On pin and needles is an idiom which means highly agitated while waiting for something to happen. The expected event can be either good or bad.

The other phrase with a similar meaning substituting the word ‘needles’ is ‘on edge’.

A B C D E

The words given below are different ways of breathing.

Snuffle: To breathe noisily when there is choking in nose due to cold or crying.

Snort: To breathe out noisily through nose to show anger.

Sniffle: To breathe out with sound especially while crying or on having cold.

Snore: To breathe noisily while sleeping.

The story is about the loss and melancholy of an old man Iona. Description of the setting serves as a fitting prelude as it creates a feeling of pity in readers for the protagonist. The cold weather and twilight show the dullness in atmosphere. The protagonist is described as a motionless old man whose back is doubly bent. With this description the readers’ mood is set for the progress of the story.

White is the colour of light but in the story ‘The Lament’ it is used to describe sadness. It is snowing and snow is white in colour. Snowing shows the coldness and gloom in the surroundings. The same coldness is seen in people’s behavior also. In the beginning the narrator says about the protagonist that he is so white that he looks like a phantom. Skin of a healthy and happy person is generally pink in colour. When a person is dead his corpse turns white as there is no blood circulation in his body. Iona the old cab driver does not have any signs of life and happiness, so he looks white like a phantom.

Generally, humans search another human to share his feelings with. Iona also tries to do so but he is unable to find any who is willing to listen and sympathize with him. All the persons whom he meets that day are indifferent to the lingering pain in his mind. At the end of the day he shares his feelings with his horse and strangely the horse shows sensitivity by its gesture. The significance of this plot is that animals possess human qualities more than human beings. Humans have intelligence but they are transformed into machines with no emotions. They are insensitive towards their own fellow humans.

The protagonist is a poor cab driver. He has something to say. Many passengers board his cab during the day but none of them pays any heed to him. Author wants to bring home the idea that the society at large is indifferent towards the sufferings of the other. So, he has given graphical details of people from different walks of life. For example, an officer who is in a greatcoat, three young drunkards, a poor hall porter and a young cab driver. All these characters are from different sections of the society. So, the author proves that in the whole society there is no one who is interested to know that what an old cabby has to say.

Iona is an old Russian cab driver. The most important event in the death of his son. He is left alone. His heart is burdened with sorrow. He wants to share his grief with someone by telling all about his son’s death. The story grows gradually as passengers board his sledge and he tries to tell them about his son’s death. He comes across many people during the day and tries to speak his heart to them. But he does not receive empathy from any one of them. The feeling of loss and desire to share it is heart of the story. Iona wants to overcome his grief by sharing it to someone. In the climax he tells it all to his little horse.

Today, we are living in a world which is being run by technology and not by values. People sit together in bus, train and park but don’t talk to each other. Everyone is busy in earning in this global economy. People have turned into a machine. They don’t have feelings. An emotional person feels alienated in this mechanical world. Society is developing everyday but human values, considerations and feeling of empathy are declining. People don’t have time, patience and intension to listen to fellow humans. Even at home parents and children don’t talk with each other.

Iona was an old cab driver whose young son died a week before. He was in unbearable grief. He wanted to share his feeling of loss with someone. He tried to speak to the people he had come across but found them indifferent to his emotions for several reasons. Some of them were in a hurry and did not have time to listen to his story. One was tired and fell asleep ignoring him. Some were busy in doing some necessary piece of work. He told many people that his son died but no one bothered to ask for the details regarding his son’s death. At last he shared his grief with his horse. The horse was quite sensitive towards his master’s sadness and loneliness.

Like a coin people also have two faces. One is their public face and the other one is their true face. Human life is a mixture of joys and sorrows. We have ups and downs, blues and joys, happiness and sorrows. But we don’t express them to others. Often, we keep unpleasant feelings to ourselves put up a happy face before others. Sometimes we do it deliberately and sometimes we are forced to do so. Iona wanted to share his sorrow, but people were indifferent. Sometimes people are bound to hide their feelings of happiness or sorrow due to their occupation. A television present has to show her smiling face before the camera even if she is mourning the death of her own mother. People hide their sentiments and live an artificial life. People don’t share their secrets even with family and friends. They want to share their feeling of suffering and joy but very few lucky ones find someone who is willing to listen to them.

Iona is a cab driver. He is kind to his horse. When one of his passengers asks him to use whip on horse, Iona ignores his command. He is poor so that he cannot feed his horse with corn. He also doesn’t buy luxurious food for himself. He goes to his horse and says,
“though we have not earned our corn, we can eat hay.”

During the day Iona has been occupied in driving. Throughout the day he keeps on trying to speak to someone about the loss of his son, but all are indifferent towards his pain. On being alone at night he cannot hold the burden of sorrow so shares it all with his horse. How his son fell ill, how did he die, what did he say before death. Horse serves as a true friend and companion to Iona. The little horse munches, listens and breathes over its master’s hand.

a. An old, poor and weak man: Iona is an old cab driver. He has lost his strength due to old age and loss of his son. He appears like a phantom. He is bent double. He is working to feed himself and his horse. He patiently bears the insults hurled at him by people. He does not consider himself a good driver and remembers the great driving skills of his son.

b. A loving father: Iona is a loving father who laments his son’s untimely death. He is poor and cab driving is his livelihood by which he feeds himself and his horse. He is not able to drive properly because of his grief. He remains motionless and does not even shake off the snow. He forgets the sorrow of his son’s death for a short while, but it rends his heart with greater force.

c. A lonely man: Iona is a lonely man. He has lost his young son, but he does not have anyone to console him. He wants to talk to someone about the pain he is experiencing. He tries to speak to many people about the death and sufferings of his son. All the people he comes across show indifference for several reasons. At last he shares his emotions with his horse who shows some signs of empathy for his master.