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Mrs. Thurlow's Struggles in The Ox

The document contains questions and answers about the short story "The Ox" by H.E. Bates. The bi-cycle represents Mrs. Thurlow's sole companionship. Her cottage and relentless work symbolize her bleak existence. Mr. Thurlow's silver plate is a symbol of his lost identity. The central symbol is the comparison between Mrs. Thurlow and the ox, in her lumbering movement and as the ox pulling a cart. In the end, Mrs. Thurlow is devastated when her sons choose not to return with her after staying with their rich uncle.

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3K views4 pages

Mrs. Thurlow's Struggles in The Ox

The document contains questions and answers about the short story "The Ox" by H.E. Bates. The bi-cycle represents Mrs. Thurlow's sole companionship. Her cottage and relentless work symbolize her bleak existence. Mr. Thurlow's silver plate is a symbol of his lost identity. The central symbol is the comparison between Mrs. Thurlow and the ox, in her lumbering movement and as the ox pulling a cart. In the end, Mrs. Thurlow is devastated when her sons choose not to return with her after staying with their rich uncle.

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Palash Pal
Copyright
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THE OX_______________ By Herbert Ernest Bates

Q. WHAT IS THE SYMBOLIC IMPORTANCE OF BI CYCLE IN THE

OX ?

ANS: The bi-cycle is the symbol of sole companionship for Mrs.

Thurlow . She dreams about it and cannot walk without it. The bi-cycle

is an object that externalizes the sway of emotions that lie suppressed

in her.

Q. what is the symbolic significance of Mrs. Thurlow's cottage?

Ans: The location of Mrs. Thurlow's house and the movement of

seasons are all symbolic of a symbolic image of the human condition

of gloom, despair, isolation and suffering where someone like Mrs.

Thurlow symbolizes a Sisyphus-like existentialist fortitude and stoicism

which makes her go on amid all the misery.

Q. Do you find any symbolic meaning of Mr. Thurlow's silver

plate?

Ans: Mr. Thurlow's silver plate in the head is another sad emblem of a

lost self-hood and it is the assertion of its material value that creates

the self-sustaining fantasy for him. His last image in the story in that

oversize shirt beautifully symbolizes his flight.


Q. what is the central symbol used in the story, The Ox ?

Ans:The central symbolism in Bates's story is implicit in the analogy

between Mrs. Thurlow and the ox. Right from the title itself to all the

details like her 'lumbering' movement, her bi-cycle as the cart, her

upturned skirt as the bony tail of the ox, the story develops this

symbolism.

Q. How far the comparison between Mrs. Thurlow and the ox is

unjustified?

Ans:Mrs. Thurlow's impassivity, her apparently thoughtless

resignation and her silent and selfless fortitude are the complex ways

her character differs from an ox. She merely uses that instinctive and

blank mind as a defense mechanism in situations of acute adversity

where her husband is of no help and her children, for whom she does

everything, do not care for her.

Q. comment on the ending of the story The Ox .

Ans: Mrs. Thurlow's brother was a rich man. The children got

attracted by the rich living there. So, after some time, when Mrs.

Thurlow went there to take them back, they flatly refused to go back

with her. They felt absolutely no love for her. This was the last

unbearable shock for her. It was harder than the loss of money or the
separation of her husband. In the lives of poor people, poverty

estranges children from parents and wives from husbands.

Q. what was the sole entertainment for Mrs. Thurlow's?

Ans .[Link] was quite cut-off from the world. Her

only entertainment was the old news papers which she read in the

evening. She was thick headed and unimaginative.

Her relentless hard word made her mechanical.

Q. what is the central theme of the story The Ox?

Ans. The ox by H. E Bates is a tale of uncomplaining suffering of a

woman [Link] who works day and night in a mechanical

responsive manner in order to give her two sons a secured future. It

is also a tale of her shattered dreams when finally she lost all her

money as well as love from her sons.

Q. why is Mrs. Thurlow so adamant for relentless work in The

Ox?

Ans. The apples of Mrs. Thurlow's eyes are her two sons. She works as

hard as she can trekking up and down the hill between her home and

the village to save money for her sons' future education.


Q. why did Mrs. Thurlow still work hard despite of the fact that

her sons settled in their uncle's home?

Ans. When Mrs. Thurlow's sons turn their back on her and she

has no need to keep working like an ox to keep providing for

them, she still continues to carry on as before because she knows of

nothing else. Like Alice in The Mill, Mrs. Thurlow seems to have

no concept of what is going on around her, yet her story is still

strangely moving.

[Link] a comment on the character Of [Link] In

[Link] Short Story The Ox?

[Link] Thurlow is rather like an "ox"- patient, hardworking,

determined and completely lacking in imagination. She has just one

idea - to save money for her two sons. Like an ox, she plods away

at her work, and thinks of nothing else - even murder seems

unimportant in comparison. When the money is still no longer

needed, she can't grasp that.

[Link] did the story,"The Ox" end ?

Ans. After the trial and execution, the boys of Mrs. Thurlow chose to

stay with their uncle. Devastated, Mrs. Thurlow struggled up the hill to

her home, with a flat tire in her bicycle and "an impression that she

would never reach it."

Common questions

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The ending demonstrates the estrangement from loved ones due to poverty, which leads to Mrs. Thurlow's sons choosing to remain with their uncle, emphasizing a lack of familial love and the theme of isolation compounded by economic hardship .

The comparison diverges as Mrs. Thurlow’s impassivity and resignation are nuanced by her thoughtful endurance and silent fortitude. Unlike an ox, her instinctive mind acts as a defense in adversity, which is more complex than simple acceptance .

The bicycle in 'The Ox' symbolizes sole companionship and the suppressed emotions within Mrs. Thurlow. It is an essential part of her life, signifying her reluctance to walk without it, highlighting her isolation and dependence on routine for existential support .

The central symbolism is the analogy comparing Mrs. Thurlow to the ox, highlighting her 'lumbering' movement and her bicycle as the cart. These elements exaggerate her burdensome life and stoic endurance against adversity, aligning her with characteristics of patience and hard work embodied by an ox .

Mrs. Thurlow's cottage symbolizes the gloom, despair, and isolation intrinsic to her existence. It mirrors her existential fortitude and stoic perseverance amid hardship, as well as the cyclical nature of her suffering, like the changing seasons .

Even when her sons no longer require support, Mrs. Thurlow continues working due to her lack of alternative identity or understanding outside her established routine, reflecting a life dedicated to perseverance despite loss .

The theme of uncomplaining suffering is highlighted by Mrs. Thurlow's ceaseless efforts for her sons' future despite emotional and financial loss. Her interactions, overshadowed by the mechanical routine of work, underscore an existence defined by endurance and unacknowledged sacrifice .

Mrs. Thurlow's sole entertainment—reading old newspapers—reflects her isolation from society and lack of imagination. It symbolizes how her relentless work has rendered life mechanical and devoid of creative or social engagement .

Mrs. Thurlow embodies qualities like patience and determination akin to an ox, reflected in her mechanical work ethic driven by the sole aim to save for her sons. However, she lacks imagination, underscoring the metaphor of mindless labor and singular focus .

The silver plate in Mr. Thurlow's head symbolizes his lost selfhood and his creation of a self-sustaining fantasy. It serves as a reminder of his material value, magnifying his internal conflict and detachment from reality .

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