Summary of Packing for the Journey
In this funny story “Packing for the Journey” from “Three Men in a Boat,” by Jerome K Jerome. The author and his two friends, George and Harris, are getting ready for a rowing holiday on the river Thames. They have a lot of stuff to pack, including clothes, food, and cooking equipment. The author, who is confident in his packing skills, offers to do the job himself but ends up irritated when George and Harris don’t help as he expected.
Packing for the journey turns into chaos, with things being forgotten, broken, and misplaced. The author is frustrated by the mess, and Montmorency, their dog, doesn’t help either, causing more trouble. The dog likes to get in the way and be a nuisance, which adds to the confusion. The packing for the journey process is full of mishaps, including butter on shoes, jam on tomatoes, and a hunt for a missing toothbrush.
Despite the chaotic packing, they eventually finish and hope nothing is broken. The story packing for the journey is humorous and highlights the challenges and comedy of preparing for a vacation, showing how things can go wrong when you’re not organized.
Theme of Packing for the Journey
The central theme of “Three Men in a Boat” revolves around the humorous misadventures and the chaos that can arise from even the simplest tasks. It showcases the relatable everyday struggles and mishaps that occur when trying to organize and plan for a trip.
The story packing for the journey humorously highlights the challenges of packing, the irritations caused by the mischievousness of a pet, and the unexpected events that can disrupt even the best-laid plans. It underscores the idea that life’s complexities and challenges often stem from seemingly straightforward tasks, presenting a humorous take on the human tendency to encounter chaos and mishaps despite one’s best intentions.
Message of Packing for the Journey
The story packing for the journey gives a message that even simple things can get pretty messy and chaotic, especially when you’re not super organized. It’s like saying, “Life can be really funny and full of surprises, even in everyday tasks like packing for a trip.” It reminds us to find the humor in the chaos and not get too worked up when things don’t go as planned.
A. Tick the most appropriate options.
1. ‘that I should boss the job’ means the author
a. is bossy in nature. b. would supervise the job.
c. would not be bossed around. d. would help George and Harris.
2. The author was most irritated when
a. he was packing. b. others watched while he worked.
c. he had to watch others pack. d. he watched and others worked.
3. The author thought he has an energetic nature because he liked to………..while others worked.
a. walk b. work
c. pack d. supervise
4. Montmorency liked people to
a. worry about b. pet
c. stumble over d. love
Answer
1. ‘that I should boss the job’ means the author
b. would supervise the job.
2. The author was most irritated when
b. others watched while he worked.
3. The author thought he has an energetic nature because he liked to…
d. supervise while others worked.
4. Montmorency liked people to
c. stumble over
B. Answer these questions from Three Men in a Boat
1. Complete these sentences in your own words.
a. The author suggested that he would pack because……………….
b. George and Harris agreed to do the rest of the packing because…………….
c. Montmorency’s ambition in life was………………
2. Here let me do it……… There you are, simple enough.
a. Who said these words and to whom?
b. What was he talking about?
c. Did he get a chance to actually speak these lines? Why?
d. Did the other people’s responses annoy the speaker? How?
3. Why does the toothbrush haunt the author when he’s travelling?
4. When did Montmorency feel that his day had not been wasted?
5. “Aint you going to put the boots in?”
a. Who said these words and to whom?
b. When did he say these words?
c. Was he really worried about the boots being packed? Why?
6. “I’ll take my oath I put it down on that chair.”
a. Who said these words?
b. What had he put on the chair?
c. What had actually happened to it?
d. Were they able to find it eventually? Who found it?
7. That was the first thing they did.
a. Who are referred to as ‘they’?
b. What did ‘they’ do?
c. What did ‘they’ do next?
Answer
1. Complete these sentences in your own words.
a. The author suggested that he would pack because he thought he was the best at it.
b. George and Harris agreed to do the rest of the packing because they wanted to show the author they could do it better.
c. Montmorency’s ambition in life was to be a nuisance and get in the way.
2. “Here, let me do it… There you are, simple enough.”
a. The author said these words to George and Harris.
b. He was talking about how easy it was to pack, indicating he could do it better.
c. The others didn’t give him a chance to do it, as they took over the packing.
d. Yes, the other people’s responses annoyed the speaker because they didn’t let him take charge as he wanted.
3. The toothbrush haunts the author when he’s traveling because he often forgets if he packed it or not, causing him worry and inconvenience.
4. Montmorency feels that his day has not been wasted when he manages to be a nuisance, get in the way, and make people mad by causing chaos and being a bother.
5. “Ain’t you going to put the boots in?”
a. Harris said these words to the author.
b. He said these words when the author was almost done packing.
c. Harris was not really worried about the boots; it was more of a casual reminder after the bag was almost packed.
6. “I’ll take my oath I put it down on that chair.”
a. George said these words.
b. He had put the butter on the chair.
c. The butter got stuck to Harris.
d. Eventually, George found it.
7. “That was the first thing they did.”
a. ‘They’ refer to George and Harris.
b. ‘They’ broke a cup.
c. After breaking the cup, they packed the strawberry jam on top of a tomato, which got squashed, and then George trod on the butter.
C. Think and write from Three Men in a Boat
1. Do you think the three friends were lazy? Why?
2. Do you think that the three friends were good at packing? Support your answer with evidence from the text.
3. Montmorency is described as having ‘the natural, original sin.’ What do you think this means?
Answer
1. The three friends might not be lazy, but they seemed relaxed during packing. The author was eager to take charge, but his friends seemed laid-back, lounging and not helping actively.
2. The three friends were not good at packing. The author was confident, but chaos ensued. George and Harris’s efforts led to broken items and misplaced butter, showing their lack of skill in packing.
3. Describing Montmorency with ‘the natural, original sin’ suggests his inherent tendency to be mischievous and cause trouble. It refers to his innate inclination to create chaos and mischief, almost like an inborn nature to be a nuisance.