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5. I opened the bag and packed the boots in; and then, just as I was going to close it, a horrible idea occurred to me. Had I packed my toothbrush? I don’t know how it is, but I never do know whether I’ve packed my toothbrush. My toothbrush is a thing that haunts me when I’m travelling, and makes my life a misery. I dream that I haven’t packed it, and wake up in a cold perspiration, and get out of bed and hunt for it. And, in the morning, I pack it before I have used it, and have to unpack again to get it, and it is always the last thing I turn out of the bag; and then I repack and forget it, and have to rush upstairs for it at the last moment and carry it to the railway station, wrapped up in my pocket-handkerchief.
6. Of course I had to turn every mortal thing out now, and, of course, I could not find it. I rummaged the things up into much the same state that they must have been before the world was created, and when chaos reigned. Of course, I found George’s and Harris’s eighteen times over, but I couldn’t find my own. I put the things back one by one, and held everything up and shook it. Then I found it inside a boot. I repacked once more.
Explanation:
Later, the narrator opened the bag and kept the boots in it. While he was closing the bag, a terrible thought came to his mind. The thought was about his toothbrush. He had questioned himself whether he had packed his toothbrush along with his things. The narrator did not know how this thought rushed to his mind. Then the narrator told his readers that his toothbrush was an important thing that would lead him into trouble whenever he was travelling. Also, it would make him feel worried.
The narrator stated that he would have a horrible dream before the journey. He would wake up in between his sleep with a dream and cold sweat that he hadn't packed his toothbrush. Meanwhile, he would get up from the bed and search for it. After that, in the morning, he would put his toothbrush in his luggage before using it. After packing it, he'd recollect that he hadn't used it. So he'd take the things out from his bag and look for his brush. Also, the narrator said that the toothbrush was the last thing he would take from his bag. In addition, after taking it, he would forget to repack it. Finally, as he began to leave the house, he would remember that he hadn't taken the toothbrush. So he would run to the upstairs, carry the toothbrush wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief, and move towards the railway station.
After thinking about the previous incidents about the toothbrush, the narrator thought that he had to unpack the bag again to find the toothbrush. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the brush. Later he searched for the toothbrush by moving things around carelessly and looking into, under, and behind them.
The narrator stated that he would have a horrible dream before the journey. He would wake up in between his sleep with a dream and cold sweat that he hadn't packed his toothbrush. Meanwhile, he would get up from the bed and search for it. After that, in the morning, he would put his toothbrush in his luggage before using it. After packing it, he'd recollect that he hadn't used it. So he'd take the things out from his bag and look for his brush. Also, the narrator said that the toothbrush was the last thing he would take from his bag. In addition, after taking it, he would forget to repack it. Finally, as he began to leave the house, he would remember that he hadn't taken the toothbrush. So he would run to the upstairs, carry the toothbrush wrapped up in his pocket-handkerchief, and move towards the railway station.
After thinking about the previous incidents about the toothbrush, the narrator thought that he had to unpack the bag again to find the toothbrush. Unfortunately, he couldn't find the brush. Later he searched for the toothbrush by moving things around carelessly and looking into, under, and behind them.
The narrator unpacked the things
On the other hand, the narrator found Harris and George's toothbrushes over eighteen times. It suggests that the narrator had unpacked the things repeatedly and could not find his own. The narrator made the statement since he couldn't use his friends' toothbrushes and had to keep looking for his own. Then he reassembled the items one by one, holding everything up and shaking it. Meanwhile, the narrator finds his toothbrush inside a boot. He started to repack his bag again.
George and Harris's toothbrushes
Meanings of the difficult things:
| S.No | Words | Meanings |
1 | Boot | A type of shoe that covers the whole foot and the lower part of the leg |
2 | Horrible | Very unpleasant or bad |
3 | Occur | Especially of other unexpected events to happen |
4 | Toothbrush | A small brush with a long handle that you use to clean your teeth |
5 | Haunt | To cause repeated suffering or anxiety |
6 | Travelling | The activity of going from one place to another, especially over a long distance |
7 | Misery | Mental or emotional unhappiness or distress |
8 | Dream | A series of events or images that happen in your mind when you are sleeping |
9 | Cold perspiration | Sweat occurred by fear, anxiety or shock |
10 | Hunt | A search for something or someone |
11 | Unpack | To remove things from a suitcase, bag, or box |
12 | Wrap | Covered with paper or other material |
13 | Handkerchief | A square piece of cloth or paper used for cleaning the nose or drying the eyes when they are wet with tears |
14 | Rummage | To search for something by moving things around carelessly and looking into, under, and behind them |
15 | Chaos | A state of total confusion with no order |
16 | Reign | To be the main feeling or quality in a situation or person |
17 | Repack | Pack a suitcase or bag again |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2006). Beehive. Packing- Jerome K Jerome (pp. 82-93). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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