The document discusses John Updike's life and literary contributions, detailing his background, notable works, and the themes present in his writing, often reflecting autobiographical elements and his perspective on American middle-class life. It also narrates a story told by a father named Jack, who, while storytelling, faces conflicts between childhood fantasy and adult realities, ultimately illustrating the generational divide in perspectives on parenting and happiness. The presentation highlights character dynamics within the family, emphasizing themes of authority, creativity, and differing perceptions of happiness between parents and children.

1. SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY?
BY JOHN UPDIKE
A PRESENTATION BY
MRS LOPAMUDRA MOHAPATRA, PGT(ENGLISH)
DAV PUBLIC SCHOOL, CCL, RANCHI
JHARKHAND

2. JOHN UPDIKE- THE AUTHOR
AN INTRODUCTION
JOHN HOYER UPDIKE- ONE OF THE GREATEST AMERICAN WRITERS
Born: on 18 March1932 at reading, Pennsylvania in the United States
Died: on 27January2009 at Danvers, Massachusetts in the United States at the age of 76
Career: a prolific writer of more than twenty novels, more than a dozen short story collections as well as
poetry, art and literary criticism and children’s books
Genre: Literary realism and naturalism
Notable works: Rabbit Angstrom novels, Henry Bech stories, The Witches of Eastwick
Awards: Won Pulitzer Prizes for two novels i.e. Rabbit is Rich and Rabbit at Rest from his Rabbit series, two
National Book Awards, three National Book Critics Circle Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 1989 and the
National Humanities Medal in 2003.

3. JOHN UPDIKE AS AN AUTHOR
- John Updike’s father was a junior high school Maths teacher and his mother, a writer
- Updike turned out to be a prolific writer although he wanted to be a cartoonist when he was young
- Almost all his literary works are autobiographical in nature
- Any reader of his fiction would recognise him instantly, since he figures as the main character in his works
- ‘The Centaur’ is a portrait of the adolescent Updike’s troubled relationship with his father
- ‘Of the Farm’ features a wilful mother like the author’s and a diffident son who comes to visit her with his
second wife
- Even Harry Angstrom, the bewildered protagonist of ‘Rabbit, Run’ and ‘Rabbit Redux’ novels with working
class people in a faded industrial town reflect an Updike persona: guilty, death obsessed and eager for
salvation
- His works are about his parents , his childhood, his first wife Mary and four children, his second wife Martha
and children, his frustrations and his views on marriage, infidelity and divorce through fictionalisation of
characters and realistic and natural depiction of surroundings
- Even his psoriasis and mild stammer, his humiliation made an unabashed foray into his fiction
- ‘My subject is the American Protestant small town middle class. I like middles. It is in middles that extremes
clash, where ambiguity rules’, once said Updike.
- His lyrical style, fluidity of language, pictorial depiction gave him a stature on par with Nathaniel Hawthorne,
another great American writer
John Updike, Mary(his first wife) and their four children

4. PLOT WITHIN A PLOT
THE STORY BY JACK- A SLIGHT VARIATION OF THE BASIC TALE
Basic tale
Once upon a time, in the deep dark woods, there was a tiny little creature
named Roger (Roger Fish, Roger squirrel, Roger Chipmunk)
- The animal had some problem
- He went to meet the wise old owl
- The owl told him to go through the dark woods, under the apple tree,
into the swamp, over the crick to the wizard’s house
- The tiny old wizard with a long beard lived in a little white house
- The wizard performed a magic spell and lo! the creature’s problem got
solved
- He demanded more pennies than the creature had
- Then he directed the animal to the end of the lane and turn around three
times, look down into the well
- The extra pennies were found there
- The animal ran into the woods and played games like tag, baseball,
football, basket ball, lacrosse, hockey, soccer and pick–up sticks
- The animal was very happy and played with his friends till evening
- His daddy came from another town i.e. Boston by train
- The family had different delicacies in supper
- Now Roger……., the animal lived happily ever after

5. Jack and Clare have two children named Joanne(Jo) and Bobby. Jo is four years old and
Bobby, two. The couple is expecting their third child.
Jack has been telling Jo stories in the evenings and on Saturday afternoons for the last
two years
His imaginary stories have a basic pattern.
Each new story is a slight variation of a basic tale
An animal named Roger would face a problem, an wise owl would ask him to meet a
wizard. The wizard would solve the animal’s problem. The little animal would go to the
forest and play with his friends. At night his father would come from another town and
they would have a delicious supper.
Jack has already told Roger the stories of Roger fish, Roger squirrel, Roger Chipmunk.
Today it is Saturday afternoon and the story is about Roger skunk as suggested by Jo.
A new animal??? Jack wants to be his creative best.
A STORY WITHIN A STORY- AN EMBEDDED NARRATIVE

