Triumph of Surgery

 

THE TRIUMPH OF SURGERY

Question 1.Why is Mrs Pumphrey worried about Tricki?
Answer:Mrs Pumphrey is worried about Tricki because he is unwell. He has refused to eat food and had bouts of vomiting. She feels that he is suffering from a serious health issue.

 

Question 2. What does she do to help him? Is she wise in this?
Answer: Mrs Pumphrey starts giving him extra snacks like malt, cod-liver oil and Horlicks, apart from his main meals, to improve his condition. She also continues to satisfy his sweet tooth with cream cakes and chocolates. She does not give him any exercise, considering his listlessness as well. She is not wise in doing so because overfeeding Tricki is worsening his conditions instead of improving it. It has made him very fat and lazy.

 

Question 4. Is the narrator as rich as Tricki’s mistress?
Answer: No, the narrator is not as rich as Tricki’s mistress, Mrs Pumphery. We can say so because the narrator seems fascinated by how lavishly Mrs Pumphrey spends on the well-being and maintenance of her pet. He is unusually surprised by the enriching items she sends for Tricki, as he cannot afford them for himself.

 

Question 5. How does he treat the dog?
Answer: James Herriot treats Tricki just like he would treat an overweight and lazy dog. He cuts down his food intake and keeps him under strict observation for the initial days at hospital. He gradually increases Tricki’s food and sets him free for physical activities to improve his health.

 

Question 6. Why is he tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest?
Answer: Mr Herriot is tempted to keep Tricki on as a permanent guest because of the good food and wine he is enjoying in Tricki’s name. He does not want to lose the luxurious inflow of fresh eggs, wine and brandy.

 

Question 7. Why does Mrs Pumphrey think the dog’s recovery is ‘a triumph of surgery’?
Answer: Mrs Pumphrey thinks that Tricki’s recovery is a triumph of surgery because his illness was very serious. She was of the opinion that there were very few chances of Tricki to improve and he needed immediate medical attention. Thus, his revival was a great achievement, according to her.

 

Question 8. What kind of a person do you think the narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is? Would you say he is tactful as well as full of common sense?
Answer: The narrator, a veterinary surgeon, is a capable and wise doctor. He handles Tricki properly which shows that he is sincere about his profession.
He does not give medical treatment to the dog unnecessarily and cures him by altering his diet and activities.
He is a tactful person as he knew exactly how to convince Mrs Pumphrey to hospitalise Tricki for recovery. His decision to inform Mrs Pumphrey to collect Tricki supports his sensibilities even though he was tempted to keep Tricki as a permanent guest.

 

Question 9. Do you think Tricki was happy to go home? What do you think will happen now?
Answer: Tricki was happy to go back home as he really loved his mistress and the comfort of his lavish life. He seemed  excited at the sight of Mrs Pumphrey. Mrs Pumphrey may continue to overindulge and overfeed the dog which might land him in similar situation again.

 

 

Question 10. What would you have done if you were in the narrator’s place?
Answer: If I were in the narrator’s place, I would have treated Tricki with a similar amount of compassion and love. I would have been equally caring as Mr James Herriot towards Tricki. I would have just been a little more stern while advising Mrs Pumphrey to put Tricki on a strict diet knowing her way of showing love. I would have also not consumed Tricki’s share of eggs, wine and brandy sent by Mrs Pumphrey.

 

Extra Questions Q1How did lunch become ‘a ceremonial occasion’ for Mr Herriot and his partners?

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey sent fresh eggs, two dozen at a time to build up Tricki’s strength. Mr Herriot and his partners began to take two eggs each in breakfast. They enjoyed it a lot. Then bottles of wine began to arrive to enrich Tricki’s blood. This way it became a ceremonial occasion for them, to have two glasses of wine before and during the meal.

Q2Why was Mr Herriot shocked at Tricki’s appearance?

ANS:     Mr Herriot was shocked at Tricki’s appearance as he had become very obese. His eyes were red and watery and his tongue was lolling. All these symptoms made Mr Herriot feel that he was not feeling well.

Q3 How was Tricki greeted at the surgery by other dogs in the beginning?

ANS:     When the household dogs at the surgery came closer to Tricki and sniffed round him for a few seconds, they found him an uninteresting object. They got bored and left him alone thinking that he could not move. After a few days of strict diet, he recovered and enjoyed playing with them, being bowled over, tramped on and squashed every few minutes. Thus, he became an accepted member of the game.

Q4 Describe the ‘parting scene’ between Tricki and Mrs Pumphrey’s entire household staff.

ANS:     Mrs Pumphrey treated Tricki like a young pampered child, naturally it was not easy for her to part with him. She made all the possible arrangements to see that Tricki had all the comforts in the hospital. All his belongings like day bed, night bed, favourite cushions, toys and rubber rings, breakfast bowl, lunch bowl, supper bowl were sent with him. She cried pitiably at his departure and threw an armful of the little coats through window. Everyone bid him a tearful farewell.

Q5 How do you know that Tricki had an affluent life?

ANS:     Tricki was a pampered pet of an affluent mistress. He had a wardrobe of tweed coats with separate coats for the cold and rainy weather. He had separate beds for day and night with lovely cushions, toys, rubber rings, breakfast bowl, supper bowl and lunch bowl. All these luxury items show that he had an affluent living.

Q6 Why was Mrs Pumphrey not able to control Tricki’s diet?

ANS:     She was not able to control his diet because according to her, he was very weak. Secondly, he loved ice cream and chocolate. Being a very loving mistress, she could not refuse him all this.

Q7 What made Tricki get well so soon?

ANS:     Tricki was not suffering from any disease indeed. His main ailment was his greed for overeating. When Mr Herriot gave him a controlled diet, he recovered from his lethargy caused by overeating and excessive fat. Q8 Imagine that you are Mr. James Herriot. Write a diary entry describing how Tricki was cured and how you feel about returning Tricki back to Mrs. Pumphrey.   07 May 2019, Tuesday 10.30 pm   Dear Diary   After a fortnight, finally Tricki went back to Mrs. Pumphrey today. How happy he was as he bound back to his mistress, healthy and fit again!   When Tricki came to us two weeks back, he had lost all energy, had stopped eating and was suffering from bouts of vomiting. Mrs. Pumphrey had been distraught! But she was the one to be blamed entirely. In spite of my warning her, she continued to overfeed Tricki without giving him enough exercise. I had no option but to bring Tricki with me to the surgery. We did not give him any food for two days. He started showing signs of recovery soon. We then gave him healthy food and let him play with the dogs at the surgery. Very soon he regained his energy and became a member of the boisterous pack of dogs. Meanwhile Mrs. Pumphrey started sending eggs, wine and even brandy for Tricki. We, at the surgery relished all that and enjoyed two weeks of bliss in Tricki’s name. How tempting it was to keep Tricki with us permanently!   But Mrs. Pumphrey’s motherly affection melted my heart. We called her to collect Tricki today. I just hope that she doesn’t spoil Tricki’s health again by her over indulgence. But if she does, then we can look forward to many more days of good food and wine again!   James