A House Is Not A Home

A House is not a home.
Zan Gaudioso
Zan is a contributing author and editor of several volumes of the bestselling, Chicken soup for the
soul series, most notably Chicken soup for the teenage soul III. She is also the co-author of the
award-winning book, The Buddha next door. She is exploring what constitutes happiness in a time of
change.
Theme:
After passing the junior high school, the narrator joins a new high school. He feels isolated in the
new school. He misses his old school, teachers and friends who encourage him to take part in the
new school activities and make new friends. His house catches fire and he and his mother run out to
the neighbours to call the fire Department. His mother runs back home and brings the metal box and
again runs back to bring pictures, documents and letters of his father. The narrator is conveying the
anxieties, problems and challenges a teenager faces as he's growing up and the role of society and
family in helping people in distress.
Answers to textual questions:
1. What does the author notice one Sunday afternoon? What is his mother’s reaction? What
does he do?
One Sunday afternoon while the author was sitting and doing his homework at the dining
table, he smelled something strange and noticed smoke pouring in through the seams of the
ceiling which began filling the room at great speed and everything was engulfed in smoke
barring normal vision. The family got out onto the front yard. His mother ran out with a
small box that was full of important documents. She ran back again probably to rescue the
pictures of her dead husband. As for the author, he ran to the neighbour’s house to request
them to call the fire Department.
2. Why does he breakdown in tears after the fire?

The author's house was completely burned down. Five hours later when the fire was finally
put out, he burst into tears when he realised that his cat was nowhere to be seen. The
loneliness he experienced in his new school, the unfortunate fire, the sorrow of seeing his
house being brought down to ashes, the uncertainty of the future and the missing cat was
too much for the teenager to bear. He burst into tears he could not control his emotions any
longer.
3. Why is the author deeply embarrassed the next day in school? Which words show his fear
and insecurity?
The author and his mother had to move to their grandmother’s house after the tragedy. He
had no clothes or shoes to wear as everything was swallowed by the fire. His mother would
not allow him to stay at home so he went to school wearing clothes in which he looked
weird. He felt embarrassed because of this and also because he did not have a bag or books
to work with. He expresses his insecurity by saying,” Was I destined to be an outcast and a
geek all my life ? I just wanted to curl up and die”. All the security he had known had been
ripped away.
4. The cat and the author are very fond of each other. How has this been shown in this story?
Where was the cat after the fire? Who brings it back and how?
The author loved his cat very much. She kept sitting beside him when he did his homework
and other household work. The author would go to his home every day while the rubble was
being cleared in the hope that he would find his little kitten. He was recollecting their
interaction every morning and missing her immensely. One day as he sat with his friends on
the curb, he noticed a lady coming up with a kitten in her hand. The narrator leapt up and
grabbed her off the lady’s arms and hugged her. The little kitten had run off because of the
fire. The lady inquired who the cat belonged to and returned it to the rightful owner. The
lady brought it back as there was a phone number written on the collar of the cat.
5. What actions of the schoolmates change the authors understanding of life and people, and
comfort her emotionally? How does her loneliness vanish and how does she start
participating in life?
The author had gone to school with a lot of bitterness and hesitation. He was however in for
a great surprise when his schoolmates had donated school supplies, notebooks, different
kinds of clothes when they got to know about the tragedy. He was overwhelmed and it felt
like Christmas. People who had never spoken, introduced themselves one by one. He had all
the things whatever he used to have. This created his interest in life. It would not be wrong
to say that the fire had ironically brought a positive change in the child. He developed a
better understanding of life and people. He gathered friends and began living life to its
fullest. The actions of his schoolmates created a significant change in him.
6. What is the meaning of, my cat was back and so was I? Had the author gone anywhere? Why
does she say that she is also back?
As the author sat with his friends and the cat curled up in his lap, all the overwhelming
feelings of loss and tragedy seemed to diminish. He felt grateful for his life, his newfound
friends, the kindness of the lady who had rescued his cat, and the purr of his beloved four
legged friend, his cat. He felt secure and had recovered his original identity once more. He
was once again the schoolboy who loved life. He had not gone anywhere physically but
mentally had got lost in a lonely world with depression as his only companion. With the
arrival of the cat, he feels that he has also come back to being himself in every sense.
Short answer questions:

