Twenty Minutes with Mrs. Oakentubb - Questions

Questions Answers

Q1. Explain the importance of the label on Mrs. Oakentubb’s suitcase. Why does she hide it?

Ans. In the melodrama ‘Twenty Minutes with Mrs. Oakentubb’, the male character, whose name remains unknown throughout, enters the railway waiting room and glances at the tie-on label attached to the suitcase of a lady who was already sitting there. She is Mrs. Judy Oakentubb, the very lady he is going to see in Stainthorpe. Mrs. Oakentubb killed this man’s wife and daughter in a car accident and he wants to avenge their “murder”. If the man had not seen the label, he would have remained oblivion of her identity and the murder would not have taken place. The development of the plot would have taken different lines. Realizing the malicious intention of the man, she deems it appropriate to hide the label so that the man might not know who she is. In addition, if she had escaped, she might have taken protective measures and her murder might never have taken place.

Q2. What motive has the man for murdering her?

Ans. Revenge was the clear motive behind the murder of Mrs. Oakentubb. As the male character in Frank Arthur’s play ‘Twenty Minutes with Mrs. Oakentubb’, whose name remains unknown throughout, thinks that eighteen months’ imprisonment was not the sufficient punishment for crushing life out of his wife and daughter. Mrs. Oakentubb’s lawyer advised her to tell to the court that she had not seen them before the accident. As a matter of fact, she was drunk and driving criminally fast for a bet. One of her friends wagered her five pounds that she could not go from Stainthorpe Cross to the coast in fifteen minutes. That is why the man thinks that killing for his wife and daughter in the accident was not manslaughter, but “plain deliberate heartless cruel murder”, and that the punishment for such a murder should be death “in the most painful way.”

Q3. In this melodrama, the author keeps on building up the tension and then relaxing it, until the final moment of tension when the murder is done. Briefly describe the chief moments of tension and what follows after each one?

Ans. The first moment of tension comes when the man describes the death of his wife and daughter in an accident and speaks of his intention to kill Mrs. Oakentubb who was responsible for that terrible accident. The second moment of tension is when he takes out the revolver and tells the lady in the waiting room that he is going to shoot her as she herself is Mrs. Oakentubb. The last and final moment of tension is when he comes back, opens the door and finds her putting her fingers to the nose at him, takes out the revolver and shoots her dead.

Q4. Write a brief character sketch of Mrs. Oakentubb?

Ans. Mrs. Oakentubb is the central character in Frank Arthur’s play ‘Twenty Minutes with Mrs. Oakentubb’. She appears to be in her early middle age as she has mouse-brown hair, well streaked with grey. She is deceptively respectful. However, her villainous character is soon exposed when we come to know that her daredevil attitude has claimed two innocent lives. She was drunk when she was driving criminally fast for a bet. In an attempt to avoid a head-on collision, she swerved onto the pavement and killed two innocent pedestrians. Unscrupulous as she is, Mrs. Oakentubb tells a lie in court to reduce her crime to manslaughter, and gets away with only eighteen months in prison. Another sly and deceitful aspect of her personality is revealed when she keeps up the pretence of being regretful. As soon as the vengeful man leaves the room thinking that the unremitting mental anguish is her real punishment, Mrs. Oakentubb rises to her feet and puts her fingers to her nose at him. The man suddenly re-enters the waiting room, sees her offensive gesture, and shoots her. Thus, Mrs. Oakentubb in rightly punished for the wrong she did.

Q5: At what point in the play do we become certain that the man knows that the woman in the waiting room is Mrs. Oakentubb? When, in fact do you think he discovered her identity?

Ans: When the man takes her coat and throws it on the bench his glance falls on the table of the suitcase he becomes certain that the lady is the waiting room in Mrs. Oakentubb.

When she tries to hide her identity by hiding the label with a flap it confirms that the man has discovered her identity.

Q6: When is the audience likely to suspect she might be Mrs. Oakentubb?

Ans: The man talks the lady of his tragic story, happened in the Korea and informs her that her smile gave him the purpose of life that to kill the lady who killed his wife and daughter. She becomes nervous and started at him fascinated. She tries to persuade him not to devote her life for the wicked purpose. And when, after a while she tucks the flap on her identity the audience begin to suspect that she might be Mrs. Oakentubb.

Q7: Why, in your opinion, does the anther make the porter a humorous character?

Ans: Suspense, humor and romance are the essentials parts of a thrill. In this play the porter gives relief in the tense and gloomy atmosphere. He relaxes the audience by his humour.

Q8: Suspense is an important element in a thriller. Briefly show how the anther keeps the audience in suspense for the answer to two questions will he find out who she is? Will he kill her?

Ans: The author keeps the readers in suspense and delaying the murder. He wants to kill the lady in a painful way. The author keeps the audience in suspense they are compelled to think weather he will find out who she is. And when he identifies her he prolongs the murder and it took place when the play ends.

Q9: Write a brief character sketch of the porter.

Ans: Although Porter is not a major character like Mrs. Oakentubb and the man but he also plays a significant role in the drama. By his simple, romantic and humorous nature he amuses the audience. He also relaxes the tense situation. He addresses the lady as love and chuckles at her. He looks after the passengers and serves them.

Q10: Briefly discuss whether the play would have had a more satisfying ending if the man had not come back through the door, seen Mrs Oakentubb vulgar and impenitent (rude) gestures and shot her that is to say if it had ended in Mrs Oakentubb collapsing with genuine remorse (regret) and the man’s decision that he would be adequately revenged if she went on living.

Ans: I think the play would not have had a more satisfying ending if the lady was to be saved. It was inevitable to kill her because of her vulgarity and impertinent gestures. If the murderer goes set free the aim of justice is violated. Justice demands that punishment should be proportionate to crime.