Topic : The Grass Is Singing
The Grass Is Singing is a notable literary work by Doris Lessing. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of The Grass Is Singing.
Main text
The Grass is Singing DORIS LESSING (1919 - 2013) CHAPTER I MURDER MYSTERY By Special Correspondent Mary Turner, wife of Richard Turner, a farmer at N^esi, was found murdered on the front veranda of their homestead yester- day morning. The houseboy, who has been arrested, has con- fessed to the crime. No motive has been discovered. It is thought he was in search of valuables. T HE newspaper did not say much. People all over the country must have glanced at the paragraph with its sensational head- ing and felt a little spurt of anger mingled with what was [...]
Summary
The Grass is Singing is a wonderful novel by Doris Lessing (1919 - 2013). The impact of racism is highlighted in this novel. The story is set in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) around 1940.
Murder of Mary Turner: In the novel's first chapter, the self-confident Mary Turner is murdered by her house servant, Moses. Moses himself admitted his crime. Charlie Slatter calls the police after seeing Mary's body. Sergeant Denham sent six policemen and arrested Moses.
Inside the house, Charlie's assistant, Tony Martson, describes how he found Mary's body on the veranda. Sergeant Denham arrives and questions Tony, and leaves. Tony wonders if he should tell the police the truth about Mary's murder. Thinking about this, Tony left that district and moved to another place. Meanwhile, the judge ruled that Moses was intoxicated when he killed Mary.
Characters
"The Grass is Singing" is a novel by Doris Lessing (1919 - 2013). The novel was published in 1950. The main characters in the novel include:
Mary Turner
The protagonist of the novel. Mary is married to Dick. But they're not happy as they have a financial crisis. Mary strongly hates the Black people. As a result, she is murdered by a black man.
Dick Turner
Husband of Mary Turner. He is a very unlucky farmer who never makes any profit from his farm.
Notes
- “Though what thoughts of regret, or pity, or perhaps even wounded human affection”- Explain"Though what thoughts of regret, or pity, or perhaps even wounded human affection were compounded with the satisfaction of his completed revenge, it is impossible to say."- Explain In the novel "The Grass is Singing" [...]
- “She was going to be happy. She had no idea of the life she had to lead”- Explain"She was going to be happy. She had no idea of the life she had to lead. Poverty, which Dick had warned her of with a scrupulous humility, was another abstraction, nothing to do with [...]
- “She loved the town, felt safe there, and associated the country with her childhood”,-Explain"She loved the town, felt safe there, and associated the country with her childhood, because of those little drops she had lived in, and the way they were all surrounded by miles and miles of [...]