A story of CBSE Class XII English, by John Updike, an excellent PowerPoint presentation, for easily understanding the story.

1. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
By: John Updike
PowerPoint by: Mrinal Ghosh, PGT (English)
Agartala Tripura (India)

2. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet,
short-story writer, art critic, and literary critic.
• Born: 18 March 1932, Reading, Pennsylvania, United
States
• Died: 27 January 2009, Danvers,
Massachusetts, United States
About the Writer

3. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• The story begins when Jack is telling stories to his four-
year-old daughter Jo to put her to sleep on Saturday
evenings. All these stories are made up by him. This started
two years ago. Every story is a
variation of the same tale and it
starts with the same Roger
an imaginary animal.

4. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• He would go to the wise owl to solve his problems.
The owl would direct him to the wizard who would
do magic and solve his problems and demand money
in return. Roger would be short of money and would
go to a well as directed by the wizard and will get the
money from there and would pay him off.

5. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• He would be happy to solve his problems and would
play with his friends happily. His father would return
on the train and the family would have a delicious
dinner.
• That day, Jo wants it to be a Roger Skunk’s story who
smells very bad and that is why no other animal
wants to play with him. They will tease him saying
‘Stinky Skunk’.

6. Should Wizard Hit Mommy

7. Should Wizard Hit Mommy

8. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• Roger would cry. At this point, Jo starts feeling
connected with the character and she also starts
crying. Jo insists on sending Roger Skunk to the owl.
This reaction of Jo surprises father and he realizes
the growing changes in the child. Finally,
the owl directs Roger Skunk to the wizard
and he gets the smell of roses.

9. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• Skunk is too happy and runs into the wood. All the
animals gather around Skunk and they all play games.
• When Skunk reaches home, his mother is annoyed
and doesn’t like that smell. She takes him back to the
wizard and hits him on the head and orders him to
restore Skunk’s earlier smell.

10. Should Wizard Hit Mommy
• Jo doesn’t like this. She is angry at the behaviour of Roger’s
mother. She wants the wizard to hit Roger’s mommy. But father
disagrees and defends Skunk’s mother saying mothers are
always right. But Jo is adamant and angry. Jo argues with her
father but father exerts his authority as the storyteller and doesn’t
change it.
• So finally Roger Skunk comes back home with his mommy and
gradually other animals also get used to his smell and start
playing with him.

11. Slide Title
• Jo disagrees that this can happen and refuses to sleep.
She wants another story in which mommy is hit. But
Jack refuses and confronts Jo and threatens and orders
her to sleep.
• He is in a dilemma because he knows that his pregnant
wife is working downstairs all alone and he must help
her. He feels trapped and uneasy, caught in a difficult
situation.

12. Slide Title
The End