Should Wizard Hit Mommy Summary?

This is an interesting story for the readers of class 12 by John Hoyer Updike, where a little girl innocently raises a beautiful question based on his moral instincts.

The story revolves around Jack who has two lovely children- Joanne and Bobby and his wife Clare are about to be a mom to their third child.

Mother has a habit of taking story sessions for their afternoon naps every Saturday. But this time when Father takes an initiative to tell them a story, she interrupts him and extinguishes her curiosity, and feels that story is not being told correctly.

Sometimes adult feels that things which are being told by the children would take them as it is but the situation is not always the same as children are like little scientists who have a very different way of thinking and building their own perception.

About the Author: Should Wizard Hit Mommy?

John Hoyer Updike was an American poet, novelist, short story writer. He won Pulitzer Prize more than once for his fiction. He also published a dozen of short story collections and children’s books during his career.

CHARACTERS: Should Wizard Hit Mommy?

Jack

Jack was a married man and the protagonist of the story. He was not at all supportive and avoid helping his expecting wife in the preparation of welcoming their third child. He was a talented storyteller and follows the same pattern of narrating which has the same characters, an animal named Roger who has s a problem that is solved at the end of the story.

Jo

Jo is a four-year-old growing girl and has begun to make her own perceptions and wants to be heard by everyone at this small age also. She was not even happy with the ending of the story and does not like the idea of Roger’s mother’s idea of returning to his original smell when it is not liked by the other animals. She is actually very naive and gullible to understand the importance of relationships and sacrifice done to maintain these.

Roger Skunk

Roger Skunk was the lead of jack’s story and he was teased and bullied for his bad smell. He just wants acceptance from all other animals but cannot change their appearance and smell and thus it makes it difficult for both father and daughter to accept two different ideas. His return to his original fou;l smell shows his responsibility towards his family just like Jack should return towards his family and wife.

Clare

She was six months pregnant and was alone preparing the living room for the new member of their family. Their married life was not normal and jack has turned sour in his attitude, he does not express his feeling towards his wife and incessantly underestimate her.

She is misunderstood by her husband as he thought she lives in her own world of unfulfilled desires.

The Wizard

The Wizard in the story acts as a problem solver for Roger and performs a magic spell making him happy and feeling good about himself. He proves to be a strong character for Jack and Jo as she believes that the wizard’s actions were justified and wishes that he should hit his mommy. Jack believes that the wizard should reverse the spell and roger should make his mother happy by fulfilling his responsibilities.

Roger’s Mother

His mother was an opponent and represents jack to fulfill household responsibilities and also refuses to allow roger to change his smell. As she thinks that even if he would smell like roses he would remain the same. She justified that one should fulfill his responsibilities towards his or her family by keeping their desires at the side.

Should Wizard Hit Mommy Summary

It was a Saturday evening and every Saturday the narrator follows the routine of narrating a story to their children. The same has been followed for two years and with the same character Roger but with a different animal.

Now this time it is Roger Skunk, who smelled so bad that no one liked to play with him and bullied him by saying Stinky Skunk. This behavior made him teary-eyed every time and he quietly walked to a very big tree where a big wise owl was sitting on the topmost branch.

Roger Skunk told his grief to the wise owl and he suggested him to go to the Wizard house who lived near a little river.

When he reaches there he found a tiny little old man with a long white beard and a pointed blue hat. The wizard understood his problem and soon take out his magic wand and asked him what he wanted to smell like.

Roger pleaded with him to make him smell like roses and to his surprise, the whole house of the wizard was smelling like roses. After that, the wizard demanded him to pay seven pennies but roger cried that he had only four.

The wizard suggested him to go to the end of the lane and turn around thrice and roger found 3 more pennies and was very happy he gave it to the wizard.

Now when he again went into the woods the other creatures gathered around him because now he smells like roses. They all played and enjoyed very happily and after it gets dark they all went to their homes.

Jo thought that story ended on a happy note but jack continued the story by further adding that his mother didn’t like his smell and told him that they should go to the wizard again and get back his original smell.

Roger nodded and state the reason that he didn’t want to go as the animals again would make his fun of the awful smell. Her mother hit hard with an umbrella right over the wizard’s head and told him to cast his spell again so that he smells like a skunk smells. The wizard follows her order and does the same.

Jo very innocently said wizard should hit mommy right over her head and should not follow her command but father continued and dominated the story in his own style. The skunk and his mother went to their home and have their supper. As per the father, the story ended after he mentioned the various items of their supper.

But little Jo was not complacent with the ending and asked why the other creatures did not run away the second time, for this, the father replied that they got used to the smell and did not mind at all. Jo thought that the mommy was so stupid but jack here told her to take a long nap. Jo told her father to tell her a story with a change the next day and this time the wizard should hit mommy with the magic wand.

Jack explained to her that little roger loved her mom above all and he knew that she will do right and good for him. Jo again requested him to change the ending next time but Jack praised her and told her to sleep.

Jack closed the door and went downstairs where his wife, was wearing an old shirt and was dawdling the chair. He did not utter a word but he knows that they were caught in an ugly position and couldn’t do anything.

NCERT Solutions of Should Wizard Hit Mommy?

Q1 Why should wizard hit mommy?

A1 As Jo feels the mommy was not right and was giving invalid reasons and not at all feel the pain of her son. Actually, children associate their own world very easily with the world of fairies and wizards and could not accept the realities of life as their morality is absolute and depends on external factors.

Q2 What is the moral issue that the story should wizard hit mommy raises?

A2 The story raises the moral issue- parents and adults while dealing with the young minds always decide what should be introduced to a child or not as it is certainly going to affect their perception later on. The children’s thinking capacity differs in amount and kind as well from that of an adult.

Conclusion

The story helps the students to know the curiosity of a young little mind who loves to hear stories. But sometimes, stories that make no sense affect their cognition and they start questioning about the same out of their own moral dilemmas.

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