THE FRUITCAKE

SPECIAL By

Frank Brennan

THE AUTHOR

Frank Brennan• Author of 5 collections of

short stories in Cambridge English

Reader series :– Three Tomorrows

– Circle Games– Tales of the

Supernatural– Windows of the Mind– The Fruitcake Special

• Wrote a collection of stories based on a

particular theme – exp . “discovery” in The

Fruitcake Collection so that he can present a

variety of ways looking at the theme.

TITLE• A fruitcake – play

important role in the story

• The story evolves around this special fruitcake & how in an instant it can change :– The lives of people– Their emotion– Their reaction to

others

SETTING• WORKPLACE• Amos Cosmetic factory in New Jersey, USA• Place where perfumes are designed by chemists• Anna, the main character, works here & she

travels to work by bus

• HOME• Anna lives at home with her mother• Her Aunt Mimi is the frequent visitor to the

house

THEMESUPERFICIAL LOVE

• Old lady had 7 husbands

• Fully rely on the fruitcake

TRUE LOVE

• Armstrong fell in love with Anna not because of the fruitcake perfume

• Anna was patient enough to wait & she got something priceless at the end

POINT OF VIEW• Written in the 1st person point of

view because the word “I” is uses• Readers see the action of the story

through the eyes of the main character Anna

LANGUAGE• Simple• Whole story written in a hilarious

manner• Many comic situations that can make

people laugh– The scene at the restaurant – David

declares hid love for Anna, waiter singss his heart out, & during the fight.

CHARACTERS IN THE STORY

ANNA• Works as a chemist in Amos

Cosmetics factory in New Jersey USA

• Job – to design new perfumes• Single & lives with her mother• Her mother & Aunt Mimi

worried she is not getting married

• She knows that David Amos is not possibly in love with her nor is the waiter at the restaurant

• She recognizes that it is the result of the powerful perfume she has created

DAVID AMOS• Owner of Amos

Cosmetics• Dark, handsome &

fashionable gentlemen

• Often seen with beautiful women

• He appear polite but actually does not think much of his workers

AUNT MIMI• Pleasant but she

also likes to mind other people’s business

• Constantly trying to find suitable partner for her niece

• She gives some fruitcake to Anna

SABINA• A beautiful young

model• David’s girlfriend• Looks down on Anna • Furious when David

professes his love for and ordinary & plain-looking girl like Anna

• She & David offer compensation to Anna in the form of money to forget the whole incident at the French restaurant

ARMSTRONG• Pizza delivery boy• Totally different than

David Amos• Through effort &

determination, grow from mere pizza delivery man to become owner of the pizza company

• Wants to make a succes of himself before he declares his love for Anna

ANNA’S MOTHER• Naturally anxious

that her daughter is still single

• Right from beginning that Armstrong, the pizza delivery man, would make good husband for Anna. This turn to be right, at the end

WAITER• Works in French

restaurant• Add humour &

comedy to the story by the way he behaves towards Anna when under the spell of the fruitcake perfume

OLD WOMAN• Used to sell fruitcakes

in the market• Nobody knows much

about her except for Aunt Mimi

• Had 7 husbands who ate her magical fruitcakes

• Seems to have been able to read people’s mind

• Offered the cake to Aunt Mimi for her niece

• Dies early in the story

SYNOPSIS1. Anna is a chemist in the Amos

Cosmetics factory. 1 day while designing a new perfume, she throws in a piece of fruitcake. She bottles the perfume she had made & puts a few drops on herself.

2. David Amos, gets a whiff of the perfume & complements her, something he rarely does. He invites her out on a dinner date. Anna accepts

3. Anna goes home. Her mother & Aunt Mimi are worried that Anna is still single. Her mother mention Armstrong, the pizza delivery man, as a potential husband. Anna tells them about her date with her boss.

4. Anna doesn’t likes her boss but she wants to find out the real reason of his unusual behavior. She gets ready & put on her usual perfume Intrigue & not new fruitcake perfume.

5. On the way to an expensive French restaurant, David says very little to Anna. It is a great change from his charming behavior in the office earlier in the day. At the restaurant, Anna feels like he regrets coming out with her. Anna goes to the ladies’ room

6.Anna puts on new fruitcake perfume. While walking back to the table, a nearby waiter , gets affected & knocks down a table. David Amos now acts as if he is madly in love with her. Anna realizes the power of the fruitcake perfume

• 7. Anna goes to answer a phone call in the longue & again encounters the waiter. He declare his love for her & wants to see her again. Anna, very amused, tells him to look to his duties as a waiter.

• 8. She meets Sabina, David’s current & arrogant girlfriend. David professes his love for Anna. The waiter sings a love song. Angry Sabrina punches David. A fight breaks out between Sabina, David, the waiter & the others. It is chaos. Anna runs off home.

• 9. Anna visits Aunt Mimi to find out what she has put into the fruitcake. Aunt Mimi had actually bought the cake from an old woman who has 7 husbands. Unfortunately the old lady passed away.

• 10. After 2 days, she sees David in his room & Sabina is with him. David has a black eye. He had calmed things down at the restaurant by paying out money. The police were not called.

11.David apologies for his unusual behavior. Sabina says David cannot be interested in Anna. Irritated, Anna takes out the bottle of perfume & pours it on Sabina’s dress. She knows David will go crazy over her & so will other men nearby. Anna leaves Amos Cosmetics

• 12. She gets a new job at the perfume factory that makes Intrigue. Armstrong, the pizza delivery man, is now owner. 1 day he visits Anna & he confesses that he fell in love with her at the 1st sight but wanted to wait till he had made success of himself before asking her out.

TRUE LOVE WINS THE DAY

THE PLOT***refer to excel file**

MORAL STORY• True love is born from the heart• Hard work always pays off• Observation of people around us to

discriminate the true from the false.

ACTIVITIES• Discuss about character traits – compare &

contrast between characters exp : Anna vs Sabina David Amos vs Armstrong• Match the characters with their qualities• Arrange the events of the story according

to the correct sequence.• Write a letter for any of the characters

exp : Sabina – advice her to change her attitude

• Role-play

THANK YOU