English Guru

a. Where does the play take place?

➜The play, Facing Death, takes place in Mr. Monsieur Durand’s dining room, where he lives with his three daughters Adele, Therese, and Annette as a former railroad worker, widower, and pension owner.

b. Why do the grocery, the baker, and the butcher send their bills to the Durand household?

➜ Because the Durand's family hasn't paid their bills for a long time. 

c. Why does Monsieur Durand spend money on candles when he doesn’t have money to buy even bread?

-  Monsieur Durand wishes to burn the candles on the death anniversary of his late son, René, who died when he was a child. He was deeply grieved due to the demise of his loving son.

d. Why did Monsieur Durand sell his life insurance?

-Monsieur Durand sold his life insurance to pay off someone's loan. He was in such a bad situation that he couldn't pay the debt.

e. Why has Monsieur Durand paid fire insurance?

-Monsieur Durand has paid fire insurance to file a compensation claim later. He wants to claim compensation from his fire insurance.

f. How did Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Duran run out of their inheritances from both sides?

- Mrs. Durand’s recklessness and stupid speculation, Monsieur Durand and Mrs. Durand ran out of their inheritances from both sides. Both of them lost their paternal and maternal assets, which they had used to raise their children.

g. Why does Monsieur Durand tell a lie about his birthplace?

-Monsieur Durand tells a lie about his birthplace because he was in love with a woman before he was of marriageable age. To marry that lady, he left his hometown and migrated to Switzerland. He tells a lie to safeguard his and his wife’s reputation. He had fought against his own homeland on the side of Switzerland. He tells a lie to mask his humiliation.

h. What business is Monsieur Durand running to make a living?

    -Monsieur Durand is running a lodge to make a living. To make money, he turned his house into a lodge.

i. What plan does Monsieur Durand have to help his daughters with money?

    -Monsieur Durand plans to commit suicide by setting fire to his home to help his daughters with money. He intends to receive compensation from the fire insurance policy so that he may provide financial assistance to his daughters. For the sake of his three daughters, he wishes to give his life.

j. How does Monsieur Durand die?

    -Monsieur Durand dies by committing suicide. He drinks poison and sets his house on fire to help his daughters with the amount of money from the insurance policy. 

 RReference to the Context

a. Sketch the character of Monsieur Durand.

Monsieur Durand is the protagonist of the one-act play ‘Facing Death’. In this play, he is portrayed as a widower, the owner of the lodge, and a former railway worker. He is a financially drained man with three daughters. He has turned his living house into a lodge to make a living. Mr. Durand is a loving, caring, and protective father who has a fragile relationship with his daughters. His daughters despise him and frequently blame him. But he keeps worrying about his daughter’s well-being. He gives up his life for the sake of his daughters, who dislike him. He is a patient man who suffered injustice at the hands of his late wife and kept mute for the rest of his life, blaming her for his financial downfall. He is also a devoted husband. He is a patriot too, who adores his motherland, though he is compelled to reside foreign land. He is a sad hero who confronts financial hardships before tragically committing suicide for the sake of his three daughters.

  b. How do we know that the Durand family has reached a dead end?

Mr. Durand’s family is completely bankrupt and is spending their life in the lodge, which they turned into their own house to make a living. They have already lost ancestral property. For years, Mr Durand’s family has borrowed money from others. There are several bills that must be paid to various debtors. Durand is eating the rat’s food because of hunger.  His daughters dislike him as they believe that their father is the primary reason for their financial collapse. His family is dying of hunger and starvation. His condition is getting worse and he has nothing to do. So, he has decided to commit suicide and burn down his lodge to provide for his daughter’s wellbeing.

c. ‘The mother, though already dead, seems to have had a great influence on the daughters, especially Theresa.’ Do you agree?

Yes, I agree with this statement. In this play, we see that the mother has a strong impact on her daughters, particularly Therese. Mrs. Durand used to blame her husband and teach the same to the daughters. All three daughters hate their father as a result of their mother’s teaching. In the play, Therese throws the matches away when her father tries to burn tobacco. Similarly, she snatches the glass of milk from him. She seems cruel towards her father and never shows respect and love.

d. Discuss the relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife.

-The relationship between Monsieur Durand and his wife was not good. The majority of the time, she blamed her husband and was effective in turning her children against their father. She put all the blames on him though she ruined the inheritance. Because of her carelessness and foolish speculation, they ruined their paternal property. She used to spend money on lottery tickets. When she was scolded, she used to threaten by saying that she would be a prostitute for money. She taught her daughters to dislike their father and filled their heads with negativity. All three daughters hate their father as a result of their mother’s teaching.

e. ‘Money determines the relationship between characters in this play.’ Elaborate this statement with examples from the play.

-In the play “Facing Death,” money is highly important in the lives of Mr Durand and his daughters. The root of all difficulties in this play is money. Mr Durand’s family’s financial difficulties have led the entire family to live a miserable existence. Due to the economic downturn, they are forced to transform their living quarters into a lodge. This family is in misery as a result of starvation. The family is unable to purchase goods of daily requirements. Mr. Durand is unable to provide the basic necessities for his daughters.

The daughters dislike their father since he does not provide adequate financial assistance for the family. The characters’ connection is determined by money in this case. Most of the time, Mr Durand’s three daughters despise and blame him. They display their impolite behaviour toward him. Because the father is unable to bring bread, the girls do not even offer a drink of milk. They even pulled his glass of milk away from him. When he goes to smoke, they seize his matches. When their father promises, “I’ll bring you money,” they demonstrate their kind nature. They even give him a passionate kiss. They use phrases of compassion and love. They even apologize for their inappropriate behaviour.

f. Monsieur Durand kills himself so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as the compensation from the insurance company. What does his plan tell us about him?

-Monsieur Durand is portrayed in the play “Facing Death” as a sad protagonist who commits suicide by consuming poison and setting fire to his own house so that his daughters would get 5000 francs as compensation from the insurance company. This plan of Durand tells us about his concern about his daughter’s future.

Durand has spent his whole life in economic hardship. As a result of the financial crisis, he has been blamed the majority of the time by his daughters. He is the father who gives up his life for the sake of his three daughters’ future.