What Is The Midnight Visitor About? Main Events & Message
The Midnight Visitor, authored by Robert Arthur, is a detective story. The following article aims at providing a summary of The Midnight Visitor in a comprehensive manner. You will find the essence of mystery in The Midnight Visitor Class 10 summary intact. It is aptly written for Class 10 students as they are inclined towards detective stories at this age. The summary of Midnight Visitor covers the whole story in two parts - the first part gives a brief outline and the second part - a detailed overview.
Read The Midnight Visitor summary in English so that you can answer any question coming from it in the exam.
A Short Summary of The Midnight Visitor
The Midnight Visitor is a story about how a detective named Ausable got rid of his rival Max applying his brain in a grave situation. If you go through the detailed summary of The Midnight Visitor Class 10, you will find that Ausable was in search of some sensitive papers in the hotel room. Suddenly, he was attacked by his rival named Max. Max put him at the gunpoint and claimed the sensitive papers. However, Ausable got rid of the situation by applying extraordinary intelligence.
Ausable was too fat to be a secret agent. The fact surprised Fowler, a friend of Ausable. Fowler got scared at the situation. However, understanding the gravity of the situation, Ausable created a story about a fake balcony. Max believed the story of the non-existent balcony. Ausable again created a fake story involving police. Max believed that story too and instead of evading the police, he jumped into that nonexistent fake balcony.
The Midnight Visitor is a story of how anyone can get rid of a crunch situation with the help of common sense. We will find the details of the summary of The Midnight Visitor in the next section.
The Midnight Visitor Class 10 Summary: An In-Depth Explanation
The Midnight Visitor Class 10 is a story about the clever secret agent Ausable. He was accompanied by his friend Fowler who was a writer. They decided to spend the evening together. Ausable appeared to Fowler exactly the opposite he thought about him. However, Ausable assured him that his thoughts were about to change as he would get a very important report which would decide the future of the country.
Ausable and Fowler went to the hotel room booked in the name of Ausable. But, the situation was not as easy as they thought. A rival of Ausable named Max stood with a gun in the room and he immediately claimed the reports related to missiles arrived.
Summary of The Midnight Visitor rightly pointed out the fragrance of a detective story. Although that was a usual situation for a secret agent like Ausable, it was not so usual for Fowler. On the other hand, Ausable was very witty. He created a story about a fake balcony below the window of his room. At the time of this scenario, the door was knocked by someone continuously. Ausable told Max that it was the police who came for verification of the room. Max believed the story and threatened to shoot both of them if Ausable didn’t send the police back. Meanwhile, he would wait in the balcony as mentioned by Ausable.
The Midnight Visitor summary is a blend of intelligence, common sense and wit. After the turning of the doorknob, Max jumped out of the window. A strident screaming was heard. At the same time, the waiter entered the room with wine that was ordered by Ausable. Fowler was astonished about the whole incident. He was very much curious about the police and Max. Ausable assured him that there was no police and there was no balcony outside the window.
Short summary of The Midnight Visitor shows the intelligence of Ausable as he took the benefit of the circumstances and successfully befooled Max. Max was completely deceived by Ausable and did what was planned by Ausable. Since he jumped from the top floor of the hotel, he expired. In this way, Ausable got rid of a crunched situation.
Summary of The Midnight Visitor Class 10 gives us a very significant message. Don’t lose your head in a tight situation. Be calm and apply your brain. You will be able to get out of the situation.
The Rules to Write a Summary of a Story
In order to write a proper summary, having the knowledge of the proper outline of the literary work is very important. A summary signifies a brief piece of writing that will include all the important factors and information constituting the plot of the story. In order to write a proper summary, you should find the answers to the objective questions that you can find while reading the entire literary work.
In the case of the Midnight Visitor, you should focus on the main characters of the story, the responsibilities carried out by them and their purpose in shaping the outline of the story. You should find answers to questions like who are Ausable and Max? What are the roles played by them that can advance the plot of the story? In the end, you must include the proper conclusion that will provide the audience with the necessary information that they need to know about the climax.
