good joke that the Bishop will ask his sister to bring
keys and she will go out to seek help.

Question 6:
I -I didn’t believe there was any good in the world One does’t when one has been in
Hell, but somehow, I -I know your’re good and, and it’s a queer thing to ask but, but
could you, would you bless me before I go ? 1-1 think it would help me.
(a) Why didn’t the speaker believe that there was any good left in the world ?
(b) How did the speaker know about hell ?
(c) Why did he seek the Bishop’s blessing ? (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
(а) The speaker believed so as he had been ill-treated and tortured all those years
for a petty crime.
(b) The speaker knew about hell as he had been in prison where conditions were as
bad as in hell.
(c) He sought the Bishop’s blessings so that he could begin his life anew like a
normal human being.

Question 7:
Convict: Ah, thanks, thanks, Monseigneur. I, I (he sobs) Ah ! Trn a fool, a child to cry,
but somehow you have made me feel that, that it is just as if something had come in
to me, as if I were a man again and not a wild beast.
Bishop (putting his hand on his shoulder) : Always remember, my son, that this poor
body is the Temple of the Living God.
(а) Why was the convict crying like a child ?
(b) How is the speaker ‘a man again’ ?
(c) Explain the phrase ‘the poor body is the temple of the living God’. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
(a) The convict was crying like a child as he felt guilty and remorseful. He realized he
had been on the wrong track.
(b) The speaker is a man again as he has regained his faith in God and humanity.
(c) The human body is a sacred place where God dwells.

Question 8:
‘My dear, there is so much suffering in the world, and I can do so little…………. ’
(a) Who speaks these lines and to whom ?
(b) What do you learn about him from the given line?
(c) What do you mean by ‘suffering’ ?
Answer:
(a) The Bishop speaks these lines to his sister Persome.
(b) The Bishop is extremely generous, selfless and kind-hearted.
(c) ‘pain’.

Question 9:
‘One must do a great deal for the devil in order to do a little for God’.
(а) Who is the speaker ?
(b) What does he want to say ?
(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘devil’.
Answer:
(a) The Bishop is the speaker.
(b) He wants to say that one has to do a lot to remove wickedness (devil) in doing a
bit of service to God.
(c) ‘a wicked being’ (satan).

Question 10:
‘Look-here, why the devil are you-ki-kind to me ? What do you want V
(а) Who is the speaker ?
(b) Why is he so confused ?
(c) What has he actually expected ?
Answer:
(а) The convict is the speaker.
(b) He is baffled at the kind behaviour of his host, the Bishop.
(e) He has actually expected to be treated badly.

Question 11:
You have your soul, to lose, my son; it is of more value than my heart’.
(а) Why does the Bishop call the convict ‘my son’ ?
(b) What tells you that he is a fearless person ?
(c) What does he want to do ?
Answer:
(а) The Bishop calls the convict ‘my son’ as he would call anyone else. In his eyes,
he is as good as any other human being.
(b) He does not care for his life. He is not afraid of being killed by the convict.
(c) He wants to reform the convict by showing him the right path through love and
compassion.

Question 12:
You told him she was feeling poorly, did you ? And so my brother is to be kept out of
his bed, and go without his supper because you told him she was feeling poorly”
(а) Who is ‘she’ referred to in the above lines ?
(b) What is the tone of the speaker ?
(c) Explain ‘kept out of his bed’.
Answer:
(а) ‘She’ referred to in the above lines is Marie’s mother.
(b) The speaker (Persome) here speaks in a reproachful tone.
(c) ‘Did not sleep and take rest’.

Question 13:
If you call out you are a dead man !
(а) What was the Bishop doing when the convict entered ?
(b)What warning did the convict give the Bishop ?
(c) What does‘call out’mean ?
Answer:
(a) He was reading then.
(b) The convict warned the Bishop that if he called for help he would be killed.
(c) ‘Shout’.

Question 14:
“I believe you want to convert me; save my soul, don’t you call it ? Well, it’s no good-
see ? I don’t want any damned religion, and as for the church – bah ! / hate the
church.”
(a) What does the convict resent ?
(b) Why does he hate the church ?
(c) Give the meaning of the word ‘damned’
Answer:
(a) The convict resents the Bishop’s talking of saving his soul.
(b) He hates the church for even the church did not come to his rescue.
(c) ‘accursed’.

Question 15:
‘Ah, that is hard, very hard, I – He might have left me those. They were all I had.’
(a) Who speaks these words and to whom ?
(b) What does‘those’refer to here ?
(c) What does ‘hard’ mean in the context ?
Answer:
(a) The Bishop speaks these words to his sister Persome.
(b) Those’ refers to the silver candlesticks stolen by the convict.
(c) ‘difficult’.

