This story by Katherine Mansfield tells us about a little girl named Kezia whose feelings for her father change from fear to understanding. The story shows how children sometimes misunderstand their parents’ actions but later realize the love behind their strictness. It is a touching account that probably finds an echo in every home.
Before You Read
Do you feel you know your parents better now than when you were much younger? Perhaps you now understand the reasons for some of their actions that used to upset you earlier. This story about a little girl whose feelings for her father change from fear to understanding will probably find an echo in every home.
The Story
Kezia’s Fear of Father
To the little girl, her father was a figure to be feared and avoided. Every morning before going to work, he came into her room and gave her a casual kiss, to which she responded with “Goodbye, Father”. And there was a glad sense of relief when she heard the noise of the carriage growing fainter and fainter down the long road!
In the evening when he came home, she stood near the staircase and heard his loud voice in the hall saying: “Bring my tea into the drawing-room… Hasn’t the paper come yet? Mother, go and see if my paper’s out there and bring me my slippers.”
Daily Routine with Father
Mother would call to Kezia: “If you’re a good girl you can come down and take off father’s boots.” Slowly the girl would slip down the stairs, more slowly still across the hall, and push open the drawing-room door.
By that time he had his spectacles on and looked at her over them in a way that was terrifying to the little girl. “Well, Kezia, hurry up and pull off these boots and take them outside. Have you been a good girl today?”
“I d-d-don’t know, Father.”
“You d-d-don’t know? If you stutter like that Mother will have to take you to the doctor.”
Kezia’s Stuttering Problem
She never stuttered with other people – had quite given it up – but only with Father, because then she was trying so hard to say the words properly.
“What’s the matter? What are you looking so wretched about? Mother, I wish you taught this child not to appear on the brink of suicide… Here, Kezia, carry my teacup back to the table carefully.”
He was so big – his hands and his neck, especially his mouth when he yawned. Thinking about him alone was like thinking about a giant.
Sunday Afternoons
On Sunday afternoons Grandmother sent her down to the drawing-room to have a “nice talk with Father and Mother”. But the little girl always found Mother reading and Father stretched out on the sofa, his handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring.
She sat on a stool, gravely watched him until he woke and stretched, and asked the time – then looked at her.
“Don’t stare so, Kezia. You look like a little brown owl.”
The Birthday Gift Incident
One day, when she was kept indoors with a cold, her grandmother told her that father’s birthday was next week, and suggested she should make him a pin-cushion for a gift out of a beautiful piece of yellow silk.
Laboriously, with a double cotton, the little girl stitched three sides. But what to fill it with? That was the question. The grandmother was out in the garden, and she wandered into Mother’s bedroom to look for scraps. On the bed-table she discovered a great many sheets of fine paper, gathered them up, tore them into tiny pieces, and stuffed her case, then sewed up the fourth side.
The Punishment
That night there was a hue and cry in the house. Father’s great speech for the Port Authority had been lost. Rooms were searched; servants questioned. Finally Mother came into Kezia’s room.
“Kezia, I suppose you didn’t see some papers on a table in our room?”
“Oh yes,” she said, “I tore them up for my surprise.”
“What!” screamed Mother. “Come straight down to the dining-room this instant.”
And she was dragged down to where Father was pacing to and fro, hands behind his back.
“Well?” he said sharply.
Mother explained.
He stopped and stared at the child.
“Did you do that?”
“N-n-no”, she whispered.
“Mother, go up to her room and fetch down the damned thing – see that the child’s put to bed this instant.”
Crying too much to explain, she lay in the shadowed room watching the evening light make a sad little pattern on the floor.
Then Father came into the room with a ruler in his hands.
“I am going to beat you for this,” he said.
“Oh, no, no”, she screamed, hiding under the bedclothes.
He pulled them aside.
“Sit up,” he ordered, “and hold out your hands. You must be taught once and for all not to touch what does not belong to you.”
“But it was for your b-b-birthday.”
Down came the ruler on her little, pink palms.
After the Punishment
Hours later, when Grandmother had wrapped her in a shawl and rocked her in the rocking-chair, the child clung to her soft body.
