Class 9 NCERT Solutions English Chapter F.5: Best Seller

This answer requires the students own views and experiences with the book he or/ she has read.

(iii) John was not particularly good-looking.

(ii) men generally married girls from a similar background.

(iv) he was doing very well at his job. 

(i) human beings are essentially the same everywhere.

The author was travelling to Pittsburgh in a chair car the previous summer and he spoke of the co passengers as being of the kind one usually sees on chair cars. Most of them were ladies wearing brown-silk dresses cut with square yokes with lace insertion and dotted veils, and they refused to have their windows raised.

There were the usual number of men, who could have been in almost any business and going just about anywhere. He meant that the passengers were quite mundane looking.

The passenger in chair 9 was John A. Pescud of Pittsburgh, a travelling salesman for a plate glass company, and an old acquaintance whom the author had not met in two years.

When the author first observed him, he could only see the small, black, bald spotted head of the person sitting in the chair 9. The passenger suddenly hurled a book to the floor between his chair and the window. The author noticed the book was 'The Rose Lady and Trevelyan, one of the bestselling novels of the present day.

John A. Pescud disapproved of today's best sellers as he believed them all to be very similar. These novels appeared unrealistic to him especially the typical ones where an American swell from Chicago falls in love with a royal princess from Europe who is travelling under an alias and follows her to her father's kingdom or principality.

 He felt that these types of love stories are rank on the level. He believed that in real life when people marry, they generally hunt up somebody in their own station; someone who went to the same high school and belonged to the same singing society.

 He could not understand why people went to work and bought hundreds of thousands of books which were best sellers. According to him you never see or hear of any of the incidents that you read about in bestsellers in real life.

Since his last meeting with the author, John says that he had been on the line of 'general prosperity'. His salary had been raised twice, and he was receiving a commission and had even bought "a neat slice of real estate." His company was to sell him some shares of stock the coming year.

Once settled in life, he had even taken some time off from his plate glass business to have a romance.

When Colonel Allyn (Jessie's father) entered the room, the dull, empty room seemed to light up. . It was the Colonel's style although he had on the same shabby clothes that he had worn to the station. John was so rattled and nervous for about nine seconds that he almost thought of trying to sell him some plate glass. He soon got his nerves back and the Colonel asked him to sit down. He told the Colonel everything about how he had followed his daughter from Cincinnati and why he had done it. He told him his salary and prospects and explained to him his little code of living-to be always decent and right in your home town. In spite of getting the feeling in the beginning that the Colonel was about to throw him out of the window he kept on talking and talked for hours. He answered all the Colonel's questions. All he asked the Colonel for was to give him a chance. If he did not manage to impress the lady, he would clear out and never bother them anymore.  

Coketown, the place where John got off the train was nothing more than a ragged hillside dotted with a score of black dismal huts propped up against dreary mounts of slag and clinkers. It was impossible for John to be getting off to try to sell plate glass there.

John then explained that the other day he had taken Jessie on a little trip to Philadelphia and on the way back she thought she saw some petunias in a pot in one of the windows. She used to raise similar ones at her Virginia home. So he thought he'd drop off at Coketown for the night and see if he could dig up some of the cuttings or blossoms for her.

This answer depends on each student's views and opinions.

A few guidelines 

Yes I believe that John is a hypocrite. While travelling on the chair car he is reading one of the present day best sellers "The Rose Lady and Trevelyan" which he suddenly hurls to the floor between his chair and the window. He then goes on to criticize and ridicule the present day bestsellers as they are all alike. According to him the stories are unrealistic and typical ones where an American 'swell' from Chicago falls in love with a royal princess from Europe who is travelling under an alias and follows her to her father's kingdom or principality.

 He did not believe in the type of 'romance' portrayed in the novel as according to him in real life when people marry, they generally hunt up somebody in their own station-someone who went to the same high school and belonged to the same singing society.

Yet his 'life story' and the manner in which he met his wife are very similar to the one that he has criticized in the bestseller. He was a small built, ordinary looking salesman of a plate glass company who met his wife in one of the most unexpected places-a train journey to Cincinnati. She was the finest looking girl he had ever laid his eyes on.. He was so enamoured by her that he followed her from one station to the next changing cars till finally they reached the station where her father a tall proud man was waiting for her. He followed her to her house stayed at a nearby hotel, and met up with her the next day. In spite of Jessie informing him that her father would not approve of him meeting her, he had the courage to speak to her father and tell him the purpose of his visit. He finally married her.

His life story is a 'love story' very similar to one of today's bestsellers which he strongly criticised.

