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1.

The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in the story? Where was the cat after the fire? Who brings it back and how?

Answer» The author had great affection towards his cat. He cried inconsolably when he couldn’t find his cat after the fire. He would regularly go to the site of his house in the hope of finding the cat. He remembered how the cat would crawl into his pocket and fall asleep and missed her terribly.
The cat was so freaked by the fire and ran a mile away from the house. One woman found her and took her in. She located the author’s number on the cat’s collar. However, she couldn’t reach them as the phone had been disconnected because of the fire. The woman then made personal efforts to find the author and returned back the cat
Discussion
2.

Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear and insecurity?

Answer» The author is deeply embarrassed the next day in school because when the fire broke out, he was still wearing the dress he had worn to church that morning but he had no shoes as he had lost them in the fire. So he had to borrow some tennis shoes from his aunt. He was totally embarrassed by everything. The clothes he was wearing looked weird, he had no books or homework, and his backpack was gone. Words used in the lesson that show his fear and insecurity are “…outcast and geek…” , “…like a zombie.”, “…wanted to curl up and die.” , “Everything felt surreal”, “All the security…had all been ripped away”.
Discussion
3.

What is the meaning of “My cat was back and so was I”? Had the author gone anywhere? Why does he say that he is also back?

Answer» After the fire the author loses interest in life. He feels that he has lost everything. After he gets books and other items from his schoolmates he feels a sense of newfound security. The recovery of his cat is like the icing on the cake. He gets back his best mate. Now both he and his cat are back to normalcy. His statement is indicating that he has begun picking up fragments of life
Discussion
4.

What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What does she do?

Answer» One Sunday afternoon, the author noticed a strange smell. Then he saw smoke pouring in through the seams of the ceiling and filling the room very quickly. They could barely see anything. By the time they ran out into the front yard, the roof was already engulfed in flames and was spreading very quickly. His mother ran back into the house. She had brought out a small metal box full of important documents. She wanted to bring out important things from the house one by one. She was in a ‘crazed state’.
Discussion