Test
-
Theodore
Thomas
This
fantasy tells the story of Robert Proctor who, while taking a driver’s test
under an advanced form of hypnosis, experiences a terrible accident. Although
he behaves responsibly, he is denied his license and is taken away by the
authorities.
ü The story has a
double plot structure – in two different times, two different state of mind,
namely the accident that Robert experiences under the state of hypnosis, and one
in the driver’s testing centre.
ü Techniques
employed by the author to create different moods in the story – uses short
sentences to create tension, urgency and fast action, while long sentences are
put in to slow the pace and create a more thoughtful atmosphere.
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy Fiction.
Theme: Ethics of the power of the state to
control its citizens.
Point
of view: Third person narrator.
Setting: Turn-pike and the testing centre room
where Robert Proctor is hypnotized.
Summary
and Critical Analysis
“Test”
is a fascinating story about Robert Proctor, who represents young enthusiastic
people wanting to drive and the state authority conducting a test to see
whether he is fit to get a driver’s license. Though the fantasy fiction
describes the concerns of the government in preventing and controlling
accident, Thomas surprises the reader with a very unique way to test people on
their driving skill. It provides us a glimpse on the imaginary invention of the
future consisting of futuristic elements of science fiction, action stories and
realism.
The
story explores the theme of the ethics of the state to control the citizens
over their opinion, ideas and self identity. The blue uniform and men with coats
symbolize the group of government officials trying to exhibit their ability and
technology to control the mind of Robert Proctor under an advanced form of
hypnosis, and make him experience a terrible accident.
Although
Robert Proctor behaves responsibly, he is denied his license and he is taken
away by the authorities. He feels responsible for the death of his mother and
the girl in the car which loomed ahead of him though nothing happened in
reality. The vivid image of the girl’s face in his head, along with his
mother’s cry lingers in his mind after the hypnosis. This is where Thomas
integrates the two plot, and surprises the reader that the emotions that ran
through him are true and real, but has been intentionally misled by the testing
people (the authorities), because the act of hypnosis itself is a process of
events that takes place in the mind under the direction of a second person.
The
“two grooves worn in the floor”, of the last sentence of the story suggest the
executive decision regarding the fate of the people coming to test themselves
in the testing center. The world in which Robert Proctor lives, is a world
based on control. The ruts on the floor symbolize the number of people who had
come to test their driving skill, but have been dragged out of the door by the
authorities deliberately, proclaiming them as unfit to be a driver in the real
world.
The
author sends out signal for the readers to question whether such type of test
is fair or ethical, how could they judge people’s ability and skills with such
restrictions? Would they make better drivers? Would they become careful drivers
for the rest of their lives? Would mental torture and trauma be of any help to
the person seeking a driver’s license? Will Robert Proctor be able to come back
and get himself tested again? – are the questions which make the reader think
and find out remedies to help the government prevent such dictatorship on the
citizen in future.
The
protagonist is hypnotized for a driver’s test, so the emotions that run through
him are true but the incident that he imagines took place actually never happened.
The protagonist sees himself driving on the turnpike on a warm May morning with
his mother on the front seat. It was a pleasant ride and they were enjoying the
ride.
Robert
could see a blue convertible following a big truck in front of his car. He
began to overtake them. When suddenly the blue convertible swung out behind the
truck without warning and struck his car on the right front fender. As a result
of this his car was knocked to the side of the turnpike. He was too smart to
slam on the brakes. After that he lost control of the car and tried to struggle
with the steering wheel. Then series of accidents occur. First the car hits a
rock blowing out the tire, and the car turned sideways and skidded into the
oncoming lanes, next an oncoming car struck his car from the side and spun it
into the left hand lane and finally his car met head on with an oncoming car
which was at high speed and he went into darkness.
Before
he met head on with the oncoming car, he saw on the front seat a beautiful girl
fast asleep with her head supported against the back seat, Robert Proctor
stared at the face of the girl and the image of the girl was imprinted in his
mind. After the accident, he felt deeply sorry for her. All the time the vivid
image of the girl was in his mind. We the readers finally realize that what
Robert experienced had never happened and the girl who died was not real as he
was hypnotized to take the driver’s test. He was deliberately put in an
accident by the hypnotists to test whether he was really fit to be a driver in
the real world. He feels responsible for the death and even after the hypnosis
is broken, there is a vivid picture of her face in his head but in real life no
accident or death takes place. It’s really ironical in such a situation as
Robert had no control over his mind as his mind was controlled by hypnotists.
Still the hypnotists pronounce him unfit to drive in the real world. They fail
to see that Robert was able to come out of the trauma after the serious
accident and that he would be confident to face the road again.
It
makes the reader wonder whether such a test is really ethical. How can someone
test one’s ability by hypnotizing them and draw conclusions from the unreal situation?
