The Third and Final Continent
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. Indicate the details that tell us that the narrator was not very
financially comfortable during his stay in London.
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2. How did the narrator adjust to the ways of life first in London
and then in Cambridge, U.S.A.?
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3. What do you understand of the character of Mrs Croft from the
story?
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4. What kind of a relationship did Mrs Croft share with her
daughter Helen?
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5. How does the narrator bring out the contrast between the Indian
way of life and American society? Do you think his wife Mala
adjusted comfortably to the new way of life?
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6. How does the bond of affection between Mrs Croft and the
narrator evolve?
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TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Discuss in pairs or in small groups
1. Living abroad is challenging in many ways.
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2. The Indian family system offers more security to the aged than
what is found in the West.
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3. The eccentricities of the old are often endearing.
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APPRECIATION
1. Discuss the manner in which the author interweaves details of
the narrator’s family with the flow of the main narrative.
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2. ‘Mrs Croft’s was the first death I mourned in America, for, hers
was the first life I had admired; she had left this world at last,
ancient and alone, never to return’—how do these lines
encapsulate the bond that is possible between two strangers?
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3. Examine the pieces of conversation in the story. How do they
reflect the worldview of each of the speakers?
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4. There are many instances of gentle humour in the story. Point
out some of these and state how this contributes to the interest
of the narration.
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LANGUAGE WORK
1. ‘Don’t expect an English cup of tea’—how does this phrase bring
out the contrast between the English and American attitudes?
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2. How did the narrator learn to distinguish between ‘a flask’ and
‘a thermos’?
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3. It took the narrator quite some time to understand that what
he heard as ‘piper’, in fact, meant ‘paper’ and the phrase ‘mind
the gap’ in the Tube. What do you think caused the problem?
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4. Make a list of items that are referred to differently in British
and American English, for example, ‘lift’ (BE) ‘elevator’ (AmE).
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5. See if you understand what the following words that are parts
of a house mean. Look up the dictionary if you don’t.
parlour foyer lounge porch
lobby attic portico
