The main idea of the story “Two Little Soldiers” by Guy de Maupassant is about how easily our emotions can be hurt, how much harm betrayal can cause, and how deeply loss can affect people. This story is in Class 11 English Stories Unit 6 and class 11 two little soldiers exercise question answers solution and summary is provided in this article.
Class 11 Two Little Soldiers exercise Questions Answers and detailed summary are discussed in this article.
Two Little Soldiers
Understanding the Text
Reference to the Context
The dairy maid is the speaker.
ii. What does the word “here” indicate?“Here” means the place where the two soldiers visit every weekend.
iii. Who does “you” refer to?“You” refers to the two soldiers Jean and Luc.
The speaker is Luc.
ii. Why is the speaker speaking with interruption?The speaker is speaking with interruption because he is in pain and scared of the death of Jean.
iii. What does he mean when he says “he–fell–he fell—”?He means that Jean fell into the river.
In “Two Little Soldiers”, two friends, Jean and Luc, begin the story in a pastoral and fairly idyllic setting despite being far from home. Together, they enjoy their time together, eating a simple meal and enjoying a bit of wine before having to return to their duties.
This sense of camaraderie is ultimately destroyed by the introduction of a third party—a girl. Suddenly, the two friends are equally fascinated by this girl, and they begin to chat about her throughout their week. Neither soldier seems prepared to make a move for the girl’s affections at first, and then suddenly, Luc changes everything when he takes leave without telling Jean where he is going.
When the three meet again, everything has changed. Jean and Luc are no longer the central pair of the group; instead, Luc and the girl have clearly become more intimate during his evenings of leave. They sneak off together, leaving Jean completely isolated.
Luc was Jean’s central line of connection in a world of confinement and loneliness. Realizing that he has lost this connection, Jean is bewildered and desolate. He presumably commits suicide by intentionally falling into the river because of the fresh disconnect he feels from humanity.
Luc is devastated by the loss of his friend, barely able to choke out the news when he returns to the barracks. Thus, the tragedy is dependent on Luc’s character flaw: he prioritizes romantic possibilities over a close friendship. This ultimately causes the tragic loss of the friendship which he had valued so much and which had sustained him through the loneliness of being so far from home.
Reference Beyond the Text
As long as love and intention are pure towards the person, it is not morally bad for two people to have the same feelings for the third one. This type of condition may arise in a person’s life either knowingly or unknowingly. Although it is not bad, there are high possibilities for problems to arise in the near future. So, the only solution is to talk with each other and solve the problem by controlling your emotions.
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Class 11 Two Little Soldiers exercise Questions Answers and detailed summary are discussed in this article.
Summary
Luc and Jean are two soldiers who habitually spend their free time on Sundays away from the barracks, out in the countryside. Their day off has taken on the character of a ritual. Every Sunday, they bring food for breakfast to the same spot in the woods and lie back to enjoy the food, wine, and sights of an area that reminds them of home.
Eventually, their ritual comes to include a bit of innocent ogling of a young village girl who brings her cow out to pasture every week at the same time. One Sunday, however, the girl speaks to them on her way to the pasture, and when she returns later, she shares the cow’s milk with them and leaves them with a promise to meet the following Sunday.
The next weekend, Jean suggests that they bring something for her. They settle on candy as an appropriate present, but when the girl arrives, both are too shy to tell her that they have brought something. Finally, Luc tells the girl of the treat, and Jean, who always carries the provisions, give the bonbons to her.
As the weeks pass, the girl becomes the topic of conversation for these soldiers as they spend time at the barracks, and the three become fast friends. The girl begins to share their Sunday breakfast meal and appears to devote equal attention to the two recruits.
Then, in an uncharacteristic move, Luc seeks leave on a Tuesday, and again the following Thursday. He borrows money from Jean on that day but offers no explanation for his behavior. Jean lends the money.
The following Sunday, when the girl appears with the cow, she immediately rushes up to Luc and they embrace ardently. Jean is hurt because he is left out and does not understand why the girl has suddenly turned all of her attention to Luc. Luc and the girl go off to care for the cow and disappear into the woods for a long time. Jean is stupefied. When they return, the lovers kiss again, and the girl offers Jean a kind “Good evening” before going away.
Neither soldier speaks of the incident, but as they return to their barracks they stop momentarily on the bridge over the Seine. Jean leans over toward the water, farther than he should in Luc’s judgment, then suddenly tumbles into the torrent. Luc can do nothing; he watches in anguish as his good friend drowns.
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