“What did God make fathers for?” she sobbed.
“Here’s a clean hanky, darling. Blow your nose. Go to sleep, pet; you’ll forget all about it in the morning. I tried to explain to Father but he was too upset to listen tonight.”
But the child never forgot. Next time she saw him she quickly put both hands behind her back and a red colour flew into her cheeks.
The Macdonalds – A Different Kind of Father
The Macdonalds lived next door. They had five children. Looking through a gap in the fence, the little girl saw them playing ‘tag’ in the evening. The father with the baby, Mao, on his shoulders, two little girls hanging on to his coat pockets ran round and round the flower-beds, shaking with laughter. Once she saw the boys turn the hose on him – and he tried to catch them laughing all the time.
Then it was she decided there were different sorts of fathers.
Mother and Grandmother Go to Hospital
Suddenly, one day, Mother became ill, and she and Grandmother went to hospital.
The little girl was left alone in the house with Alice, the cook. That was all right in the daytime, but while Alice was putting her to bed she grew suddenly afraid.
“What’ll I do if I have a nightmare?” she asked. “I often have nightmares and then Grannie takes me into her bed – I can’t stay in the dark – it all gets ‘whispery’…”
“You just go to sleep, child,” said Alice, pulling off her socks, “and don’t you scream and wake your poor Pa.”
The Nightmare
But the same old nightmare came – the butcher with a knife and a rope, who came nearer and nearer, smiling that dreadful smile, while she could not move, could only stand still, crying out, “Grandma! Grandma!” She woke shivering to see Father beside her bed, a candle in his hand.
“What’s the matter?” he said.
“Oh, a butcher – a knife – I want Grannie.” He blew out the candle, bent down and caught up the child in his arms, carrying her along the passage to the big bedroom. A newspaper was on the bed. He put away the paper, then carefully tucked up the child. He lay down beside her. Half asleep still, still with the butcher’s smile all about her it seemed, she crept close to him, snuggled her head under his arm, held tightly to his shirt.
Then the dark did not matter; she lay still.
“Here, rub your feet against my legs and get them warm,” said Father.
Understanding Father’s Love
Tired out, he slept before the little girl. A funny feeling came over her. Poor Father, not so big, after all – and with no one to look after him. He was harder than Grandmother, but it was a nice hardness. And every day he had to work and was too tired to be a Mr Macdonald… She had torn up all his beautiful writing… She stirred suddenly, and sighed.
“What’s the matter?” asked her father. “Another dream?”
“Oh,” said the little girl, “my head’s on your heart. I can hear it going. What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear.”
Thinking about the Text
I. Matching Emotions
Match the emotions Kezia felt with the situations:
| Emotions | Situations |
|---|---|
| fear or terror | (i) father comes into her room to give her a goodbye kiss (iii) father comes home (iv) speaking to father (v) going to bed when alone at home |
| glad sense of relief | (ii) noise of the carriage grows fainter |
| a “funny” feeling, perhaps of understanding | (vi) father comforts her and falls asleep |
II. Short Answer Questions
1. Why was Kezia afraid of her father?
Kezia was afraid of her father because he appeared very big and dominating to her. His loud voice, commanding nature, and strict behaviour made her terrified. He looked at her in a terrifying way over his spectacles. She also stuttered while talking to him because she was so nervous. His physical appearance – his big hands, neck, and especially his mouth when he yawned – made him seem like a giant to the little girl.
2. Who were the people in Kezia’s family?
The people in Kezia’s family were her father, mother, grandmother, and Kezia herself. They also had servants including a cook named Alice who helped in the household.
3. What was Kezia’s father’s routine?
(i) Before going to his office:
Before going to work, Kezia’s father would come into her room and give her a casual kiss. Kezia would respond with “Goodbye, Father” and feel relieved when she heard the noise of his carriage growing fainter down the road.
(ii) After coming back from his office:
When he came home in the evening, he would speak in a loud voice asking for his tea to be brought to the drawing-room, inquiring about the newspaper, and asking Mother to bring his slippers. He would call Kezia to take off his boots and ask her if she had been a good girl.