6. 0nce upon a time in the deep dark forests there lived a tiny little creature named Roger Skunk. And he
smelled bad. None of the young animals were ready to play with him because of his foul smell. They
called him Roger Stinky Skunk and shunned his company. Two little round tear drops would fall from his
eyes. He was deeply hurt. So he decided to meet the wise owl. The owl directed him to go to a little
white house over the crick in the deep forest. It was the house of a tiny little old wizard. He listened to
the tiny creature’s problem, took out his magic wand and cast a magic spell. And all of a sudden the
sweet smell of the roses wafted in the air. The wizard demanded seven pennies. Roger Sunk began to cry.
He had only four pennies. The wizard asked him to go the end of the lane, turn around three times and
look into the magic well. Roger Skunk paid the pennies and ran into the deep jungle. That afternoon he
was the happiest one. He played many games like tag, football, base ball, basket ball, lacrosse, hockey,
soccer and pick- up- sticks.
Roger Skunk played and laughed all afternoon and in the evening went home.
THE STORY OF ROGER SKUNK
Does the story end here?
Did they have supper together after Roger
Skunk’s father came from Boston on a train?
Did the little creature live happily ever after
with the smell of roses???

7. DIFFERENT GAMES THAT ROGER SKUNK PLAYED
PICK- UP- STICKS
BASKETBALL
BASEBALL
SOCCER
HOCKEY
LACROSSE
F00TBALL

8. A MAJOR VARIATION IN THE BASIC PLOT
DID THE STORY END UP WITH ROGER SKUNK BEING HAPPY WITH HIS NEW SMELL AND
FRIENDS?
NO…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Jack all of a sudden gave a dramatic twist to the story when Jo thought the story was
over. She was going to be jerked out of her world of fantasy to face a real world.
Roger Skunk went home happily. The intoxicating smell of roses had made his day.
Mommy Skunk said, ‘What’s that awful smell?’ She was very angry with the wizard.
She hated the sweet smell. The little Skunk had lost his original foul smell, thus his
identity. She took an umbrella and went back with Roger Skunk and hit that wizard
right over the head. She asked the wizard to give the little skunk his original smell
back. The wizard said, ‘O.K.’
The animal lost his sweet smell. He smelled very bad again. Then Papa Skunk came
and they had supper together. At night Mommy Skunk came and hugged the little
skunk. She said she loved him with his foul smell.

9. REAL WORLD / WORLD OF FANTASY
JACK’S PERSPECTIVE JO’S PERSPECTIVE
-Jack does not change the end of the
story
- He says parents know what is right
for their children
- He wants Roger Skunk to retain his
original foul smell
- He relives his childhood shame and
humiliation through the story
- He says everything falls in place as
the other little animals get used to the
bad smell
- He threatens to spank Jo if she does
not stay on bed
- Jo insists on a happy ending to the story
- She is angry with Roger Skunk’s mother
for being a spoilsport
- She wants the wizard to hit Mommy
Skunk with his magic wand
- She wants Roger Skunk to make a lot of
friends and be happy
- She empathises with Roger as a child and
wants to live in an imaginary world where
everyone is happy
- She throws tantrums and wants her father
to change the last part of the story

10. Happiness is
HAPPINESS IN A CHILD’S WORLD
Flying a paper airplane
Swinging on a swing
Floating a paper boat
Taking an imaginary selfie
Playing ‘tug of war’ with
friends Participating in egg and
spoon race
Looking at a rainbow
Chasing a butterfly
Making castles on the beach
Kicking the ball Running in gay abandon

11. A CHILD’S WORLD OF FANTASY AND FAIRY TALE
Hell Heaven
Child’s imaginary world
Fairy and Unicorn
Consequences of bad deeds and good deeds Fairy God mother Mermaid
Genie and the magic lamp
Wizard’s room
Wizard and eerie surrounding

