Free Notes of BA English “The Boy Comes home”

Here you can get free pdf notes for “The Boy Comes Home,” an essential one-act play on the BA English syllabus. In the BA English syllabus, there are four-act plays So, here are free and valuable notes for all of One Act Play, including “The Boy Comes Home.” This one-act play is written by A. A. Milne.

The Winnie-the-Pooh book series was written by English playwright, novelist, and poet A.A. Milne. Milne, who was born in 1882, attracted readers of all ages with his inventive characters, charming humor, and compassionate storytelling. He is still regarded as one of the greatest children’s writers ever.

How Many One-Act Plays In BA English Syllabus?

The BA English syllabus consists of four one-act plays.

• THE BEAR wrote by Anton Chekhov.
• THE BOY COMES HOME written by A. A. Milne.
• SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT written by Eden Phillpots.
• SMOKE SCREENS Written by Herold Brighouse.

SECOND ONE-ACT PLAY “THE BOY COMES HOME”

The following are all the solved questions of the BA English syllabus notes One Act Play “THE BOY COMES HOME”

How many characters in the One Act Play “THE BOY COMES HOME”

There are four main characters in the play.

Philip is a young man of 23 years old. His father has died, and he returns from the war front to his guardian uncle James’ house after four years. Before going to war, he was a young man. But now he is a wise man in command of his own will. He arrives at his uncle’s house and breaks all of his uncle’s rules and discipline. He considers himself to be a mature person who learned a lot in the army.

Uncle James is a senior citizen. By nature, he is a strict personality. He created a timetable for dining and all kinds of work. Everything is finished on time. He considers Philip to be inexperienced. That’s why he decided to engage Philip in his business but Philip does not agree with him.

Philip’s aunt is Emily. She has a friendly disposition. She takes excellent care of his house and arranges the items properly.

Mrs. Higgins is a senior citizen. She has been hired to cook at Uncle James’ home. She seems to be a strict woman who understands everyone and follows directions.

Summary of One Act Play “The Boy Comes Home”

“The Boy Comes Home” is a light comedy about a young man named Philip who returns from France after fighting in World War II. The play explores the generation gap between Philip, who represents the new generation, and his guardian Uncle James, who represents the older generation. Philip, who is now a mature and changed person after serving in the army, wants to live a life of freedom and independence, while Uncle James wants him to follow the old values of obedience and respect for elders. Uncle James desires that Philip join his business, while Philip wants to be an architect. After a dream scene, Uncle James becomes a changed person and develops a healthy relationship with Philip. The play highlights the conflict between tradition and modernity and emphasizes the importance of finding a balance between the two.

Important Questions

Q 1. Point out the comic elements in the play, “The boy comes home.”

Q. Discuss the play “The Boy Comes Home” as a delightful comedy.

Q. The play “The Boy Comes Home” presents the universal problem of the generation gap. Discuss.

Q. Discuss the theme or moral of the play. “The Boy Comes Home”

Q. How is the dispute between Philip and James resolved or settled?

Q. The Importance of the dream scene and its significance.

Q. All the above questions have the same answer that is given below.

Answer; The Boy Comes Home” is a light comedy in which the hero Philip defeats his strong uncle. It beautifully presents the interesting conflict between these two characters. The play moves around a conflict between Philip and uncle James. Both are different in their temperament. Philip stands for the young generation while James stands for authoritative values. Philip has a charming and dominating personality.

Philips has four years of experience in war. Philip gets up late for breakfast and does not follow any principle of discipline. James has authoritative and dictatorial nature. He is a strict disciplinarian. He asks Philip to follow the discipline of the house and do accordingly.

Philip demands money from his uncle, which his father has left. When James refuses to give him money, he takes out a revolver from his pocket. James is terrified by this. Philip says, “we will rehearse and enjoy it every day.” On this James agrees to give him money. This is all, which takes place in James’ dream. He accepts Philip’s demand and Philip also agrees to join his uncle’s business of jam. Now he agreeably talks with him.

Thus the dream changes him completely. James says:

“Was it a dream or was it not? He will never be quite certain.”

To conclude, it can be said that the dream scene is of great importance. It changes the personality of James. After this, he is completely a changed person. Their conflict is resolved (x) through this dream. It successfully highlights the fact that the old and the young should cooperate. The elders should not impose their decisions and ideas on the youngsters.

Q 2. Discuss the Importance of the dream scene in “The Boy Comes home”

Q. Describe the importance of the dream scene due to which a dynamic change occurs in Uncle James.

Q. Why does James give in before Philip?

Q. How does the dream scene resolve the dispute between Philip and James? discuss.

Answer: The dream scene in the play, “The Boy Comes Home” is of great significance. Philip does not pay attention to his uncle’s advice. He reacts against his uncle’s and dictatorial-nature. He tells him that he cannot live with him any longer and demands from him the money which his late father had left for him. James refuses to give him money until he reaches the age of twenty-five. In the dream uncle James threatens him to use the force of the money against him. Upon this, Philip takes out his revolver to-suppress-the-force-of-money-by the physical to force. He points the revolver at James. He tells him that it has killed twenty Germans and it does not matter if it kills an Englishman. Then he takes out a bomb from his pocket. James is terrified at this. Philip puts the bomb into his pocket telling James.

