The House Call – Friedrich Dürrenmatt

• Author: Friedrich Dürrenmatt
• Genre: One-Act Play
• Class: 12
• Book: English

Introduction

Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss writer famous for his creative plays and stories. "The House Call" is a one-act play chosen for NEB Class 12 English because it explores guilt, justice, and the supernatural in a simple, thought-provoking way. The play helps students think about right and wrong, and why our choices matter.

Summary

Dr. Hühnerwadel, a tired doctor, is visited late at night by a mysterious woman asking for help for her sick child. As he follows her, strange things happen, and he realizes that both the woman and her child are ghosts. He is forced to face his past mistakes and the guilt he carries as a doctor.

Narrative Structure Breakdown

• Exposition: Dr. Hühnerwadel is at home when a woman arrives, asking for help.
• Rising Action: He agrees to make a house call, following her through the night.
• Climax: The truth is revealed—the woman and child are ghosts.
• Falling Action: The doctor faces his guilt and the consequences of his actions.
• Resolution: Dr. Hühnerwadel is left alone, changed by the experience.

Themes & Meanings

• Guilt: The play shows how guilt can follow us and affect our lives.
• Justice: It asks if true justice is possible, especially when mistakes are made.
• The Supernatural: Ghosts are used to explore deep feelings and moral questions.
• Responsibility: The story teaches us to accept and learn from our actions.

Character Sketches

• Dr. Hühnerwadel: A doctor who tries to help others but is haunted by his past mistakes.
• The Woman: A mysterious figure who wants justice for her child.
• The Child: The sick child, whose story reveals the doctor’s guilt.

Important Vocabulary

• House call: When a doctor visits a patient’s home.
• Conscience: The feeling that helps us know right from wrong.
• Supernatural: Things that cannot be explained by science, like ghosts.
• Guilt: A feeling of regret for something wrong we did.
• Justice: Fairness and doing what is right.

Exam-Style Q&A

• Q: Why does the woman visit Dr. Hühnerwadel?
  A: She wants him to help her sick child.
• Q: What is the main theme of the play?
  A: The burden of guilt and the search for justice.
• Q: How does the play use supernatural elements?
  A: Ghosts are used to make the doctor face his past mistakes.
• Q: What lesson does Dr. Hühnerwadel learn?
  A: He learns to accept responsibility for his actions.
• Q: Why is this play important for NEB students?
  A: It teaches about conscience, justice, and the effects of our choices.

Related Stories (Cross-Linking)

• Facing Death
• A Matter of Husbands
• A Devoted Son

PDF Download Note

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