Something To Talk About

Something To Talk About
By Eden Philpotts
REFERENCE
These lines have been taken from the play “Something to Talk About” written by Eden
Philpotts.
CONTEXT
The play is a delightful comedy. This is a satire on the mentality of aristocratic English
class. Wolf a notorious burglar enters stealthily the house of Sydney‟s to take away
their rich gifts of Christmas. The whole family comes there and enjoys the presence of
the burglar. They are very happy and treat the wolf like an old friend. It is the burglar
who is surprised, not the family. This turning of the tables makes the story very
amusing. Wolf puts all their presents in a bag but leaves them, when Wolf is told about
more precious gifts in a neighbouring house. The Sydney‟s save their gifts and enjoy
the presence of Wolf.
QUESTIONS
Character and Ideas of wolf
Wolf is the central figure of the play around which all events take place. We do not know
his real name. He is notorious by the title of the Wolf. He is a great burglar of England
“The Terror of England” exclaims Lady Redchester, very rightly when she recognizes
him. He is so well known that even Lord Redchester exclaims, “The wolf comes to our
little place! Surely not! Some imposter pretending to be the Wolf”. And when he
becomes sure about the identity of the wolf, he says, "Glad to know you” and shakes
hands with him. Wolf appears in the library of Tudor Redchester at 3‟O'clock on
Christmas morning, wearing tight-fitting suit, a cap on his head, a black mask over his
eyes. He carries an electric torch in one had and a bag in the other hand.
He lets the torch travel over the room and finds the safe. Wolf is an expert at opening
the safes. No safe is „safe‟ from him. He is well known for opening the safe within in no
time. He is fumbling with the safe, when Mr. Sydney comes into the library. He orders
him to „hands up‟. He asks Sydney if he knows the password of this safe. He is told that
only his father knows it and it contains valuable gifts of Christmas. He is amazed at the
information, given by Mr. Sydney. Wolf has exact information about everything,
especially about the safe. He claims himself before Lord Redchester.
“I have a thousand secrete channels of information.”
Wolf is romantic by nature. When Guy asks his permission to call Lettice, in there, he
promptly says, “I never can say no to beauty”. He is working on the safe when she
comes to the library and utters these words:
“Oh! How brave of him! How thrilling! How do you do?
(Shakes hands). Do you think you can manage it?
(Looks at safe).”
He becomes so involved with her that she takes the revolver from him and puts it on the
mantelpiece.
His dialogue tells that he must be a well-educated man. When Bishop advises him to
leave criminal life Lettice says that he is “lost sheep in wolf clothing‟. At that he at once
counters her by saying that, “Wolves do change their hair but not their hearts”. He is an
intelligent fellow and has good knowledge about his own field of practice. He is very
vigilant. He is always conscious of his own interest. He is active and smart. Again and
again he warns the Sydney to be silent otherwise he would „plug‟ them. He is a little
philosopher. When Lady Redchester talks about Charles who is “so interested in the
criminal classes”. He promptly says, “There ain't no criminal classes, any more than
virtuous classes. The rogues and the rulers may both come from the gutter, or the
palace. A man may be in the House of commons today and the House of Detention
tomorrow, can't he?”
This shows that he has deep knowledge of human psychology and sociology. He is
rather a greedy fellow and it is because of his greed that he loses all the Christmas gifts
of the Sydney‟s. Although he has answered before that, “a bird in hand is better than
two in the bush.” It is actually the psychologically round approach of the Sydney‟s that
they are able to win him.
Portray Sydney’s behaviour as a family thriving for some change.
“Something to talk about‟ is a delightful comedy in one act by Philpotts. The play is
about a burglar and a rich family. It is a clever and pleasant representation of the
temperament of Modern English people, who might well find nocturnal alarm a matter of
objective entertainment. The members of the family don‟t lose wits at the arrival of the
burglar. They behave so politely, confidently, light heartedly and sincerely that it is the
burglar who is bewildered at being treated with such genuine politeness. The comedy
lies in „the tables turned‟. It is the burglar who meets the unexpected.
The Sydney’s are an interesting family. They represent the modern man who loves
thrilling situations. They are living an uneventful life. They want to have a thrill so that
they may become famous in the locality. They want publicity at all costs. Therefore they
welcome the wolf in their house. They are so hungry for adventure that they are not
afraid of the wolf. They were fed up with the dull routine of their lives and wanted
something unusual to happen in the family. People always say that Sydney‟s are the
oldest and dullest family in which nothing but weddings and funerals take place. As it is
said “Change is the law of nature and it is the nature of man to make changes.”
Guy even says to the burglar,“…….? People always say we are the oldest and
dullest family in the country. Nothing ever happens to the Sydney.
The point to note here is that change seems to be the desire of human life. It is not a
height of irony that he is welcoming a burglar for the sake of change. Later part of the
play indicates that not only Guy alone, but also, all members of the family have been
suffering from the same disease for a long time. As Guy says,
“ We never get into newspapers, we never even have accidents out hunting, and no
burglars, no fires; nothing but weddings and funerals. But now all‟s changed!”
Lady Redchester calls him a new sort of “Santa Claus”. Bishop preaches him that he
should change and become God‟s sheep. Each one is amazed to see the wolf. They
are ready to assist him in robbing the safe. The Wolf is told all details of the gifts, which
are enclosed, in the safe. For the sake of fun, he is told to try his luck by using gas
cylinder to unlock the safe. They want to amuse themselves with the help of Wolf. When
he fails to do so; he is told the exact code No. of the safe. All gifts of Christmas are
brought out of the safe. He checks them one by one and on requests of family
members, they are given to each of them. The necklace is given to the mother who is
very happy to wear it as it suits her; similarly each of them is happy to try their
ornaments and gifts and are thankful to their father who has brought them for
Christmas.
When the Wolf intends to take them back; they are reluctant. They request him not to
rob them of their gifts on such a sacred day; The Wolf says to them that he has also a
family to support. The clergyman, the uncle of Sydney, plays a hideous trick on the wolf.
He shows him the house of another rich man with much more valuable things and the
details of his safety to return after theft. Thus the tables are turned. Lord Redchester
sums up the situation in these words,
Grand Fellow! Something to talk about at last.
The confidence of Guy, the child like happiness of Lettuce, the dignified bearing of Lord
Redchester, Lady Redchester‟s calling the burglar a new sort of Santa Claus. Fatherly
behaviour of uncle Bishop and the humorous reaction of Preston baffle the burglar and
amuse the reader to a very delightful extent. This is clearly shows Sydney’s behaviour
as a family driving for some change.

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Something To Talk About

Character and Ideas of wolf

“I have a thousand secrete channels of information.”

“Oh! How brave of him! How thrilling! How do you do?

(Shakes hands). Do you think you can manage it?

Portray Sydney’s behaviour as a family thriving for some change.

Grand Fellow! Something to talk about at last.

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