Before You Read :

1. Why are children fond of stories?

2. Can you highlight some of the benefits of such

story telling session?
Before You Read :
1. Why are children fond of stories?

2. Can you highlight some of the benefits of such

story telling session?
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
John Updike

Introduction :
The story reveals the worldview of a little child to a difficult moral
question that shows her mental or psychological richness. The story
captures a very sensitive reaction of a small girl to an important aspect
of the story that her father narrates to her.
It raises a moral issue if the parents should always decide what the
children should do or let the children do what they like to do. Children
dream and live in their own magical world. They are devoid of despise,
ugliness, and petty differences. They are pure at heart. This story raises
a moral question at this point, “Should Wizard hit Mommy?” Jo feels
that he must. Jack says that it would be wrong because a mommy is
always right. She should be loved and respected.
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
John Updike
(1932 – 2009)

John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist,

poet, short-story writer, art critic and literary
critic. One of only four writers to win the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction more than once,
Updike published more than twenty novels,
more than a dozen short-story collections, as
well as poetry, art and literary criticism and
children's books during his career. He was born
in Pennysylvania, USA and the only child of
Linda Grace and Wesley Russell Updike.
Updike received formal education in
Shillington High School and later received a
full scholarship to Harvard.
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
John Updike
OBJECTIVES :
Thematic appreciation

Developing communication skills

Enhancing vocabulary

Art of story-telling-presentation/expression, intonation, pause,

questioning, creating suspense, twisting end etc

Developing values viz. respect for others, accepting life’s realities

 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
John Updike

Theme – Children’s perspective towards life is different from that of adults

Sub-Theme – Facing harsh realities of life, raising children, identity crisis

Plot – Story telling session – problems faced by Jack – twist in the story – Joe’s
stubbornness – Jack’s unwillingness to change the ending of the story

Characters-
Joanne: a four year old girl, lovingly called as ‘Jo’
Jack: Father of Joanne
Clare: Wife of Jack, mother of Joanne
Skunk: a baby creature with a bad smell
Mother Skunk: Mother of baby Skunk
Owl: a wise creature that solves the problems
Wizard: A magician
Roger Skunk’s friends
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
John Updike

Key points :
•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.
•Change in Joe
•The story of Roger Skunk
•Skunk’s problem
•Interruption made by Joe
•Challenges before Jack
•Questions asked by Joe
•Joe begins to perceive the real word
•How Jack reacted to the inconvenience caused by Jo during the story session
•Owl’s advice to Roger Skunk
•Roger Skunk’s visit to the wizard
•Change of smell
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
John Updike

Key points :
•Shortage of payment
•Skunk’s visit to the well and payment to the wizard
•Jack’s worries about his wife Clare
•Attitudinal change in Skunk’s friends
•Skunk’s happiness
•Joe’s reaction to the predictability in the story and Jack’s reaction
•A twist in the story
•How Skunk’s mother reacted to his changed smell
•She hit the wizard
•Joe’s reaction to the abrupt twist in the story
•Her insistence on changing the end of the story
•Jack’s determination
•Problem handling Joe
•Clare working downstairs
•Jack caught in an ugly middle position
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
Questions to test comprehension :
1. Why would Jack narrate story to his daughter Jo before bedtime?
2. What was the basic tell about?
3. How would the story usually end?
4. Why did the stories become predictable?
5. Who is Joe?
6. When did the story telling custom begin and how old was Joe now?
7. What was the basic tell about?
8. What was Roger Skunk’s problem?
9. How does Jack associate himself to the problem?
10. How did Jo interrupt Jack during the story session?
11. Why was it difficult for Jack to handle his daughter now?
12. Why did Joe interfere during the story session?
13. How did Jack react to the situation?
14. How did the wizard change roger Skunk’s smell?
15. Why did the wizard ask him to stay away from him?
16. What did Roger’s friends do after his smell was transformed to that of rose?
17. Why was Jack worried when he heard rumbling of furniture downstairs?
18. What did Roger Skunk do when he failed to make the full payment to the wizard?
 Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
Questions to test comprehension :
19. How was received by his friends now?
20. What were the challenged before Jack?
21. What made Jack feel caught in ugly middle position?
22.What is the moral issue that the story raises?
23. What do you think was Jo’s problem?
24. How does Jo want the story to end and why?
25. Why is an adult’s perspective on life different from that of a child’s? Discuss with
reference to the story Should Wizard Hit Mommy?
26. Why did Jack try to defend Roger Skunk’s mother?
27. The story telling session proved to be one of sudden and disturbing revelations for
Jack even though it was a ritual that had been carrying on for two years. Elaborate.
28. Justify the title of the story.

Resource Links - https://diksha.gov.in/ncert/

https://youtu.be/Ny1R_YkpLJ8