12. MORAL ISSUES
SHOULD WIZARD HIT MOMMY?- AN OPEN ENDED QUESTION
IT’S A CHILD’S VIEW AGAINST AN ADULT’S
- Good parenting does not mean scolding or corporal punishment
- Parents should command respect, not demand
- Respect children’s views and deal with them sensitively as they
are innocent
- Let the children do what they want to do. Guide them lovingly
what is good or bad
- Make the children understand that there are no instant solutions
to the problems of life. Miracle hardly takes place in real life
- Encourage them to be curious and inquisitive
- Happiness comes in small measures in this complex world. Let
children enjoy their childhood to the fullest

13. AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ELEMENTS IN UPDIKE’S STORY
JACK- A MALE CHAUVINIST
- He does not like women when they take anything for granted
- He likes them apprehensive, hanging on his words
- He does not want them to question his authority
- He wants Jo to enjoy the stories told by him
JACK RELIVES HIS PAST EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE STORY
- Jack suffered humiliation at the hands of other children in his childhood
- In all probability, he also stammered like Jo
A DOMINATING MOTHER’S INFLUENCE ON JACK’S LIFE
- Parents know what is best for their children
- Children should love, obey and respect their parents
JACK’S COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS WIFE
- He is in a loveless marriage with Clare
- He does not want his wife and daughter to be curious, inquisitive or independent
- He monotonously does his duties as a husband and father
- His wife’s feigning pleasure at cocktail parties although she does not like them irritates him
- His reference to Jo’s blue eyes like her mother’s makes him realise that she is going to be as independent
as Clare

14. JACK TRAPPED IN AN UGLY MIDDLE POSITION
- Throughout the storytelling session Jack is aware that his wife Clare was painting the furniture
downstairs
- He wants Jo to sleep so that he could help his six month pregnant wife
- But Jo insists on getting a happy ending to the story
- Jack is adamant and comes downstairs without listening to Jo’s pleas and tantrums
- Now he comes across Clare wearing an old shirt of his on a maternity smock and painting a chair rail.
- The woodwork, a cage of moldings and rails and baseboards are half painted and Jack feels as if he is
caught in a middle position
- He feels his wife’s presence in a cage with him
- And he does not want to speak with her, work with her, touch her

15. WHY WAS JACK CAUGHT IN A MIDDLE POSITION?
Jack was caught in a middle position. He could not satisfy Jo
with his imaginary story. She had challenged his authority by
asking a lot of questions during the story telling session and
eventually asking him to change the end of the story. She defied
parental authority and wanted the wizard to hit Roger Skunk’s
mommy with his magic wand.
When he came downstairs, he saw Clare in an old shirt of his
and a maternity smock. The furniture was half-painted. Clare
with her bloated body, the half painted railings- everything
looked ugly and repulsive. He had gone down memory lane
when he told Jo the story of Roger Skunk. It was an imaginary
story and had an old world charm. Suddenly he was taken out of
that world of fantasy to a real world. The mundane world was
definitely unappealing to him. He felt caught in a middle
position. He was trapped in a cage with Clare. He did not want to
speak with her, work with her or do anything with her. He had
failed as a father and story teller. He had also failed to help his
wife in her work.

16. CHARACTER SKETCH
JACK
- A strict yet loving father who tells bed time stories to his daughter
- Not very creative or imaginative as he follows a basic story line
- But he is good at dramatisation and voice modulation
- At times his childhood experiences, humiliations, the memory of a dominating mother are reflected in his
stories
- A male chauvinist
- Impatient and dominating
- Hates being contradicted or questioned by women
- Wants children to be obedient as he himself was in his childhood
- Does not like women when they take everything for granted
- He liked them apprehensive, hanging on words

17. JOANNE(JO)
Jo is four years old and lives in her world of fairies, magic ands and miracles etc.
She is inquisitive and asks a lot of questions
- She is innocent and loves happy ending of stories
She empathises with Roger Skunk and is greatly anguished when he is rejected by
the other little creatures
She has an independent mind and does not take things for granted
She urges her father to change the end of the story
She wants the wizard to hit Roger Skunk’s cruel mother
CLARE
Jack’s wife and Jo’s mother
She is seen towards the end of the story, but heard in the story when she moves the
furniture
Jack finds her reflection in Jo’s blue eyes and her independent behaviour
Although she is six months pregnant, she does not wait for her husband to finish
the story and help her
She tactfully tells her husband, ‘That was a long story’ instead of showing
displeasure at his delay
CHARACTER SKETCH

18. THANK YOU
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it’s still
a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy
- Max Ehrmann, Desiderata
Source(pictures and photographs): Internet