(iii) On Sundays:
On Sunday afternoons, he would stretch out on the sofa with a handkerchief on his face, his feet on one of the best cushions, sleeping soundly and snoring. Mother would be reading beside him.
4. In what ways did Kezia’s grandmother encourage her to get to know her father better?
Kezia’s grandmother encouraged her to get to know her father better in several ways. On Sunday afternoons, she would send Kezia down to the drawing-room to have a “nice talk with Father and Mother”. When father’s birthday was approaching, grandmother suggested that Kezia should make him a pin-cushion as a gift out of beautiful yellow silk. This was meant to help Kezia do something loving for her father and bring them closer.
III. Detailed Answer Questions
1. Kezia’s efforts to please her father resulted in displeasing him very much. How did this happen?
Kezia wanted to make a birthday gift for her father to please him. Her grandmother suggested she make a pin-cushion out of beautiful yellow silk. Kezia laboriously stitched three sides with double cotton but didn’t know what to fill it with.
When grandmother was out in the garden, Kezia wandered into her mother’s bedroom looking for scraps to fill the cushion. On the bed-table she discovered many sheets of fine paper. Not knowing their importance, she gathered them up, tore them into tiny pieces, stuffed her pin-cushion case, and sewed up the fourth side.
That night there was a hue and cry in the house. Father’s great speech for the Port Authority had been lost – the very papers that Kezia had torn up. When Mother asked her about the papers, Kezia innocently said she had torn them up for her surprise gift.
Father was furious. He didn’t listen to her explanation that it was meant to be a birthday present for him. He came to her room with a ruler and beat her on her little pink palms as punishment for touching what didn’t belong to her. Kezia tried to explain “But it was for your b-b-birthday” but he didn’t listen in his anger.
Thus, Kezia’s innocent attempt to please her father by making him a birthday gift resulted in displeasing him greatly because she unknowingly destroyed his important work papers.
2. Kezia decides that there are “different kinds of fathers”. What kind of father was Mr Macdonald, and how was he different from Kezia’s father?
After the painful incident of being beaten by her father, Kezia observed the Macdonald family who lived next door. They had five children. Looking through a gap in the fence, she saw Mr Macdonald playing with his children in the evening.
Mr Macdonald was a fun-loving, playful, and affectionate father. He would carry the baby Mao on his shoulders while two little girls hung on to his coat pockets. They would all run round and round the flower-beds, shaking with laughter. Once Kezia saw the boys turn the hose on him, and he tried to catch them while laughing all the time. He spent quality time with his children, played with them, and enjoyed their company.
In contrast, Kezia’s father was strict, serious, and busy with work. He never played with Kezia or showed her affection openly. He was authoritative and commanded respect through fear. He would come home tired from work and rest on the sofa. On Sundays too, he would be sleeping instead of playing with Kezia. He was short-tempered and punished Kezia without listening to her explanation.
Mr Macdonald was approachable, warm, and made time for fun with his children despite having five of them. Kezia’s father, though he had only one child, seemed distant, formal, and focused more on discipline than on showing love and affection.
This comparison made Kezia realize that there are different kinds of fathers – some who are playful and demonstrative with their love, and others who are strict and less expressive even though they may love their children equally.
3. How does Kezia begin to see her father as a human being who needs her sympathy?
Kezia’s perception of her father changed completely during one night when her mother and grandmother were at the hospital. She was left alone with Alice, the cook, and had her recurring nightmare about a butcher with a knife and rope.
When she woke up screaming, her father came to her room with a candle. He comforted her, carried her in his arms to his big bedroom, carefully tucked her up in bed, and lay down beside her. He told her to rub her feet against his legs to warm them. The dark no longer frightened her as she snuggled close to him.
Her father, tired from his day’s work, fell asleep before she did. As Kezia lay awake, a funny feeling came over her. She began to see her father differently. She thought: “Poor Father, not so big, after all – and with no one to look after him.”
She realized several things: First, he wasn’t the giant she had imagined but a human being who needed care. Second, he was harder than Grandmother, but it was a “nice hardness” – the hardness that came from working hard every day. Third, he was too tired from his daily work to be playful like Mr Macdonald. Fourth, she had torn up his beautiful writing – his important speech – and now understood why he had been so angry.
