Shady plot ppt
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The document presents a PowerPoint presentation about 'The Shady Plot,' focusing on its characters and themes. The story follows John Hallock, a writer under pressure to produce a supernatural story, who interacts humorously with the ghost Helen, complicating his life when his wife Lavinia hosts a Ouija board party. It explores themes of superstition, creativity, and moral questions surrounding contacting spirits.
Shady plot ppt
- 1. PPT ON SHADY PLOT MADE BY NAME -SAGAR CLASS-10 ROLL NO-23
- 4. The characters of The Shady Plot are :(1) John Hallock (Narrator) (2) Lavinia Hallock (John's wife) (3) Jenkins (John’s Boss) (4) Helen (Lady Ghost), (5) Laura Hinkle (Lavinia's Friend) (6) Gladolia (Maid)
- 6. The story is woven round the theme of conjuring up the spirits of dead people in order to know the unknown. In alight hearted humorous narration it relates the story of an encounter of a writer with a denizen of the realm of ghosts. The story triggers the age old debate on superstitions and the supernatural- whether ghosts do exist and whether spirits like Helen control our lives. Another question that the story raises is whether we have any moral rights to conjure up spirits and disturb them. The story also deals with the sub theme of the unpredictability of the process of creative writing and how the creativity of a writer is curbed when he is pressurized to write on a particular theme.
- 7. Summary of the story John Hallock's publisher Jenkins wants him to write a ‘supernatural story’ to cater to the growing public demand for such fiction. Hallock has hard time thinking of a suitable plot. The success he earlier had with a similar plot eludes him. As he sits in his study, sucking at the end of his pencil and thinking hard for an idea, he hears a strange voice in response to a remark he made to himself aloud. The voice belongs to a ghost, Helen of New York. She appears to him in stages. She has a long and angular face with fishy eyes behind big bone-rimmed spectacles. She comes over and stands in front of him, staring at him.
- 9. Just at that movement Hallock's wife, Lavinia appears on the scene. So, he requests Helen to beat a hasty retreat and she demobilizes and evaporates but not without reminding him of the spirits’ strike. Lavinia proudly announces that she has bought a Ouija board. Ostensibly her purpose behind buying it is to help John write fantastic ghost stories but the fact is, she is fascinated by Ouija boards and has even invited her friends to a Ouija Board party. No amount of entreaties by Hallock, not to use Ouija board, deters her from going ahead with her plan. Lavinia’ s Ouija Board Party : Next day when he returns home from work Hallock is told by Gladolia
- 10. The cook, to get ready and come down as his wife had invited some of her friends for a Ouija Board Party. He finds the parlour of his house full of women-most of them elderly members, of his wife, Lavinia’ s Book Club- busy at Ouija boards in pair. His wife wants him to join one of her friends Miss Laura Hinkle, whose partner Mrs. William Augustus Wainright had failed to make it to the party. That is how Hallock finds himself working the Ouija board with Miss Hinkle, much against his wish and contrary to his promise to Helen, the spirit. While Miss Hinkle and Hallock are moving the Ouija board, a strange thing happens. First it spells the word T-R-A-I-T-O-R and then H-E-L-E-N. Intrigued by this,
- 11. Miss Hinkle asks the Ouija board for clues and is shocked to discover that someone by the name of Helen was calling Hallocks a traitor. Immediately she tells Hallocks wife, Lavinia about it. In no time all the Ouija boards in the room begin to call Hallock by name. Obviously, Lavinia is furious and Hallock leaves the room, much too embarrassed and ashamed. Second Encounter with Helen, the Spirit: Suspecting him of cheating her. Lavinia threatens to leave him. At breakfast next morning, it is a note by Lavinia to that effect that greets him instead of the lady. In utter exasperation Hallock remarks, “Oh, I wish I were dead!” At that very moment Helen emerges from nowhere. She tells him that she has come to find out when his wife is going to stop using Ouija boards.
- 12. The two are in conversation when first Gladolia interrupts them by announcing that she was going to quit the job because of the hoodoos and the Ouija boards and then it is Lavinia who enters the room to tell him that she was leaving. Hallock behaves strangely on hearing her decision and not wanting to let her see the ghost –Helen of New York –he tries to hide the latter. This arouses Lavinia’s suspicion further. She dismisses Gladolia from the room by telling her to throw the Ouija board in the fireplace and accosts Hallock by saying that he was trying to conceal something from her. He tries in vain to distract her, but she thrusts him back foreibly to find out who was behind him.
- 13. The truth is revealed:
- 14. Q. Answer the following questions briefly. (a) What genre of stories does Jenkins want the narrator to write? Why? (b) Does he narrator like writing ghost stories? Support your answer with evidence from the story. (c) What makes Helen, the ghost, and her other coghosts organize The Writer’s Inspiration Bureau? (d) Why had Helen, the ghost been helping the narrator write ghost stories? Why was she going on strike? What condition did she place for providing continued help?
- 16. (i) Do you agree with the narrator calling the assembly of women “manipulators”? Give reasons. (j) Why is John’s wife angry? What does she decide to do? (k) Why does John wish he were dead? (l) When confronted by Lavinia about his flirtations over the Ouija Board, John insists that ‘the affair was quite above- board, I assure you, my love’. Bring out the pun in John’s statement. (m John’s apprehensions about his wife’s reaction to her encounter with the ghost are unfounded. Justify.