LITERATURE IN ENGLISH

ISC GRADES 11 & 12

PROSE: SALVATORE

1. Trace the course of the story to explain how Salvatore overcame his weakness ultimately. (8)

 Salvatore was an affectionate human being and despite obstacles in his life not once but
many a times, he was never bogged down by them.
 What leaves the readers amazed is his dedication to life and its flow no matter what
circumstances it led to.
 Challenges that he stumbled upon were changed into opportunities and his ever accepting
nature ultimately led to his success in the journey of life.
 He takes everything in his stride particularly the fear he has when he has to enlist in the
Navy. Salvatore doesn’t want to leave home but he knows that he must accept the position
he finds himself in.
 He is dignified though at the same time scared about what might happen him considering
that he has never left home before. This may be important as Maugham may be suggesting
that by joining the navy there will be a transition from boyhood to manhood for Salvatore.
 There is also no disputing that Salvatore is in love. Something that is noticeable by the fact
that Salvatore writes so many letters to his lady love. What is also interesting is that the
narrator never mentions Salvatore receiving any letters back. Though as readers we know
that Salvatore has not been forgotten by the girl. However, we do eventually learn that she is
not prepared to marry him due to his being ill. Which may suggest that she is being selfish
and putting her own interests first. Rather than sticking to the commitment she made in the
past.
 It is also noticeable that Salvatore when he discovers that his lady love in question doesn’t
take him into account and doesn’t want to marry him fully accepts the position he finds
himself in.
 He does not have a bad word to say about the girl, rather empathises with her to the extent
of supporting her even when his wife Assunta hurls insults at her. The “grim-visaged”
Assunta is a compliment to Salvatore’s ever loving character. She is level-headed and like
Salvatore she has a good-heart.
 It is also noticeable that when Salvatore’s children are born he is not only a hardworking
man but also a doting father.
 Salvatore also appears to be a very humble person. He doesn’t take himself or his medical
condition seriously.
 He is content in his marriage to Assunta and he seems to accept his limitations doing what
he can in the vineyard and fishing. In all likelihood there doesn’t seem to be anything that
will faze Salvatore.
 He has complete acceptance about where he is in life. Which probably helps him to be so
humble. He finds joy in the simple things in life. Things like bathing his children in the sea
bring Salvatore much happiness.

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  Again there is a sense that Salvatore no matter what circumstances he might find himself in.
Will accept whatever is happening to him.
 Which is important as life is easier when an individual has the ability to accept everything
around them.
 It is half the battle in living when a person finds the courage to realise that they have no
control over outside influences.
 This is a story about a young man who though has been challenged by life has overcome
any obstacle that has been put in front of him.
 Salvatore has managed to prosper despite incurring difficulties in life and at the same time
he holds no ill will towards others. Salvatore kept looking forward and found happiness
with Assunta and his children.
 In reality Salvatore is a good man who is dignified and humble. Two character traits that a
lot of people in life could learn from. He understands the importance of family and the
character traits he had as a brother he has carried through as a father.
 Life is a lesson and there are some people who learn the lesson well.

2. Compare the kind of life led by Salvatore before he was sent on military duty to the kind of life
which he was exposed to when on duty. (6)

 Salvatore was the eldest son of an Italian fisherman with a pleasant disposition and happily
took care of his two younger brothers.
 He spent his mornings lying on the sea-beach and used to swim effortlessly in the sea where
his father waited for the catch.
 He was a happy go lucky youngster ever smiling and willing to help anyone who was in
need.
 As Salvatore grew, he fell in love with a beautiful girl who had lovely eyes from Grande
Marina and they were betrothed to one another.
 When Salvatore left home for military service to become a sailor in the navy of King Victor
Emmanuel he felt nostalgic and missed the islands of Ischia and Vesuvius which he now
realized were parts of his life as important as his hands and legs.
 He felt all alone in the battleship living with strangers and also in the noisy friendless cities
where he landed, this made him homesick.
 Above all these, he missed his fiancé (the girl he is engaged to) the most.
 In service, Salvatore was sent to many places like Spezia, Venice, Bari and China. He fell ill
when in China, and as he was suffering from rheumatism he was considered unfit for further
service.
 Salvatore did not mind his illness and rather felt happy to return to his own home. He was
eager to meet his family and fiancé.

3. What is the message the author wants to convey through his story ‘Salvatore’? (6)
 Maugham’s short story ‘Salvatore’ conveys the message of Goodness.
 Though the story apparently looks like a biographical sketch of a young Italian fisherman
Salvatore, it has actually been a portrayal of a good character, a quality of his character,
which the writer calls “the rarest, the most precious, and the loveliest that anyone can have”
— the quality of “goodness, just goodness”.
 Salvatore’s carefree life and responsibility to take care of his brothers prove his
responsibility towards his family.

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 His love for a girl at a notably young age proved his innocence and his engagement to her
proves his commitment which when called off by the girl and her family came down upon
him severely accounts for his vulnerability, but of course his dignified and gracious manners
earn him respect from the readers when they understand that Salvatore knows to move on in
life gracefully.
 His journey abroad for the conscription duty, his illness culminating in his return home and
marriage to a woman older than him shows his belief in life and acceptance of it as it unfurls
itself.
 He is an affectionate father, who smiles like an angel when he plays with his children and
bathes them.
 Through this chronological narration of events only one thing stands out. He never blames
anyone for anything in his life, but accepts life as it comes to him. Salvatore as an ordinary
fisherman possessed nothing in the world except a quality, that is, goodness.

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