When her head rested on his heart and she could hear it beating, she realized with love: “What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear.” The word “big” now meant generous and loving, not frightening and giant-like.
Through this intimate moment of comfort and protection, Kezia discovered that her strict father actually loved her deeply. His strictness came from his sense of responsibility and his tiredness came from working hard for the family. She felt sympathy for him as a hardworking man who needed understanding and care, just as she needed his love and protection.
Thinking about Language
I. Synonyms of ‘Happy’
Glad, happy, pleased, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed are synonyms. They express happiness in certain ways.
Use appropriate words in following sentences:
- She was delighted by the news of her brother’s wedding. (very pleased)
- I was thrilled to be invited to the party. (extremely pleased and excited about)
- She was overjoyed at the birth of her granddaughter. (extremely happy)
- The coach was pleased with his performance. (satisfied about)
- She was very happy with her results. (happy about something that has happened)
II. Different Meanings of ‘Big’
Find meanings of ‘big’ in following sentences:
| Sentence | Meaning of ‘big’ |
|---|---|
| (i) You are a big girl now. | older |
| (ii) Today you are going to take the biggest decision of your career. | most important |
| (iii) Their project is full of big ideas. | great or ambitious |
| (iv) Cricket is a big game in our country. | popular or important |
| (v) I am a big fan of Lata Mangeskar. | great or huge |
| (vi) You have to cook a bit more as my friend is a big eater. | one who eats a lot |
| (vii) What a big heart you’ve got, Father dear. | kind and generous |
III. Verbs of Reporting
We quote or report what someone has said or thought by using a reporting verb. Examples: “What!” screamed Mother. “N-n-no”, she whispered. “Sit up,” he ordered.
1. Underline the verbs of reporting:
(i) He says he will enjoy the ride.
(ii) Father mentioned that he was going on a holiday.
(iii) No one told us that the shop was closed.
(iv) He answered that the price would go up.
(v) I wondered why he was screaming.
(vi) Ben told her to wake him up.
(vii) Ratan apologised for coming late to the party.
2. Fill in the blanks with appropriate verbs:
(i) “I am not afraid,” replied the woman.
(ii) “Leave me alone,” my mother shouted.
(iii) The children were complaining that the roads were crowded and noisy.
(iv) “Perhaps he isn’t a bad sort of a chap after all,” remarked the master.
(v) “Let’s go and look at the school ground,” suggested the sports teacher.
(vi) The traffic police ordered all the passers-by to keep off the road.
Speaking
Discuss in pairs or groups:
1. Are there fathers, mothers and grandmothers like the ones in this story in our country?
Yes, there are similar family dynamics in Indian families too. Many fathers are strict disciplinarians who work hard but don’t express their love openly. Mothers often act as mediators between children and fathers. Grandmothers typically play the role of comforters and peacemakers, just like in this story.
2. Was Kezia’s father right to punish her? What kind of person was he?
Kezia’s father can be described as: hardworking, responsible, strict, disciplinarian, short-tempered, undemonstrative (not showing feelings openly), and caring (in his own way).
Whether he was right to punish her is debatable. He was wrong in not listening to her explanation that she made the pin-cushion for his birthday. However, from his perspective, she destroyed his important work without permission. He believed in strict discipline and teaching lessons immediately. His reaction, though harsh, came from his stress about losing important papers and his belief in strict discipline rather than from lack of love.
Writing
Students should write 150-200 words discussing:
- How their childhood relationship with parents was similar or different from Kezia’s
- How their understanding of parents has changed over time
- Changes in parents’ behaviour toward them as they grew
- Steps they would take to build better understanding with parents
Rain on the Roof – Complete Notes
This poem by Coates Kinney describes the pleasant experience of lying in bed listening to the sound of rain on the roof. The sound brings back memories, especially of the poet’s mother. The rain creates a musical pattern that soothes the mind and brings sweet nostalgia.
The Poem
Stanza 1:
When the humid shadows hover
Over all the starry spheres
And the melancholy darkness
Gently weeps in rainy tears,
What a bliss to press the pillow
Of a cottage-chamber bed
And lie listening to the patter
Of the soft rain overhead!