Question 16:
Yes, to starve. They feed you in Hell, but when you escape from it you starve.’
(a) Who is the speaker ? Who are ‘they’ ?
(b) Why has he come to ‘starving* ?
(c) Give the meaning of‘starve’.
Answer:
(a) The convict is the speaker. ‘They’ refers to jail authorities.
(b) He is out of jail, but he has no work and no money. He cannot do work for fear of
police. So he has come to the state of starvation.
(c)‘to die of hunger’.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Answer each of the following questions in 30-40 words ?

Question 1:
What makes Persome lost her temper ?
Answer:
Persome feels irritated that the Bishop has gone out in the extreme cold. When she
learns from the maid, Marie, that he has gone to see Marie’s ailing mother, she loses
her temper.

Question 2:
What grouses does Persome have about her brother ?
Answer:
Persome is the Bishop’s sister. The Bishop is in the habit of helping all who seek his
help. He has sold his estate, his furniture and many other valuable things to help the
poor. Persome who feels concerned about his future naturally has grouses in her
mind about this kind of behaviour on his part.

Question 3:
What comes as a shock to Persome ?
Answer:
Persome is already pained at her brother’s excessive magnanimity. When she learns
about his selling of his silver salt-cellars to help an old lady to pay her rent, she is
shocked.

Question 4:
How and when does the convict enter the Bishop’s room ?
Answer:
It is almost midnight. The Bishop is reading in his room. A convict enters his room
stealthily. It is not difficult for anyone to enter the Bishop’s house as its doors and
windows are never shut.

Question 5:
How does the convict behave when he encounters the Bishop ?
Answer:
The convict enters the Bishop’s room. He seizes the Bishop from behind and
demands something to eat at once. He threatens to kill him if he raises an alarm.

Question 6:
How is the convict treated by the Bishop ?
Answer:
The Bishop treats the convict as if he were his guest. He calls him ‘son’ and tries to
calm him down. He asks his sister to bring some food for the guest. He offers him
bed for rest.

Question 7:
Why was the convict caught and imprisoned ?
Or
‘Now I’m not a man, now I’m a number.’ How had the speaker become a number ?
Answer:
The convict’s wife was ill and starving. He had no money and work at that time. He
had to steal to feed his sick wife and was thus caught and imprisoned. In the prison,
he was given a number. He suffered there so much that he had forgotten his name.
He had been reduced to a mere number.

Question 8:
Why does the convict call the prison a hell ?
Answer:
The convict recalls his days in the prison which was nothing short of Hell. He was
chained like an animal. He was fed on filth. He was made to sleep on boards. He
suffered from vermins. He was often beaten mercilessly. He became a beast.

Question 9:
Why does the convict show contempt for the Bishop’s good behaviour ?
Answer:
The convict was in the prison for ten years. He was treated very badly. He lost faith
in God and humanity. So he has nothing but contempt for any good behaviour shown
by the Bishop.

Question 10:
Who was Jeanette ? What was the cause of her death ?
Answer:
Jeanette was the convict’s wife. She fell seriously ill. The convict was out of work
then. He had no money to feed and treat her. When he stole and got arrested, she
died of starvation.

Question 11:
Do you justify the Bishop’s behaviour in not handing over the convict to the police
when he decamps with his silver candlesticks ? Give reason.
Answer:
Had the Bishop handed the convict over to the police, the convict would never have
got another chance to reform himself. As the Bishop wants to give him a chance to
start a new life he saves him from the police.

Question 12:
What brings about real transformation in the convict ?
Answer:
When the Bishop gives the convict his silver candlesticks as a gift before he leaves
for Paris, the convict is speechless. He kneels himself down before the Bishop and
weeps. He feels that he has become a ‘man’ once again. His tears are a symbol of
his transformation.

Question 13:
Do you think the punishment given to the convict was justified ? Why/ Why not ?
Why is the convict eager to reach Paris ?
Answer:
The punishment given to the convict for a minor crime was too much and was
unjustified. He did not commit a murder or indulge in any other major crime. His
circumstances had forced him to steal. No, it.
He should have been given a light punishment instead of ten years in a helllike jail.

Question 14:
Before leaving, the convict asks the Bishop to bless him. What brought about this
change in him ?
Answer:
The convict had lost all faith in goodness. The Bishop’s love, kindness and
generosity bring about a remarkable change in him. He feels as if he were a man
once again. He regains his faith in God. So he asks the Bishop to bless him.

