THE

FRUITCAKE
By Frank Brenna
SPECIAL
NOR YUSLINDA BINTI MUHAMAD
YUSOF
2006104001
THE AUTHOR
Frank Brenna
• Author of 5 collections of short
stories in Cambridge English Reader
series :
– Three Tomorrows
– Circle Games
– Tales of the Supernatural
– Windows of the Mind
– The Fruitcake Special
• Wrote a collection of stories based
on a particular theme – exp .
“discovery” in The Fruitcake
Collection so that he can present a
variety of ways looking at the
theme.
 TITLE
• A fruitcake – play
important role in the story
• The story evolves around
this special fruitcake &
how in an instant it can
change :
– The lives of people
– Their emotion
– Their reaction to others
 SETTING
• WORKPLACE
• Amos Cosmetic factory in New Jersey, USA
• Place where perfumes are designed by chemists
• Anna, the main character, works here & she travels to
work by bus

• HOME
• Anna lives at home with her mother
• Her Aunt Mimi is the frequent visitor to the house
 THEME
SUPERFICIAL LOVE TRUE LOVE

• Old lady had 7 • Armstrong fell in love

husbands with Anna not because
of the fruitcake perfume

• Anna was patient

• Fully rely on the enough to wait & she
got something priceless
fruitcake
at the end
 POINT OF VIEW
• Written in the 1st person point of view because
the word “I” is uses
• Readers see the action of the story through the
eyes of the main character  Anna
 LANGUAGE
• Simple
• Whole story written in a hilarious manner
• Many comic situations that can make people
laugh
– The scene at the restaurant – David declares hid
love for Anna, waiter singss his heart out, &
during the fight.
CHARACTERS IN THE
STORY
ANNA
• Works as a chemist in Amos
Cosmetics factory in New Jersey
USA
• Job – to design new perfumes
• Single & lives with her mother
• Her mother & Aunt Mimi
worried she is not getting married
• She knows that David Amos is
not possibly in love with her nor
is the waiter at the restaurant
• She recognizes that it is the result
of the powerful perfume she has
created
 DAVID AMOS
• Owner of Amos
Cosmetics
• Dark, handsome &
fashionable gentlemen
• Often seen with
beautiful women
• He appear polite but
actually does not think
much of his workers
AUNT MIMI
• Pleasant but she also
likes to mind other
people’s business
• Constantly trying to
find suitable partner for
her niece
• She gives some
fruitcake to Anna
 SABINA
• A beautiful young model
• David’s girlfriend
• Looks down on Anna
• Furious when David
professes his love for and
ordinary & plain-looking
girl like Anna
• She & David offer
compensation to Anna in
the form of money to
forget the whole incident
at the French restaurant
 ARMSTRONG
• Pizza delivery boy
• Totally different than
David Amos
• Through effort &
determination, grow from
mere pizza delivery man
to become owner of the
pizza company
• Wants to make a succes of
himself before he declares
his love for Anna
ANNA’S MOTHER
• Naturally anxious that
her daughter is still
single
• Right from beginning
that Armstrong, the
pizza delivery man,
would make good
husband for Anna. This
turn to be right, at the
end
 WAITER
• Works in French
restaurant
• Add humour & comedy
to the story by the way
he behaves towards
Anna when under the
spell of the fruitcake
perfume
 OLD WOMAN
• Used to sell fruitcakes in
the market
• Nobody knows much
about her except for Aunt
Mimi
• Had 7 husbands who ate
her magical fruitcakes
• Seems to have been able
to read people’s mind
• Offered the cake to Aunt
Mimi for her niece
• Dies early in the story
 SYNOPSIS
1. Anna is a chemist in the Amos Cosmetics
factory. 1 day while designing a new
perfume, she throws in a piece of fruitcake.
She bottles the perfume she had made & puts
a few drops on herself.
2. David Amos, gets a whiff of the perfume &
complements her, something he rarely does.
He invites her out on a dinner date. Anna
accepts
3. Anna goes home. Her mother & Aunt Mimi
are worried that Anna is still single. Her
mother mention Armstrong, the pizza
delivery man, as a potential husband. Anna
tells them about her date with her boss.
4. Anna doesn’t likes her boss but she wants to
find out the real reason of his unusual
behavior. She gets ready & put on her usual
perfume Intrigue & not new fruitcake
perfume.
5. On the way to an expensive French restaurant,
David says very little to Anna. It is a great
change from his charming behavior in the
office earlier in the day. At the restaurant,
Anna feels like he regrets coming out with her.
Anna goes to the ladies’ room
6.Anna puts on new fruitcake perfume. While
walking back to the table, a nearby waiter ,
gets affected & knocks down a table. David
Amos now acts as if he is madly in love with
her. Anna realizes the power of the fruitcake
perfume
• 7. Anna goes to answer a phone call in the longue &
again encounters the waiter. He declare his love for
her & wants to see her again. Anna, very amused,
tells him to look to his duties as a waiter.
• 8. She meets Sabina, David’s current & arrogant
girlfriend. David professes his love for Anna. The
waiter sings a love song. Angry Sabrina punches
David. A fight breaks out between Sabina, David,
the waiter & the others. It is chaos. Anna runs off
home.
• 9. Anna visits Aunt Mimi to find out what she
has put into the fruitcake. Aunt Mimi had
actually bought the cake from an old woman
who has 7 husbands. Unfortunately the old
lady passed away.
• 10. After 2 days, she sees David in his room &
Sabina is with him. David has a black eye. He
had calmed things down at the restaurant by
paying out money. The police were not called.
11.David apologies for his unusual behavior.
Sabina says David cannot be interested in
Anna. Irritated, Anna takes out the bottle of
perfume & pours it on Sabina’s dress. She
knows David will go crazy over her & so will
other men nearby. Anna leaves Amos
Cosmetics
• 12. She gets a new job at the perfume factory that
makes Intrigue. Armstrong, the pizza delivery
man, is now owner. 1 day he visits Anna & he
confesses that he fell in love with her at the 1st
sight but wanted to wait till he had made success
of himself before asking her out.

TRUE LOVE WINS THE DAY

 THE PLOT
***refer to excel
file**
 MORAL STORY
• True love is born from the heart
• Hard work always pays off
• Observation of people around us to
discriminate the true from the false.
 ACTIVITIES
• Discuss about character traits – compare & contrast
between characters
exp : Anna vs Sabina
David Amos vs Armstrong
• Match the characters with their qualities
• Arrange the events of the story according to the
correct sequence.
• Write a letter for any of the characters
exp : Sabina – advice her to change her attitude
• Role-play
THANK YOU