Stanza 2:
Every tinkle on the shingles
Has an echo in the heart;
And a thousand dreamy fancies
Into busy being start,
And a thousand recollections
Weave their air-threads into woof,
As I listen to the patter
Of the rain upon the roof.
Stanza 3:
Now in memory comes my mother,
As she used in years agone,
To regard the darling dreamers
Ere she left them till the dawn:
O! I feel her fond look on me
As I list to this refrain
Which is played upon the shingles
By the patter of the rain.
Glossary
| Word/Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tinkle | short, light ringing sounds |
| shingles | rectangular wooden tiles used on roofs |
| woof | weft, the threads woven across the loom |
| ere | old poetic word for ‘before’ |
| refrain | a repeated part of a song or poem; here, the sound of rain |
| list | old poetic word for ‘listen’ |
Thinking about the Poem
I. Understanding the Poem
1. What do the following phrases mean?
(i) humid shadows:
Humid shadows refer to the dark clouds that bring rain. They are called ‘humid’ because they are full of moisture and ‘shadows’ because they cast darkness over the earth by hiding the stars.
(ii) starry spheres:
Starry spheres means the sky full of stars. The word ‘spheres’ refers to the vast expanse of the sky where stars appear.
(iii) what a bliss:
‘What a bliss’ means what great happiness or what great pleasure. It expresses the joy and contentment the poet feels while lying in bed and listening to rain.
(iv) a thousand dreamy fancies into busy being start:
This phrase means that when the poet listens to the rain, thousands of imaginative thoughts and dreams begin to come alive in his mind. The rain triggers many dreamy thoughts and fantasies.
(v) a thousand recollections weave their air-threads into woof:
This means that thousands of memories come back to the poet’s mind and get woven together like threads being woven into fabric. The memories are compared to delicate air-threads that come together to create a complete picture, just like woof (weft) threads are woven in weaving cloth.
2. What does the poet like to do when it rains?
When it rains, the poet likes to lie in his cosy cottage-chamber bed with his head pressed against the pillow and listen to the patter of the soft rain on the roof overhead. He enjoys the peaceful and blissful feeling that comes with listening to the musical sound of raindrops.
3. What is the single major memory that comes to the poet? Who are the “darling dreamers” he refers to?
The single major memory that comes to the poet is of his mother. He remembers how in years gone by, his mother used to look fondly at him and his siblings while they were asleep, before she left them for the night till dawn.
The “darling dreamers” refers to the poet and his siblings when they were children, sleeping peacefully in their beds while their mother watched over them with love.
4. Is the poet now a child? Is his mother still alive?
No, the poet is not a child now. He is an adult who is remembering his childhood.
No, his mother is not still alive. The phrase “in years agone” (in years gone by) and the way he talks about her in memory suggest that his mother has passed away and he is fondly remembering her from his childhood days.
II. Personal Reflection Questions
1. When you were a young child, did your mother tuck you in, as the poet’s did?
Students should answer based on their personal experience. Many children have memories of their mothers tucking them in bed, singing lullabies, or watching over them as they fell asleep, similar to the poet’s memory.
2. Do you like rain? What do you do when it rains steadily or heavily as described in the poem?
Students should share their personal feelings about rain and what activities they enjoy during rainfall – whether they like to stay indoors, read, sleep, have hot snacks, or play in the rain.
3. Does everybody have a cosy bed to lie in when it rains? Look around you and describe how different kinds of people or animals spend time, seek shelter etc. during rain.
No, not everybody has a cosy bed to lie in when it rains. Students should describe:
- Poor people and homeless individuals who seek shelter under bridges, shops, or temples
- Street vendors who have to protect their goods and find temporary shelter
- Workers who continue their work in rain
- Animals like stray dogs and cats who seek shelter under vehicles, buildings, or trees
- Birds who huddle in trees or under eaves
- Farm animals who may have sheds but still get wet
- People in rural areas whose houses might have leaking roofs
This question makes students aware of social realities and develops empathy for those less fortunate.
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