“Test”
is a short story about people’s need for power. The power being that to control
other’s ideas, opinions and self identity, through fear of divergence and
government control. The short story “Test” is derived from the fear of
diversification and self identity. From the moment Robert Proctor wakes up from
his hypnosis, the reader sees that the foundation of the world he is living is
based on control. The act of hypnosis itself is someone going into your mind
and telling you exactly what to do. Symbolism abounds in this short story: one
in particular is that of the man in the blue uniform. The uniform symbolizes
police and government dominance. However “Test” shows us that it is the
government that is in control. Throughout the story the main character is always
referred to by his full name, Robert Proctor. This suggests that Robert is
being watched and recorded all the time he is taking his test. Big Brother is
always watching him; perhaps the men in white coats are observing him
throughout his ordeal watching him like a lab rat. The man telling Robert what
to do during his test is wearing a blue uniform symbolizing police and
government control. In this story, the government is like a “Dictator”. The
theme of the story is revealed in the final interchange between Robert and the
uniformed man.
The
author points that we never know when a seemingly simple action, like driving
down a freeway, will have serious consequences. Or ability to make wise
decisions may be tested at any time. Hence, Theodore Thomas uses current-day
situation in such a way that readers would be alert when the time comes and
might use prevention rather than cure.
Points
to Remember:
ü ‘Test’
is a fantasy and a science fiction written by American author Theodore Thomas.
ü Robert
Proctor is the main protagonist of this story along with some minor and
supporting characters like the men in uniform and other officials.
ü The
story basically deals with the theme of the ethics of the power and extent of
the state or government to exercise its control over its citizens.
ü Robert
Proctor is the main protagonist of the story who is undergoing a test to obtain
his driving licence.
ü This
story applies the science of ‘hypnosis’ on a human.
ü The
author is the narrator in this story.
ü The
story has been written from the third person point of view.
ü The
story, being a science fiction, is futuristic in its style.
ü The
highway (turn pike), and the room in the department’s office is the setting of
this story.
ü Elements
of science fiction, description of thrilling actions and realism are blended
together in this fine story.
ü In
this story an advance level of hypnosis has been used on a young person who is
seeking driving licence.
Theme:
This story deals with the theme of
humanity’s (state and the government representatives here seem to be
representing the elite sections of humanity) hunger for power to control
others. It also shows that to meet this end they can go to any extent
regardless of any ethical values or any respect for others’ (common men)
dignity and rights.
Techniques
Used:
As the story is a science fiction so the
elements of science fiction are prominently dominating the technique of the
author as the author has used the advance technique of hypnotism. Besides, the
author has also blended excellently the elements of thrill, adventure and
realism.
Title(Justification):
As the whole story is about a person
undergoing the test to obtain his driving licence, there could be no better
title then ‘test’. However it’s worth noting that the main focus in the story
is the method of conducting test and the ethical aspects of the test and
subsequent denial of licence to the person undergoing the test.
Character
Sketch:
Robert
Proctor:
In this story Robert Proctor is the only character around whom the whole story
has been woven. He is undergoing the test for obtaining the driving licence. In
the story there is not much scope to explore the characteristic qualities of
Robert Proctor. However, during the test when he is experiencing the accident
under the spell of hypnosis, he has shown lots of skill and maturity. He does
not show any sign of panic. He is fully aware of the situation and acts the
best in the given circumstances. So we can say that he is a skilful and
responsible young man and an expert in driving too. Right after the test, he is
once again ready to drive which shows that he is confident and daring too. He
is not a person who can easily be intimidated. And at the end it was this
quality that disqualified him in the test and he was denied his rightful
driving licence.
Questions
and Answer:
1.
Describe
the plot of this story in your own words. Or
This story has two distinct plots. Describe them in your own words.
This
story is a science fiction based on the advanced level of hypnotism used is
testing drivers before awarding them driving licence. Thus this story has two
very distinct plots.
One
is when the protagonist, under the spell of hypnotism, undergoes the test on
the turn-pike in a cool sunny May morning and experiences all the imaginary
accidents. In this plot he very happy and cheerful until he meets those
accidents. And, the other is when he is brought back into his normal
consciousness after the spell of hypnotism. In this plot he is relieved
initially when he is told that all the accidents were fake and imaginary. But
when he is denied his licence he gets frustrated and angry and clearly shows
his frustration and anger.
2.
Do
you think ‘test’ is a science fiction? Justify your answer. Or Analyse the story ‘test’ as a science fiction
and a futuristic story. Or Bring out the elements of science fiction in the
story ‘test’
‘Test’
is a science fiction and a futuristic fantasy without any doubt at all. A
science fiction is a story based on science background. What is remarkable
about science fiction is that the story takes the reader ahead of time and
presents a futuristic scenario that may be possible in near or distant future.
