the night of the hunter

THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
“DO YOU HAVE ANY SECRETS?”
After their father has been hanged for stealing money, and their mother has “disappeared”, John
and Pearl are “looked after” by their stepfather, Harry Powell, an unscrupulous preacher, whose only
care is to find out where the money has been hidden.
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Preacher had finished his supper now and was singing while he rinsed the dishes and stacked1 them
by the pump. And when the house grew still again John thought: You never hear him coming up steps
because his feet are like leaves falling, like shadows in the moonlight. He is coming up them2 stairs right
this very minute, I bet, and directly he’ll unlock the door and we will hardly hear the key.
“Hello there, children! Guess what? I saved you some supper. Have we got good appetites tonight,
my lambs?”
“I’m hungry,” said Pearl.
“Why, sure you’re hungry. And guess what’s waitin’ for you. There’s fried chicken and candied
sweets and cornsticks and apple cobbler3!”
“Can I have my supper please?”
“Well, sure. Naturally. I’ll go warm it up for you directly. But first – ”
“Can I have milk, too?”
“Yes, little bird. To be sure!” he cried, gathering her gently into his arms.
“But first of all we’ll have a little talk.” Pearl frowned and put her finger in her mouth, remembering the night he twisted her arm.
“About our secrets,” he said softly.
“No,” whispered Pearl.
“No? And why, pray tell?”
“Because John said I mustn’t.”
“Ah, but we both know what a bad, bad boy John is. In fact, I think we’d better punish John tonight
for the way he’s been carryin’ on lately. But we’ll attend to John later, won’t we, my lamb? Now let’s just
you and me talk. We’ll have a nice little chat and we won’t even let John open his mouth.”
Pearl scowled at John.
“You’re bad, John! We’ll have a chat and we won’t let you even open your mouth!”
The moon had come up: a sickly wisp of silver in the last phase, hanging like a harvester’s sickle4
in the apple tree below the grape arbor5.
“Do you have any secrets you’d like to tell me, Pearl?”
“Yes,” she whispered, torn by those strange winds of yes and no.
“What is it?”
She was still, her eyes moving gravely back and forth between the two of them.
“The money,” she said softly and darted a glance6 at John.
“Ah, of course! The money. And where is the money, little darling?”
She began to sob7.
“John said –” she choked softly.
Preacher slapped his knee and his eyes crackled dangerously.
“Never - mind - what - John - said!”
He thrust her to the floor and towered above them, radiant with fresh fury.
Adapted from Davis Grubb, The Night of the Hunter, 1953
(Movie by Charles Laughton, 1955)
1
stack: empiler
them: those
3
apple cobbler: tourte aux pommes (USA)
4
a sickle: une faucille
5
an arbor: une tonnelle
6
a glance: un coup d’œil
7
sob: sangloter
2
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
FIRST READING
1. The main elements (l. 1-15)
Who? Where? When? What?
2. A little talk (l. 16-end)
Which of the characters are having “a little talk”?
Who is excluded from the conversation?
What is the conversation all about? Pick out one noun.
THE WORLD OF WORDS
1. Find in the text the equivalents of the following words:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
piled up: …………………………..
calm, quiet: …………………………..
embracing: …………………………..
look disapproving and angry: …………………………..
speak in a low voice: …………………………..
behaving: …………………………..
look after: …………………………..
looked at angrily: …………………………..
a quick look: …………………………..
cry uncontrollably: …………………………..
speaking with difficulty: …………………………..
2. Fill in the following chart:
Base du mot
sick
lock
tower
harvest
soft
hunger
danger
Nature de la base
Mot dérivé
Nature du mot
Traduction
READING AGAIN
3. Who do these words refer to in the text?
him (l. 2); we (l. 4); I (l. 5); you (l. 8); we (l. 14); me (l. 27); the two of them (l. 30)
4. Pick out the phrases that Preacher uses:
- when addressing Pearl, reveal about him?
- when talking about John.
5. What do they reveal about his attitude towards each of the children?
6. Pick out one verb and one adverb expressing the way Preacher and Pearl address each other.
Why do they speak that way? Translate the two words.
7. Find the two verbs showing the way Pearl looks at John. What feelings do they express? Use the
context to translate them.
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THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
8. What phrases express some physical change in Preacher’s attitude at the end? Why does
Preacher react that way?
9. What do the pauses and the words in italics reveal about him? (l. 36 and 1. 43)
TRUE OR FALSE?
Say whether these statements are true or false. Justify in your own words.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
At the beginning, John and Pearl were playing outside.
Pearl did not pay attention to John at all.
There was some mutual understanding between Pearl and Preacher.
As Pearl was hungry, Preacher got her some supper.
Preacher was not such a nice man after all.
LES FORMES VERBALES CONTRACTEES
1. Donnez les formes pleines des éléments soulignés.
He’ll unlock (1. 4); He’s coming up (1. 4); you’re hungry (1. 9); What’s waitin’ (1. 9); we’d better (1. 22);
he’s been carryin’ on (1. 2 1 ); won’t we? (1. 22-23); you’d like (1. 29).