“We will rehearse and enjoy it every day.”

At last, he succeeds in suppressing the undue authority of James. He at once decides not to terrify him any longer. Finally, he declares that he is willing to join his jam-business.

At the end of the dream, James is bewildered. Upon this, James feels relief He offers Philip a post in the management of his business of jam. James says about this dream, he will never be quite certain about it. Here, the play comes to an end. “Was it a dream, or wasn’t it”? In short, the dream scene makes the play interesting. Through the dream scene the real personality of James comes to the surface. After this he is completely a changed person. In fact, their conflict is resolved through this dream.

CHARACTER SKETCH OF PHILIP

Q 3. Draw a brief character skecth of philip.

Q. The effact of war on philipi’s character.

Q. How does philip prove himself a mature and reasonable man?

Q. In what way does the war contribute to philip’s maturity?

Answer; Philip is central character in the play,” The Boy Comes Home”. The whole play is about the decision of his future career. He has heroic qualities. He has served in the army and has got the qualities of a typical army man. Therefore, he has learnt manners and etiquettes Philip stands for young generation while James stands for authoritative values. Philip has charming and dominating personality. He has four years’ experience of war. He gets up late for breakfast and does not follow any principle of discipline.

Philip is a young man of twenty three. He has a dominating personality. He has a strong will power and determination. When Mrs. Higgins, the cook refuses to give him the breakfast, he at once takes the decision and dismisses her with one month’s salary. He is bold, courageous, fearless and undaunted. He is humanist at heart. But he does not allow others to take any undue advantage of his politeness.

At last, he succeeds in suppressing the undue authority of James. He, at once, decides not to terrify him any longer and declares that he is willing to join his jam-business. He uses the physical force in order to put down his uncle’s force of money. To conclude, it can be said that the character of Philip shows that the young are capable of doing their work. So, Philip stands for those who are confident and bold in their life.

CHARACTER SKETCH OF JAMES

Q 4. Draw a brife character sketch of james.

Q. How does james play his role in the playa?

Uncle James is the second important () character of the play. “The Boy Comes Home.” He is an aged person. James is an authontative and dictatorial both by nature and temperament. James believes in the old traditions and values of life and he has a full command over his servants and the members of his family. Uncle James dislikes Philip’s taking the breakfast late. He asks him to be punctual. He about this also forbids him to smoke without the permission of his aunt, Emily.

“James is an authoritative and dictatorial he real both by nature and temperament.”

When Philip demands his uncle of the money which his father left, he refuses to give him money. He wants to enjoy the advantages of being a guardian of Philip. He is of the view that he is still not mature enough to settle. James tries his best to compel Philip to accept his proposal to join his jam-business, but all in vain. As soon as, Philip takes out his revolver from his pocket and aims at him, he is terrified and accepts Philip’s demand for handing over to him his late father’s money, Thus, James refuses to give him money and it causes a row of conflict between them.

Uncle James plays the role of a villain in the play. He wants to impose his authority on him. He shows his authoritative and dictatorial nature The playwright has given us a lesson that the elders should not use their undue authority against the youth. We should provide them full chances so that they may show their talent and worth in life.

Conclusion

The “The Boy Comes Home” is a one-act play in the BA English syllabus, written by A.A. Milne. The play features four main characters: Philip, Uncle James, Philip’s aunt Emily, and Mrs. Higgins. The play explores the generation gap between Philip, who represents the new generation, and Uncle James, who represents the older generation. Philip has changed after serving in the army and wants to live a life of freedom and independence, while Uncle James wants him to follow the old values of obedience and respect for elders.

The conflict between Philip and Uncle James is resolved through a dream scene in which James becomes a changed person and develops a healthy relationship with Philip. The play highlights the importance of finding a balance between tradition and modernity and emphasizes the importance of cooperation between the old and the young. The dream scene is of great significance as it changes Uncle James’ personality and resolves the conflict between him and Philip.

Note: Free Notes of BA English “The Boy Comes Home” is a comprehensive guide for students who are studying English Literature. This guide provides a detailed analysis of the short story “The Boy Comes Home” by A. A. Milne. The focus of this article is to help students understand the themes, symbols, and literary devices used in the story. By using these Free Notes, students will have a better understanding of the story and be better equipped to write essays or answer questions about the story in exams. The Free Notes of BA English “The Boy Comes Home” will be an essential tool for students who want to succeed in their English Literature course.