Fear

Summary

Fear is a psychological story from Mexico with Armando Gonzalez as its main character. The story examines how baseless fear results in nervousness and how things get worse when people become unnecessarily nervous.

Armando goes to a bank in Mexico to withdraw 50000 pesos. He has a dream to buy a house with this money. The bank teller asks unnecessary questions and counts the money loudly which helps to increase Armando’s fear. As he leaves the bank he puts his hat on backward due to nervousness. Several people look at him and a heavy man looks at Armando twice in the bank.

Armando starts sweating with fear because he thinks that somebody is going to rob him. His mouth becomes dry and his heart starts beating faster. He holds the wad of money tightly because the amount he had was the whole world to him and his family. As they had many people to feed, the couple has earned the money with great difficulty. Their dream is to buy a house to live which will be a house that they could call their own. It will be the happiest day of their life. But the dream is in danger now because Armando thinks that he could be robbed at any moment and the dream would be stolen from him. He regrets having not taken the cheque.

As Armando waits for the right bus, his fear increases more when he sees the same heavy man standing next to him. After getting on the bus he finds the heavy man there too, it greatly adds to his fear and horror. He thinks the heavy man and the other three boys talking to him are the members of a street gang and are going to rob him. He has the same feeling when other people on the bus look at him. He thinks that they are looking at him because they know he has money in his pocket. People are looking at him because he has still his hat on backward. He becomes very nervous and can’t think straight. With this in mind, Armando decides to change the bus so that he will be safe from potential robbers.

To his great surprise, the three boys get off the bus at the same station as Gonzalez. At this, feelings of hot and cold run through his body. He finds himself in an area without buildings nearby. The boys walk in the direction of Armando. He thinks they are after him and cries frantically for help. He goes to an area full of rubbish and junk and stumbles over something. Though he asks the scavengers for help they can’t hear him. The three boys come near him and he weeps like a baby. He asks them to leave a poor and honest man alone. The boys ask him if they can help him, Armando can’t believe his ears because he had thought that they are there to rob him. The boys introduce themselves as students who had come to the city for a football tournament. The boys also explain that they had taken the wrong bus and had to get off.

After asking the boys many questions, Armando confirms that he is safe. He stops sweating and puts his hat straight. His dream of buying and living in his own house is not harmed.

Important Questions:

Q.1. Summarize the story `Fear’. 

See the summary above for the complete answer.

Q.2.Why did Armando have the idea that everyone in the bank was watching him? What was the truth?

Armando had the idea that everyone in the bank was watching him because they knew that he had withdrawn a large amount of money from the bank. The truth was everyone watching him because he had put on his hat backward.

Q.3. What were the things which made Armando think that someone was going to rob him?

There were so many things that made Armando think that somebody was going to rub him out. Which are, as given below:

a) The people of the bank look at him.

b) When Armando was at the bank, the cashier counted the money loudly.

c) The heavy man looked at him twice inside the bank.

d) Co-incidentally, Armando and the heavy man travel the same bus.

e) The act of conversation between the heavy man and the three teenage boys.

f) Three teenagers also want along the road which was taken by Armando.

 

Q.4. If someone had told him that his hat was on backward when he left the bank, do you think that Armando would have felt better? Explain.

 Yes, if someone had told him that his hat was on backward when he left the bank, I think that Armando would have felt better because if someone told him about the hat he would correct his hat. So, all people wouldn’t look at him twice or thrice. As a result, he would not suspect he was going to be rob.

Q.5. Do you think we sometimes make things worse rather than better when we get nervous? Explain.

        Yes, I think we sometimes make things worse rather than better, when we become nervous, we are too much sensitive and our common sense doesn’t work properly. As a result, we begin to think negatively.

Q.6. Why is Armando afraid of the heavy man on the bus?

        Armando is much afraid of the heavy man on the bus because the heavy man was looking at him and standing next to him at the bank. The heavy man also got on the same bus. Armando wanted to be free from fear of a heavy man by getting off from the bus. Those three boys, who were talking with a heavy man, also got off from the bus. Armando thought that these three boys might have been sent by the heavy man. He thought they might be the helper of the heavy man. So he was always afraid of the heavy man.

Questions for Practice: 

1.      How did Armando’s wife Eva, earn a little money?

2.      Explain the changes in Armando’s behavior as a result of fear?

3.     Write the story of “Fear” in about 300 words.

4.     Why were the people looking at Armando?

5.     What did Armando think was the reason some people looked at him?

6.     Describe what effect fear had on Armando.

7.     Why did Armando leave the bus?

8.     Why did Armando have the idea that everyone in the bank was watching him? And describe what various sights made him more and more nervous.