2. Les formes contractées s’emploient-elles en général dans un dialogue ou dons une narration?
VALEUR DES FORMES VERBALES
1. Classez et nommez les formes verbales numérotées (Ex.: présent BE + V-ING).
9 We know what a bad boy John is.
1
9 He’s coming up them stairs right this very minute.
2
9 Preacher was singing while he rinsed the dishes.
3
9 The way he’s been carrying on lately.
4
9 Preacher had finished his supper now.
5
Valeur des formes verbales
Action évoquant les circonstances d’un événement passé
Formes verbales
was singing
Noms des formes
Prétérit en BE + V-ING
2. Trouver dans le contexte les éléments qui justifient l’emploi de certaines de ces formes.
3. Complétez le texte en mettant les verbes à la forme appropriée (contexte passé).
Now that Preacher (tell) ............................ Pearl that some nice food (wait) ...................... for her in the
kitchen, he (try) ............................ to have a little chat about her secrets. “I (guess) ...................... you
(hide) ...................... something from me for some time and I (want) ........................................... you to tell
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THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
me what (go on) ............................ now." Pearl (sit) .................................. on his lap while he (question)
............................ her, but she (keep) ............................ saying yes and no, as John (forbid)
.................................. her to tell Preacher where the money (be) .................................. .
LA MODALITE
1. Inscrivez dans le tableau chacun des modaux soulignés selon l’effet de sens qu’il exprime dans
l’énoncé.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
We will hardly hear the key.
Can I have my supper, please?
Because John said I mustn’t.
We won’t even let John open his mouth.
Do you have any secrets you’d like to tell me?
Effet de sens
Modal
interdiction
requête
volonté / désir
prédiction
refus
2. Parmi les deux interprétations, entourez celle qui convient dans le contexte.
1. Preacher: “I won't warm up your supper if you don’t tell me your secret.”
a. Il prédit que cela n’arrivera pas.
b. Il refuse de le faire.
2. John must feel frustrated and angry now.
a. Il y est obligé vu la situation.
b. Il est fort probable qu’il le soit.
3. “That will be Preacher on the stairs!” John said.
a. John reconnait son pas.
b. Il prédit que Preacher va monter
4. “You can sit on my lap, little lamb,” Preacher said to Pearl.
a. Pearl en a l’autorisation.
b. Elle en est tout à fait capable.
5. “You shouldn’t listen to John,” Preacher said to Pearl.
a. Il estime qu’elle n y est pas oblige.
b. Il le lui déconseille.
3. Dans l’énoncé “I think we’d better punish John tonight” la forme ’d better a la même valeur qu’un
autre modal. Lequel?
4.
9
9
9
Qu’exprime shall dans: “Now let’s just you and me talk, shall we?”
une permission?
une suggestion?
une prédiction?
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THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER
NOW, SPEAK OR WRITE!
1. Write a summary of the whole scene (50 words)
2. Imagine John's feelings and thoughts while he watched Preacher and Pearl.
3. The children then tell Preacher that the money is the cellar (la cave), and finally manage to lock
him in. Relate or write out the whole scene (dialogue and narrative parts).
4. Pair work: what to do next? (STUDENT A: You are John. STUDENT B: You are Pearl)
NOW, ON YOUR OWN
Watch the scene just after the one in the cellar.
1. Describe what is happening now.
2. What do you think happened before?
3. Imagine what will happen next. Use the appropriate verb forms and modals.
WORDS, WORDS, WORDS!
Nouns: an oar (une rame), a skiff (= a small boat), reeds (des roseaux), the river bank (la rive), mud (la boue).
Verbs: row (ramer), glide (glisser sur l’eau), sink (couler), drift (dériver), reach (atteindre), land (débarquer),
splash (éclabousser), shout at sb (gronder quelqu’un), swear (jurer), point at / to (montrer du doigt), escape sb
(échapper à quelqu’un).
Adjectives: angry (colère), threatening (menaçant), frustrated, irritated, furious, scornful (méprisant).
THE WHOLE STORY
Sum up the whole story, using the preterit, the information given below, and the appropriate link
words (chronological and logical).
9 Chronological link words: At the beginning... then / as soon as (dès que) / after / before / a few days
later / some time later / till or until (jusqu’à ce que) / eventually (par la suite) / subsequently / finally,
etc.
9 Logical link words: As a matter of fact (in fact, actually) / however (but, and yet, nevertheless) /
besides (in addition, moreover) / as, since (comme) / although (bien que) / in order to (so as to: afin de)
instead of (au lieu de) / so (consequently, as a result), etc.
1. Place: the Ohio River basin
2. Time: the 1930s
3. Main characters:
9 BEN HARPER; his wife, Willa; their children, John and Pearl.
9 HARRY POWELL, a preacher. His characteristics: tattoos on his fingers (“Love” and “Hate”). His
occupation: kills women for their money
9 MISS COOPER, a charitable old woman.
4. Main events:
9 BEN HARPER robs a bank ($10,000); hides the money inside Pearl’s doll; goes to prison; mentions
the money in his sleep; is hanged.
9 HARRY POWELL goes to prison (same cell as Ben Harper); learns that Ben has a secret; marries
Willa and “gets rid of” her; pursues John and Pearl; comes to Miss Cooper’s; is arrested and executed.
9 JOHN AND PEARL keep their father’s secret; escape and come to Miss Cooper’s.
9 MISS COOPER looks after the children at the end; fights Harry Powell.
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