Chapter 01. Prose - A Triumph of Surgery (Chapter Explanation)

 

Key Points of the Story

• This story is about Tricki, a dog who is the pet of a rich lady named Mrs. Pumphrey. She loves her dog very much and is unable to refuse him anything he wants. 
• Tricki, is fond of eating cream cakes and chocolates. So one day when Mrs. Pumphrey is out with Tricki for a walk the narrator sees them and stops to talk. While talking to Mrs. Pumphrey he realises that she has been overfeeding Tricki and also had been giving him things that he shouldn’t eat due to which Tricki had started looking like a bloated sausage. 
• Soon Tricki got unwell and Mrs. Pumphrey has to call Mr. Herriot (narrator) for help. She does not want to send him away but the only way suggested by Mr. Herriot is to get him hospitalized for 15 days. Then the story unfolds into how he gets well. Read the description to know more.
  

Detailed Summary

The story starts when Mrs. Pumphrey, a rich lady takes her dog out for a walk. A nearby veterinary doctor who knows the lady sees the dog and is shocked as he sees that the dog looks like a bloated sausage with a leg at each end. He advises her to stop giving him unhealthy things to eat but Mrs. Pumphrey is not able to refuse him. Soon he falls sick and the doctor is called. The narrator, Mr. Herriot then somehow takes Tricki, the dog to the hospital even though he knows that Mrs. Pumphrey is not ready to leave her dog and nearly fainted just by hearing these words. Then he takes the dog along and puts a bed for him in his surgery. The dog doesn’t move much nor eats anything for the first two days. On the second day, he looks around and whimpers a bit. He wanted to go out on the third day and started playing with the bigger dogs when he was taken out. He also licked the bowls of other dogs clean on the third day.

Then his condition started improving very fast. He started fighting for his meals with other dogs. Then when this news reached Mrs. Pumphrey, she started sending him eggs as she thought that Tricki was recovering from an illness and needed energy foods. Mr. Herriot and his partners started eating those eggs for morning breakfast. Then for improving Tricki’s blood, Mrs. Pumphrey started sending in bottles of wine which was again consumed by Mr. Herriot. He used to take two glasses before lunch and some more glasses while having his lunch. Then when she started sending in bottles of brandy for Tricki that was the time when Mr. Herriot thought that he would really like to keep Tricki as a permanent guest in the surgery. Mr. Herriot used to be really happy someday by having two extra eggs every morning. Then having few glasses of wine in the afternoon and close the day by having brandy at night. But then he took a wise decision and called up Mrs. Pumphrey as she was really worried and on this side Tricki was ready to be taken back home. Tricki was really happy to see his mistress and jumped into the car. Mrs. Pumphrey said that she won’t be able to ever thank him for what he had done and also, that his surgery had been successful as Tricki was now cured.

Theme/ Message

Theme

• The major theme of the chapter is Care vs Over-indulgence.
• Mrs Pumphrey loved Tricki. Under the influence of her blind love for her pet, she overfed him.
• Mrs Pumphrey gave him malt, cod-liver oil and a bowl of Horlicks, which she believed would help Tricki regain his strength.
• This made Tricki overweight and lethargic. Mrs Pumphrey’s over-indulgence in Tricki’s care had in fact harmed him.
• After Tricki’s treatment, Mrs Pumphrey was elated to see her dog active and playful again.

Message

• The lesson emphasizes the importance of responsible pet ownership, cautioning against excessive love that can prove harmful. Mrs. Pumphrey, a wealthy woman, showered her dog Tricky with lavish care and overfeeding. 
• Her indulgence led to Tricky's health deterioration, making him lazy and obese. Hospitalized due to his condition, Mrs. Pumphrey continued pampering him with gifts. 
• The story highlights the message that excessive love and overindulgence can have adverse effects on the well-being of those we care about.

Difficult Words

• Gleaming  - reflecting light, typically because very clean or polished.  
• Reverently  -  with deep and solemn respect.   
• Roused  - cause to stop sleeping.    
• Supper -  an evening meal, typically a light or informal one.    
• Tweed -  a rough-surfaced woolen cloth  
• Bouts -  a short period of intense activity of a specified kind.  
• Ceremonial  -  festival    
• Clasped -  grasp (something) tightly with one's hand. 
• Convalescing  -  recover one's health and strength over a period of time after an illness.   
• Engulfed  -  sweep over (something) so as to surround or cover it completely. 
• Entire -  completely   
• Fetch - go for and then bring back (someone or something) for someone.    
• Flapping  - waves    
• Fortnight - a period of two weeks.   
• Gang -  group  
• Gasping  - panting    
• Harness - a set of straps and fittings 
• Hastened - be quick to do something.    
• Hovered -  remain poised uncertainty in one place or between two states.  
• Hugely - excessive   
• Hurtling -  move or cause to move at high speed, typically in an uncontrolled manner
• Lolled -  sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way.  
• Lumbago -  pain in the muscles and joints of the lower back.  
• Panting  - breathing with short, quick breaths, out of breath.    

Character Sketch

Character Sketch of Mrs Pumphrey

Mrs Pumphrey, a middle-aged woman, was quite rich and resourceful with a large number of servants and maids. She treats all her visitors with warmth and generosity. She had a strong emotional bond with her little pet dog, Tricki. She was very concerned about Tricki’s miserable condition. She pampered the dog by giving him chocolates, cakes, juice, eggs and wine. Mrs. Pumphrey overindulged to the point of disregarding Dr. Herriot’s advice to give him exercise. When Tricki’s health deteriorated and was taken to the hospital for treatment, she was very upset. She was silly but tender-hearted. She was happy when her pet dog became alright. She was grateful to Dr. Herriot for making Tricki healthy.

Character Sketch of Tricki

Tricki is a lovable and mischievous Pekingese dog who is the dog with long hair and a squashed face. He has a fluffy and soft coat of fur, which requires constant grooming. He is a little overweight, which makes it difficult for him to move around. He loves to be pampered and taken care of by Mrs. Pumphrey. He has a playful and mischievous nature, which often gets him into trouble. He is very demanding and likes to have things his way, but he is also very sensitive and gets upset easily. He is extremely loyal to his owner and loves to be around people.

Character Sketch of Dr. Herriot

Dr. Herriot is a committed veterinarian who has compassion and dedication for his profession. He is dedicated to his work and always willing to make an extra effort for his patients. He is a very competent and knowledgeable veterinarian with a deep understanding of animal behaviour, and he can handle even difficult cases. He sincerely cares about animals’ wellbeing and goes out of way to make sure they get the best treatment. James Herriot has a terrific sense of humour and a contagious personality in addition to his professional skills. He has a way of making people feel at ease, and he is always willing to listen to his customers.