Treasure in the Forest | H.G. Wells | Story | Notes | Question Answers
Short Explanation:
The story ‘Treasure in the forest’ explains the theme of greed as dangerous and preparedness as the key for achieving goals. Here, in the story two treasure hunters died due to greed and unpreparedness.
Characters:
- Evans – treasure hunter
- Hooker – treasure hunter
- Chang-Hi
- Few Chinese (Chang-Hi’s friends)
Explanation:
- Two Spanish Treasure hunters, Evans and Hooker are the main characters of this story.
- They travelled to the island to find the ingots of gold (the hidden treasure).
- Their travelling was unplanned; they didn’t have proper food, water, or required pieces of equipment like a compass, rope, etc.
- They had travelled in a canoe paddling turn-wise.
- They reached an island that was deserted and it was gloomy, dim, and dense as well cloudlike in texture.
- They used a map literally torn and the writings of a pencil were about to vanish from the map.
- When they reached the island they were thirsty and tired of their voyage (Travelling).
- They had stolen the map from Chang – hi but they didn’t know how to get the hidden treasure exactly.
- The treasure was lost due to the shipwreck. Chang-hi found the treasure and kept them safe inside the forest. They had heard of the plan in brief that’s why they faced challenges in completing their quest.
- Dream of Evans :In his dream, he was trying to get the gold but he saw Chang – hi stopping him from doing so. And he also saw the face of Chang – hi with grinning.
- Struggle for the plan and taking it from the Chinese was difficult for them but they managed it. They were unaware of the secret plans that Chang-hi had made to protect the treasure.
- After one night’s voyage and one full sunny day travelling they drank sweet water near the island in the stream. They were not excited because of tiresome travelling without a supply of proper water and food.
- Finally, they managed to find the place where the treasure was near.
- Everything was happening as expected but when they entered the dense forest, having unknown vegetation, they were confused as they had not taken a compass with them.
- They were enjoying themselves till they found the dead body of a Chinese man and a newly dug hole. They thought some Chinese men might have betrayed Chang-hi and tried to take gold away. But they thought some poisonous snakes may have killed him there.
- Without thinking about the danger they celebrated for a while when they found the treasure safe inside the forest.
- They were bare hand. When Evans picked one of the gold ingots, a little thorn pricked his hand. The spike was poisonous and it kills Evans after some moments.
- Evans kept collecting the gold into jacket because they had no equipment to carry the gold. But Hooker was busy with the dead body of Chinaman. He was afraid of the dead body but Hooker, as well as Evans, was not worried about the same danger.
- Hooker remained silent for a moment but Evans collected all ingots in his jacket.
- They both carried the ingots in jacket at the same time Evans revealed that he was having ache in his arms.
- Evans’s face turned white and he desired rest. When they travelled 100 yards or so Evans started stumbling and he turned weak enough to carry the jacket of ingots.
- Some gold gets down on the ground from the jacket and Evans ordered Hooker to keep those ingots inside the jacket
- When he was placing the gold in the coat, a spike pricked in his thumb.
- At the same time, Evans made a painful cry and rolled over. Evans was totally damaged by the poisonous thorn.
- Hooker got the meaning of the Chang-hi’s grinning, as the safety of the treasure was dangerously prepared. The treasure was protected with poisonous spikes that’s why the Chinese man was grinning even though he was losing his treasure.
Question Answers
1. What do you think is the moral of the story 'Treasure in the Forest'?
-> The story ‘Treasure in the Forest’ brings two morals in the story. One is about greed that greed is dangerous and it can lead us to involve in wrong works. For example Evans and Hooker were ruled by the greed and killed Chinese people. Later they died too.
Other one is that preparedness is always important in life otherwise deadly consequences would be followed. For instance, Evans and Hooker went to island without preparing the plan and without carrying the things which were required. They had gone to island without proper food, water, carrying instruments, shovel, medication, team, gloves, compass, etc. Later they died in the forest when the spikes pricked them. If only they could wear gloves, they would have survived.
In this way bad sides of greed and unpreparedness is presented in the story as moral lessons to understand.
2. Describe Evans' dream.
-> Evans and Hooker were paddling the canoe continuously and tired of thirst and hunger. Evans start to visualize dream in his short nap.
In his dreams, he saw himself and Hooker listening to Chinamen’s secret. He saw the Chinese talking in pigeon – English. They heard fragments of the talk that Chang-hi had found gold ingots from Spanish galleon which was crashed. Then he had buried in the island with great safety. They saw Chinese man with a map and planning to bring gold to the mainland. Then his dream shifts to the scene when Chang-hi was being killed and grinning while dying. He saw Chang-hi threatening him.
Again the dream shifts and Evans saw heaps of gold and he saw Chang-hi stopping him going to gold. He tried to kill Chang-hi but Chang-hi started growing big. Then suddenly the heaps of gold turned into a roaring furnace. Then Evans saw a devil with a black tail who looked like Chang-hi. Then that devil started feeding coals to Evans. Another devil was calling his name ‘Evans’, but it was his friend Hooker calling him to wake up.
This was the dream of Evans which did never happened but later they were both poised by the spikes placed by Chang-hi for the gold’s safety.
Post Comment