Question 15:
Identify the situations which can be termed as the turning points in the convict’s life ?
Answer:
There are many situations in the play which can be termed as the turning points in
the convict’s life. He stole to feed his sick wife. His consequent arrest on the charge
of stealing was the first significant turning point in his life. His encounter with the
kind, noble and generous Bishop was another turning point in his life. Again, his
arrest for having stolen the Bishop’s candlesticks and the Bishop’s magnanimity and
kindness in saving him from the police and gifting him his candlesticks are the other
turning points in the convict’s life.

Question 16:
How does the Bishop’s attitude touch the convict ?
Answer:
The Bishop’s attitude towards the convict is extremely amiable, kind and geneous.
He calls the convict his ‘son’ and ‘friend’ – the words the convict has forgotten in his
life. He offers him food and shelter. Even when the convict decamps with his
cherished candlesticks, he saves him from the clutches of the police. He even gifts
the candlesticks to the convict and helps him escape to Paris. His attitude moves the
heart of the convict. The convict feels as if he were a human being again. He sees a
ray of hope in his life.

VALUE-BASED LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS (SOLVED)

Question 1:
‘It is easy to close the doors but difficult to open a window.’ Comment with reference
to the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
The statement -‘It is easy to close the doors but difficult to open a window’- is true. It
is easy to close the doors implies that man can easily live selfishly; he can easily
shut doors on others and live a life of a recluse, as some religious people do. It is not
difficult to dislike or hate others. But to open a window for others is not easy. To go
out of one’s way to show the right path ‘ or to help other is indeed a difficult but
divine task.
The Bishop in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ keeps his doors and windows
literally open for needy persons. He does everything possible to help the poor. But
the way he treats the convict is something uncommon. He goes beyond the call of
his duty. When his beloved candlesticks are stolen, he finds it difficult to forgive the
thief, but very soon he realizes his mistake. By gifting the candlesticks he touches
the raw nerves of a hardened criminal. He opens a window at the back of his house
for the convict to go to his destination and start a new life. What a noble act !

Question 2:
‘Minds are open only when hearts are open. Keeping this in mind, the Bishop’s
house had unshuttered windows and unbarred doors for thirty years.
Discuss. (CBSE 2014)
Answer:
It is unthinkable that one could keep the doors and windows of one’s house open for
thirty long years. Only a really fearless hermit can do it. The Bishop keeps the doors
and windows open so that the poor and the needy could come anytime to his house.
It reveals that his mind and heart are open. He is so generous and magnanimous
that he attaches no importance to any material thing. He sells his estate, his silver
salt-cellars and many others valuable things to help the poor. Though he cherishes
his silver candlesticks, he readily gifts them to the convict.
Earlier in the play, Persome reminds the Bishop how people take undue advantage
of his generosity. Even the convict mocks at him for leaving his windows and doors
open. But the Bishop does not have a second thought at what he does.

Question 3:
Love, compassion and forgiveness are great human values which we must try to
imbibe. Discuss it in the context of the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks.’
Answer:
There is no doubt that love, compassion and forgiveness are great human virtues.
We should try to imbibe them in our day-to-day life. We should learn to love all. We
should be compassionate towards the weak. We should forgive all those who offend
or harm us in any way.The Bishop in the play ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’ is a true
Christian who has imbibed in him the divine virtues of love, compassion and
forgiveness. He loves one and all without any discrimination. He treats even the
convict as his friend and guest. The convict proves to be ungrateful by stealing the
silver candlesticks of a person who offered him food and shelter and comforted him.
However, the Bishop forgives him easily. Rather he gifts the candlesticks to him so
that he may start a new life. This is what we sould do in our life, though it is not an
easy task.

Question 4:
The prison is meant for reformation, not punishment. Justify this statement with
reference to the lesson ‘The Bishop’s Candlesticks’.(CBSE 2014)
Answer:
The prison is meant for reformation. That is why, it is often called ‘Sudhar Ghar’.
Here the prisoners should be treated in such a way that they realize their mistakes
and reform themselves. They should not be treated like animals as was done in the
prison which the convict calls ‘Hell’. The convict had to steal out of compulsion.
When he was in the prison, he was given a number. He was fed on filth. He had to
sleep on boards. He was beaten mercilessly. They turned him into a hardened
criminal. He lost faith in humanity. He began to hate everybody. When he escaped
from the prison, he was not a reformed person. He again stole-this time the silver
candlesticks of a really noble person, the Bishop.
If he was changed man towards the end, it was due to the Bishop’s extremely kind
and humane treatment. The Bishop changed his heart by his kindness and
generosity.