1. Is it normal to feel lost and lonely in new surroundings?
It is normal for one to feel lost and depressed in unfamiliar surroundings. Just like the
narrator did when he moved from his Junior School to the higher school. He felt
detached from everyone and probably did not make an attempt to interact and
communicate with his peers as he should have. It needed a major tragedy to change the
course of his life.
2. Who provided immediate financial help to the author and her mother? Why?
The author’s mother had lost all her credit cards and cash in the fire. Having lost all
proof of identity she could not go and withdraw money from the bank. So in their state
of despair and severe crisis, it was his grandparents who helped them financially,
emotionally and physically.
3. Justify the title, A house is not a home.
A house is defined as a structure made for human habitation while a home is the place
where one lives permanently, especially as a member of a family or household. There is
love, happiness, sorrow, birth and death in a home. Emotions make a house a home. In
this lesson when the house got burnt, the love of his mother, the support and empathy
from his friends, neighbours and teacher and the little kitten enabled the narrator to
overcome the sense of loss of the house. A home was what they finally acquired. Thus,
the title aptly fits the story of the narrator’s life.
4. What was unusual and strange in the school the next day?
The news of the tragedy had spread like wildfire and everybody in the school knew
about it. This made the narrator feel uncomfortable as though he was responsible for
their plight. People at school were looking and behaving with him in a strange and
unusual way and were milling around him. This was not the kind of attention he was
looking forward to. He was in for a great surprise that paved the way to a better life.
5. What was the sight that shocked the author? Why was there no time to grieve?
As the narrator walked past his house while returning from school, he was shocked to
see the pathetic condition of his house. Everything had been reduced to ashes. If not for
his mother’s presence of mind, all the documents and photo albums too would have got
burned. He had lost his cat which made him feel extremely sad. Despite all the losses
they did not have time to grieve because they had to secure themselves, till such time
they set their house in order.
LONG ANSWER QUESTION:

1. What is the most important aspect in the story that appealed to you?
This story marks a turning point in the narrator’s life. It appeals very strongly to
one's emotions. It touches the right cord in our heart. The unfortunate tragedy
accompanied by the mental discomfort of the teenager churns within us feelings of
sorrow, empathy and brotherhood. A child who is a new entrant into the portals of
the high school had no friends at school or in the neighbourhood. He was in a state
of extreme depression. But the reaction and support provided by his schoolmates is
really commendable. The young boy who felt all alone and desolate suddenly feels
overwhelmed and emotional with the way he was absorbed by his peers and
society. His life takes a turn for the better and he identifies with his true self.
2. Make a diary entry of the day that changed your life for the better. You are the
narrator.
California
Monday
11 Jan 2021
10 pm
I got up in the morning at the usual time. I missed Kitty a lot. My mother forced me
to go to school. I hesitated as I did not have proper shoes and clothes. My aunt gave
me my cousins clothes that were ill fitting and looked weird on me. I was feeling very
low and desperate as I walked down to school. When I reached, I observed the
unusual looks students were giving me. Later I realised what was in store for me. In
the course of the day I was shocked to see, when I was pushed into a gym, a table
loaded with stuff donated by my friends. I was overwhelmed. These were people
who had hardly interacted with me. They had got to know about my tragic situation
and worked as a team to help in rehabilitating me and my family. This was the
turning point in my high school life. I developed a wonderful relationship with
everyone. Life became enjoyable once again. Thank you, God!
xyz
Describe how one of your classmates had an experience like the one described in
the story where he/she needed help.(125 words)

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A House is not a home.

Answers to textual questions:

2. Why does he breakdown in tears after the fire?

Short answer questions:

LONG ANSWER QUESTION:

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