The Lost Doll

                           The Lost Doll

Summary 

     Story 'The Lost Doll' is about the reincarnation of a child Maria Del Carmen who dies at a age of four years because of her sickness. She is the only child of her parents Roberto and Rosa Soto. She is bright, kind and loving. However, she is sick from the day of her birth by the time she is four, she becomes very weak and a few days later she dies. Everyone in the village, who has come in the funeral, says she looks like doll. She is buried on the hill outside the village.

      A few days later Rosa gives all the clothes and playthings of Carmen to a priest from another village. She tells her husband that she has given all the things of Carmen to the priest because there is no use of keeping them. The doctor had told them that she would not have any baby further. Roberto objects this and says that it is only god who knows who can have and cannot have children. Rosa reminds that in these four years she didn’t have any baby. But, Roberto tells her that god knows she has a sick child. In the meantime Roberto asks about the doll that was at the hand of Carmen when she died. Both search the doll but do not find.

      After the first year of the death of Carmen, Rosa gives birth to another baby girl. New baby looks like Carmen Priest gives name Evangelina to the baby which means 'good news'. As Evangelina grows up she looks more and more like her sister. Only the difference is she is healthy and Carmen was sick. One day, Evangelina becomes almost four year, she tells her mother that she was sick a long time ago. A few days later Rosa's sister comes there and tells that Evangelina looks like Carmen.

     Evangelina tells her aunt that a long time ago she was very sick and she had a Dollie with blue eyes and red dress. They ask where the doll is. Evangelina takes them to the backyard under the big tree. Rosa digs up with a shovel and finds there under the ground doll. They ask Evangelina to tell everything she could remember. She says that when she was sick, priest comes and prays with his hand on her head and then she sleeps. After sometimes a nice-man wakes her up and takes her up and takes her by the hand with the help of nice man, she buries the doll in the yard because he says she cannot take the doll.

Questions

1.   What was Carmen's full name?

   Carmen's full name was Maria Del Carmen.

2.   Describe Carmen.

        Carmen was the only child of her parents Roberto and Rosa Soto. "Carmen" as everyone called her was a beautiful child. She was also bright, kind and loving. However Carmen was sick from the day of her birth.  

3.      How old was the little girl when she died?

    The little girl was four years old when she died.

4.      What were Mr and Mrs Soto's first names?

The first name of Mr. Soto is Roberto and Mrs. Soto is Rosa.

5.   To Whom did Rosa give Carmen's clothes and play things?

Rosa gave Carmen's clothes and playthings to nearby village priest.

6.   Which special plaything did Roberto ask about?

The special plaything that Roberto asked about is a doll which Carmen used to play most of the time.

7.   How long after Carmen's death did Rosa give birth to another child?

After one year of Carmen's death Rosa gave birth to another child.

8.   Why do you suppose almost everyone in the village attended Carmen's funeral?

Carmen was the only child of Roberto and Rosa Soto. She was sick from her birth only. In my view almost everyone in the village attended Carmen's funeral because she was a beautiful child and also she was bright, kind and loved by everyone.

9.    Do you think there were any vehicles in the funeral procession? Explain.

I think there weren’t any vehicles in the funeral procession because there is not any indication vehicles in the story also the cemetery is on hill so vehicles cannot be used in funeral procession. Also the Soto family is poor so that they cannot afford vehicles for funeral procession.

10.       Why do you suppose the people marched single file to the cemetery?

    As the cemetery is on the hill, the way to the cemetery may be narrow so that the people marched single file to the cemetery.

11.       What indicates are there in the story that the Soto family was poor?

The indication that the Soto family was poor is the rough hands of Roberto which means he used to work in field and farming was his occupation.

12.       Why do you think, Rosa gave Carmen's things to someone from another village?

    I think, Rosa gave Carmen's things to someone from another village because she wants to forget all the memories of her only one child as her memories will be painful to Rosa and also a hinderance in happy life.

13.       Why did Roberto want to save Carmen's things?

Roberto is spiritual and he believes in God and have hope that they will have a new baby in spite of doctors saying that they will not have new baby. So, Roberto wanted to save Carmen's things for new baby.

14.       Why did Rosa say that there was no reason to save them?

Rosa seems to be practical and realistic and she thinks that she will not be a mother as said by the doctors. So, that Rosa said that there was no reason to save them.

15.       Rosa said to her husband, "False hope is not good" When does hope become false? How can we know when hope is false?

Being hopeful is very good but false hope is never good. Hope becomes false when someone becomes hopeful for impossible things. Similarly hope becomes false when there is no chance of getting the hoped thing. We can know hope is false if the hoped things is non practical, realistic and beyond the natures rule.

16.    What did Rosa want to say when she said to her husband, "You know that these four years……?"

    "You know that in these four years we couldn’t have baby.

17.    Why do you think Roberto thought of Carmen's doll when he looked out the window to the backyard?

I think Roberto thought of Carmen's doll when he looked out the window to the backyard because Carmen used to play most of the time with her doll in backyard.

18.    What made them finally forget about the lost doll?

The happiness of the new born baby Evangelina made them finally forget about the last doll.

19.   Do you think Evangelina was a good name far the new baby? Explain.

I think Evangelina was a good name name for the new baby because she brought happiness and good news for Roberto and Rosa.