From this point of view ‘Test’ is an excellent science fiction and futuristic
fantasy because in this story the author has used through the government
representatives the advance form of hypnotism to test the people seeking
driving licence. Whatever has happened in this story is not a contemporary
reality but we cannot deny that this may be a requirement for obtaining driving
licence in order to ensure safety on the road.
3.
Describe
the accidents in your own words. Or Give a brief account of Robert Proctor’s
driving (though imaginary) on that cool pleasant May morning.
In
this story the protagonist Robert Proctor is appearing the test for obtaining
his driving licence. The whole test is imaginary and under the spell of
advanced form of hypnosis. The protagonist seems to be completely unaware of
the truth. The story begins with Robert Proctor driving his car on the
turn-pike. He is driving happily with his mother beside him. The morning is
cool and pleasant. After driving for quite long he notices two vehicles in
plying in front of him – a big truck ahead and a blue convertible following the
truck. He decides to overtake them. He overtakes the convertible without any
problem. But then suddenly and without any warning the blue convertible swings
out from behind and hits his car near the right front fender. His car pulls towards
left toward the median strip. After few seconds, an oncoming car hits him from
the side and sends his car spinning further towards left. Ultimately his car
crossed the median strip and collided with a car coming from the other side.
The accident instantly killed his mother and the sleeping girl in the other
car. Finally Robert Proctor became unconscious. However what is remarkable
during this period is that he constantly hears the screaming of his mother.
4.
Why Robert
Procter was denied his driving licence?
Or what were the explanations given by the man-in-uniform for failing the
driving test?
Though
Robert Proctor behaved quite sensibly during the hypnotised test for his
driving licence but he was not given the licence. They said that he had been
disqualified in the test because he did not show any sense of fear or regret;
he did not seem to be bothering about the loss of human life. They said they
wanted the drivers to be more responsible on the road. They made him sign for
the next test and handed him over to the health officials for treatment.
5.
Give
a brief account of the narrative technique used in this story? Or Describe the narrative technique of this
story.
This
story has been written from the third person point of view. The author himself
is the narrator in this story. This is a science fiction and a futuristic
fantasy. Thus the story has elements of scientific fiction and it is futuristic
in its approach and treatment of plot and theme. The author has also included
lots of fast-track action, thrill and suspense in this story. The language used
in the story is direct and sentences are often short and sharp.
6.
What was
the reason/ who was responsible for the first accident? Or Describe the first accident in your own word.
Robert
Proctor was smoothly driving on the turn-pike for quite a long time on that
cool and pleasant May morning. In front of him were two vehicles – a truck at
the front followed by a blue convertible. Robert decided to overtake them and
accelerated the speed of his car. He crossed the convertible without any
problem. But while he was overtaking the truck, the convertible swung without
any warning or signal and hit his car near the right front fender. This caused
the first accident and it was all because of the driver of the blue convertible.
7.
Give
a brief account of what happened after the first accident. Or Describe the second accident in your
own words.
The
first accident disturbed his driving the car was pushed towards the left side.
Then an oncoming car hit his car from the side pushing his car further towards
the left. He was thrown into his mother’s lap towards the right gate. With his
left hand he tried desperately to control the car and stop the spinning. He
also tried to take his car out of traffic but he could not control as his left
tyre had already blown out and his car moved further towards the left lane. The
car continued spinning further leading to the third accident.
8.
Describe
the third accident in your own words?
Or What caused and what happened in the third accident?
As
the car continued spinning after the second accident it further kept on moving
towards the left lane where it collided with another car coming from the
opposite direction. There was a girl sleeping in the other car beside the
driver of the second car. Ultimately the girl and Robert’s mother were dead in
the accident. However, later on, it was revealed that the whole thing was fake
and imaginary under the spell of hypnosis.
9.
How
did Robert feel when he was regaining his consciousness? Or Describe Robert Proctor’s journey from the sub-conscious
stage to conscious stage.
When
his car collided with another car coming from the opposite direction during the
third accident Robert fell unconscious. He felt as if he was at the bottom of a
deep well. After sometime he could see the glimpse of a faint light far away
and he could also hear some voices. Slowly that faint light grew brighter and
the voice became clearer and louder. Slowly he found himself close to the light
and sound and when he opened his eyes he saw the officials sitting in front of
him.
10. Why did the official (man in blue) order
to take Robert out of their office?
The
officials had declared Robert unsuccessful after the test and they had denied
him the licence. This had infuriated him very badly. He felt cheated and was
very angry. He was ready even for the second drive and he demanded re-test. He
was not going out of their office nor was he willing to follow their advice to
go for treatment. Finally the officials threw him out of the office.
Thank you for the beautiful explanations.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the beautiful explanation. The theme of the story was unclear to me.But after reading this everything became crystal clear to me.
ReplyDeleteThanks.
I appreciate this very much! Thank you so so much!
ReplyDeletethank you
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