THE FRUITCAKE SPECIAL

- By Frank Brenna

THE AUTHOR - Frank Brenna• Author of 5 collections of short

stories in Cambridge English Reader series

:

- Three Tomorrows - Circle Games

- Tales of the Supernatural- Windows of the Mind- The Fruitcake Special

• Wrote a collection of stories based on a particular theme – exp . “discovery” in The Fruitcake Collection so that he can present a variety of ways looking at the theme.

TITLE•A fruitcake – plays an importantrole in the story•The story evolves around this special fruitcake & how in an instant it can

change :–The lives of people–Their emotion–Their reaction to others

•around this specialfruitcake & how in aninstant it can change :–The lives of people

- Their emotion–Their reaction to others

SETTINGWORKPLACE•Amos Cosmetic factory in New Jersey, USA

•Place where perfumes are designed by chemistsAnna, the main character,

works here & she travels to work by bus

HOME•Anna lives at home with her mother

•Her Aunt Mimi is the frequent visitor to the house

THEMESUPERFICIAL LOVEOld lady had 7 husbands

Fully rely on the fruitcake

TRUE LOVE

• Armstrong fell in love with Anna not because of the fruitcake perfume

• Anna was patient enough to wait & she got something priceless at the end

POINT OF VIEW• Written in the 1st person point of

view because the word “I” is uses• Readers see the action of the story

through the eyes of the main character Anna

LANGUAGE•Simple•Whole story written in a hilarious

manner•Many comic situations that can make

people laugh–The scene at the restaurant – David declares his love for Anna, –waiter sings his heart out, & during the fight.

CHARACTERS

IN THE STORY

ANNA•Works as a chemist in AmosCosmetics factory in New Jersey USA

ANNAJob – to design new perfumes

•Single & lives with her mother

•Her mother and Aunt Mimi is worried that she is

•not getting married

•She knows that David Amos is not possibly in love with her nor is the waiter

•at the restaurant

•She recognizes that it is the result of the powerful perfume she has created

DAVID AMOS•Owner of

Amos Cosmetics•Dark, handsome and Fashionable gentlemen

DAVID AMOS•Often seen with

beautiful women•He appears polite but actually does not

DAVID AMOSthink much of

his workers

AUNT MIMI•Pleasant but she also likes to mind other people’s business

AUNT MIMI•Constantly trying to find a suitable partner for her niece

AUNT MIMI•She gives some fruitcake to Anna

SABINA•A beautiful young model•David’s girlfriend•Looks down on Anna

SABINA•Furious when David professes his love for an ordinary and plain-looking girl like Anna

SABINA•She and David offer compensation to Anna in the form of money to forget the

SABINA•whole incident at the French restaurant

ARMSTRONG•Pizza delivery

boy•Totally different than David Amos

•Through effort and determination, grows from mere pizza delivery man to become the

owner of the pizza company

Wants to makea success of himself before hedeclares his love forAnna

ANNA’S MOTHER•Naturally anxious that her daughter is still single

Right from the beginning she suggested that Armstrong, the pizza delivery man, would make a good husband

for Anna. This turned to be right, in the end

WAITER•Works in a French restaurant•Adds humour and comedy to the story

by the way he behaves towards Anna when he was under the spell of the fruitcake perfume

OLD WOMAN•Used to sell fruitcakes in the market

•Nobody knows

much about herexcept for Aunt Mimi

•Had 7 husbands who ate her magical fruitcakes

•Seems to have been able to read people’s mind

•Offered the cake to Aunt Mimi for her

niece•Dies early in the story

SYNOPSIS1.Anna is a chemist in the

Amos Cosmetics factory. One day while designing a new perfume, she throws in a piece of fruitcake. She bottles the perfume she had made and puts a few drops on herself.

2. David Amos, gets a whiff of the perfume and complements her, something he rarely does. He invites her out on a dinner date. Anna accepts his invitation.

3. Anna goes home. Her mother and Aunt Mimi are worried that Anna is still single. Her mother mentions about Armstrong, the pizza delivery man, as a potential husband. Anna tells them about her date with her boss.

4. Anna doesn’t like her boss but she wants to find out the real reason of his unusual behavior. She gets ready and puts on her usual perfume Intrigue and not the new fruitcake perfume.

5. On the way to an expensive French restaurant, David says very little to Anna. It is a great change from his charming behavior in the office earlier in the day. At the restaurant, Anna feels like he regrets coming out with her. Anna goes to the ladies’ room

6. Anna puts on the new fruitcake perfume. While walking back to the table, a nearby waiter , gets affected and knocks down a table. David Amos now acts as if he is madly in love with her. Anna realizes the power of the fruitcake perfume

7. Anna goes to answer a phone call in the lounge and again encounters the waiter. He declares his love for her and wants to see her again. Anna, is very amused and tells him to look to his duties as a waiter.

8. She meets Sabina, David’s current and arrogant girlfriend. David professes his love for Anna meanwhile the waiter sings a love song to her. The angry Sabrina punches David. A fight breaks out between Sabina, David, the waiter & the others. It is a chaos. After that Anna runs off home.

9. Anna visits Aunt Mimi to find out what she has put into the fruitcake. Aunt Mimi had actually bought the cake from an old woman who has 7 husbands. Unfortunately the old lady had passed away.

10. After 2 days, she sees David in his room and Sabina is with him. David has a black eye. He had calmed things down at the restaurant by paying out money. The police were not called.

11. David apologies for his unusual behaviour. Sabina says David is not interested in Anna. Irritated with this, Anna takes out the bottle of perfume and pours it on Sabina’s dress. She knows that David will go crazy over her and so will the other men nearby. Anna leaves Amos Cosmetics

•12. She gets a new job at the perfume factory that makes Intrigue. Armstrong, the pizza delivery man, is now the owner of it. One day, he visits Anna and confesses that he fell in love with her at the 1st sight but wanted to wait till he had made success of himself before asking her out.

• TRUE LOVE WINS THE DAY

THE PLOT***refer to excel file**

MORAL OF STORY•True love is born

from the heart•Hard work always pays off.

•Observation of people around us to discriminate the true from the false.

•Physical looks do not guarantee true love (Always look beyond physical appearances)

•Be realistic in our expectations

•Be determined and work hard to achieve our dreams ( Be diligent )

•Be brave to try out new things

•LITERARY DEVICES SIMILES•-“It’s like fresh bread and flowers and sunshine all mixed

together…” (pg32)-“…their eyes and mouths wide open like a couple of fish” (pg37)-“…he looked •like•a dog who had just found a bone•” (pg41)-“ •His words were •like•conversation from a bad movie•” (pg42)-“ •Why did everybody sound  •like•bad movies tonight? •” (pg42)-“ •Sabina said my name •as•if it were a dirty word •” (pg45)

-“…he looked like a dog who had just found a bone” (pg41)

-“His words were like conversation from

bad movie” (pg42)-“ Why did everybody sound like bad movies tonight?” (pg42)

-“Sabina said my name as if it were a dirty word” (pg45)

ACTIVITIES• Discuss about character traits – compare

& contrast between characters exp : Anna vs Sabina David Amos vs Armstrong• Match the characters with their qualities• Arrange the events of the story according

to the correct sequence.• Write a letter for any of the characters

exp : Sabina – advice her to change her attitude

• Role-play

THANK YOU