John A. Pescud 's physical appearance:

He was made of the stuff that heroes are not often lucky enough to be made of. He was a small man with a wide smile, and an eye that seemed to be fixed upon that little red spot on the end of your nose.

His philosophy on behaviour :

When a man is in his home town, he ought to be decent and law-abiding.

His profession:

 He was a travelling salesman with "Cambria Steel Works" selling plate glass.

His first impression of his wife:

She was the finest looking girl he had ever laid eyes on. Nothing spectacular but just the sort you want for keeps. She minded her business, which was to make the world prettier and better just by residing in it!

His success: His salary had been raised twice; he was receiving a commission and had even bought "a neat slice of real estate." His company was to sell him some shares of stock the coming year. He was on the line of 'general prosperity'.

He had also fallen in love with and later married the finest looking girl Jessie-whose father was a lineal descendent of the 'belted earls'.

This answer depends on each student's views and opinion.

A few thoughts and guidelines students could use before framing their answers:

a) The title of the story, "The Bestseller".

The story begins with John A Pescud hurling a book that he is reading- a best-seller titled "The Rose and Trevelyan' to the floor.

He goes on to criticize and ridicule modern day bestsellers that deal with unrealistic, romantic love stories.

 Ironically, in real life, Pescud's own love story is very much along the lines of those described in these best-sellers.

The title of the story strongly brings out this irony. While he claims to dislike the hero of the best-seller "Trevelyan", his life itself turns out to be yet another best seller and he another Trevelyan.

This answer depends on each student's views and opinion.

A few thoughts and guidelines students could use before framing their answers:

b) Pescud's claim, "When people in real life marry, they generally hunt up somebody in their own station. A fellow usually picks out a girl who went to the same high- school and belonged to the same singing-society that he did."

According to Pescud, the bestsellers of today are love stories which are totally unrealistic.

In these lines he explains how in real life, when people marry they look for someone in their own station. Someone who has been educated in a similar type of school and has grown up in a similar background.

Yet the irony behind his claim is seen in his own life history.

The moment he saw the unknown girl on the train, he fell in love with her, without much knowledge about her. He followed her to her destination and even after finding out that she lived in Elmcroft, Virginia, in a 50 room mansion, belonged to the oldest family in the state and her father was a descendent of the belted Earls he did not give up his pursuit. In spite of coming from totally different walks of life-he being an ordinary travelling salesman, their paths met and he went on to marry her.

This answer depends on each student's views and opinion.

A few thoughts and guidelines students could use before framing their answers:

c) The name Trevelyan.

The hero in the bestseller "The Rose and Trevelyan' that Pescud was reading when he met the author in the train was 'Trevelyan'.

 Pescud kept criticizing the story saying that it was a mere love story and totally unrealistic. He even ridicules the romantic ways of the love struck hero, by reading out lines from the book where in Trevelyan is sitting with the Princess at the end of the tulip garden praising her to the skies as being 'a star set high above in a royal heaven' while he Trevelyan, is only himself. Pescud felt, that one never witnessed such capers in real life.

The irony of this however is later observed when Pescud, while travelling by train laid eyes on the finest girl he had ever seen and wanted her for keeps. In spite of her being the daughter of one of the oldest and proudest families in the state and he an ordinary salesman, he falls in love with her and breaks all the rules to woo and win her over. His own love story turns out to be every bit like the hero Trevelyan, he so strongly criticized.

This answer depends on each student's views and opinion. 

A few guidelines. 

• The introduction to your article is very important.

• Where did they meet?

• Pescud's views on bestsellers being unrealistic, romantic novels before he met Jessie.

• Short description of both Pescud and Jessie.

• How Pescud followed her on the train/to her home/met her/met the father/finally married her.

• How Pescud changed and became a romantic-was going on this journey only to collect the petunias she liked for her!

 Sentences you could use in your article:

• They say 'marriages are made in heaven' this one definitely was. 

• It all began eighteen months ago on a south bound train to Cincinnati.

• A young salesman for a plate glass company, John A Pescud was on a regular business trip.

• Destiny had other plans for him.

• This trip turned out to be a turning point in his life.

• One look across the aisle and their seated by the window was the girl of his dreams.

• She was the finest looking girl he'd ever laid eyes upon-the sort you want for keeps.

• It was love at first sight.

• Come what may he had to make her his wife.

• He crossed every hurdle -even visited her father after being told he would never be accepted.

• His hard work was finally rewarded.

• Like a fairy tale romance they now live happily ever after!