Class 10 English: A Letter to God & Hundred Dresses Q&A
Why Postmaster Sent Money to Lencho?
The postmaster sent money to Lencho to help him during his distress. Hailstones had totally destroyed his corn, and his family would go hungry that year. Lencho had written a letter to God asking for a hundred pesos. To preserve Lencho’s faith in God, the postmaster collected seventy pesos, sent them to Lencho, and signed the letter ‘God’.
Lencho’s View on Missing Money & Irony
Lencho thinks the remaining money was taken by the post office employees. The irony lies in the fact that, far from taking the money, the employees had actually collected it to help him during his distress. Yet, Lencho called the post office employees a ‘bunch of crooks’.
Conflicts in the Story: Humans vs Nature & Humans
There are indeed two kinds of conflicts in the story. One is between humans and nature. Humans place their faith in nature; Lencho hopes for rain and a good crop. But nature acts differently: hailstones destroy Lencho’s crops, leading him to fear his family will go hungry. The second conflict is between humans themselves. Lencho doubts the integrity of the post office employees, even though they collected money to help him during his distress. Initially, the postmaster intended to respond to Lencho’s letter to preserve his faith in God. After reading it, he decides to raise money to help him.
How Wanda Was Different From Other Children
Wanda was very different from the other students. She didn’t usually talk to them, perhaps because she was poor and didn’t have friends. This made her stand out from the other children.
Why Maddie Was Embarrassed by Peggy’s Questions
Maddie was also a poor girl, which is why she was embarrassed by the questions Peggy asked Wanda. Maddie usually wore old dresses too. When she heard that Wanda claimed to have a hundred dresses, she worried that others might start mocking her as well.
Why Maddie Didn’t Stop Peggy Teasing Wanda
Maddie didn’t ask Peggy to stop teasing Wanda because Peggy was her best friend, and she believed her best friend wouldn’t do anything truly wrong. She was also afraid because she was poor herself.
Who Maddie Thought Would Win Drawing Contest
Maddie thought Peggy would win the drawing contest because Peggy was a great artist. She could draw or copy pictures from magazines and even draw the faces of film stars. So, Maddie was sure Peggy would win.
What Mr. Petronski’s Letter Said
Mr. Petronski, Wanda’s father, wrote a letter to the school stating that his daughter would not attend anymore. They were moving to a big city where no one would make fun of her name.
Miss Mason’s Reaction to Teasing Wanda
When Miss Mason learned that the class had been making fun of Wanda’s name, she was both unhappy and upset, though not necessarily angry. She felt deep sadness for Wanda.
Maddie’s Feelings After Wanda’s Father’s Note
Maddie felt a deep sense of sickness and guilt after hearing the note from Wanda’s father. She couldn’t concentrate on her work because of this feeling. She realized that she was just as bad as Peggy because she had never stopped Peggy from insulting Wanda about her dresses.
What Maddie Wanted to Do
Maddie wanted to tell Wanda that she didn’t have any negative feelings towards her and didn’t want to insult her. She also wanted to apologize for everything and express that she didn’t want Wanda to leave the school.
Peggy’s Excuses for Her Behavior
Peggy was also upset when she heard about the situation. She rationalized her behavior by saying she never called Wanda a foreigner and never made fun of her name. She claimed she just thought Wanda was ‘too dumb’.
Maddie’s Thoughts Going to Boggins Heights
As Peggy and Maddie went to Boggins Heights, Maddie thought that if they found Wanda, she would tell her that no one would make fun of her name anymore. She resolved that if anyone did, they would fight them for Wanda.