Identifying the theme underneath the storyline is also very important and must be included while writing the summary of the story. The theme is the most important component that can shape the summary in a proper way.
In Midnight Visitor, the thing suggests the importance of wisdom over the strength of the weapons. Another important theme that is hidden underneath the storyline is that people should never judge a person or try to infer information about individuals judging by their appearance only. Mentioning the theme can help the readers to understand what the story primarily wants to convey.
If there are any supporting characters in the story, the writers should talk about them briefly and mention only the important parts played by the characters. Since the role of the supporting characters is to provide the readers with additional information that can help the plot to develop, there is no need to talk about them in detail while writing the summary of a story.
The summary should always be brief. A proper opening sentence is of prime significance as it can instantly capture the attention of the readers. In the opening sentence, the writers can include the purpose of the author in penning down the story. Also, they can include a short sentence discussing the characteristics of the protagonist of the story.
In the body part of the summary, the actions should be mentioned in brief sentences and in easy language. The purpose of reading the summary of a particular story is to have an idea about the storyline quickly. After mentioning all the important information, the writers should write an impressive concluding line. It can talk about the other possibilities in the case of an open ending story or can be a statement that can relate to the readers.
FAQs on The Midnight Visitor Summary: Plot, Characters & Lessons
1. What is a brief summary of the story 'The Midnight Visitor'?
‘The Midnight Visitor’ is a detective story by Robert Arthur that follows a clever secret agent named Ausable. A young writer, Fowler, visits Ausable, expecting to meet a dashing spy but finds him to be fat and ordinary. Their meeting is interrupted by another agent, Max, who threatens Ausable with a pistol for a secret report. Using his quick wit, Ausable invents a story about a non-existent balcony outside his window and then pretends that the police are knocking at the door. Panicked, Max jumps out of the window to his death, while the knock turns out to be just a waiter with a drink Ausable had ordered.
2. What is the central theme of 'The Midnight Visitor'?
The central theme of 'The Midnight Visitor' is that intelligence and presence of mind are more powerful than physical force. The protagonist, Ausable, does not fit the stereotypical image of a secret agent. He is overweight and lives in a small, gloomy hotel room. However, he easily outsmarts his rival, Max, who relies on a gun, by using his sharp intellect and creating a convincing story on the spot.
3. How does the character of Ausable challenge the typical stereotype of a secret agent?
Ausable completely defies the conventional image of a secret agent often portrayed in fiction. While we expect spies to be athletic, suave, and mysterious like James Bond, Ausable is described as 'sloppy' and 'fat'. He lives in a modest room in a French hotel, not a glamorous location. Instead of using gadgets or physical combat, his greatest weapon is his sharp, quick-thinking mind, proving that appearances can be deceptive and that intellect is the most effective tool.
4. Why was Fowler, the writer, initially disappointed with Ausable?
Fowler was initially disappointed with Ausable because he did not match his preconceived notion of a secret agent. Fowler, being a young and romantic writer, had imagined a spy to be a mysterious, dashing figure involved in thrilling adventures. Instead, he met a fat, sluggish man who spoke French and German with an American accent and lived in a simple, non-descript hotel room. Ausable's ordinary appearance and setting made Fowler feel let down, as it was the opposite of the exciting and dangerous life he had envisioned.
5. What is the importance of the fake balcony in the story's plot?
The fake balcony is the most critical plot device in 'The Midnight Visitor'. It is a complete fabrication by Ausable, created in a moment of crisis to deceive Max. Its importance lies in being the centerpiece of Ausable’s clever plan. By making Max believe there is a safe escape route, Ausable manipulates him into taking a fatal leap from the sixth-floor window. This highlights Ausable's ability to think under pressure and resolves the central conflict without any violence, leading to the story's thrilling climax.
6. How did Ausable convince Max that there were police at the door?
Ausable expertly used the timing of the waiter's arrival to convince Max that the police were at the door. When there was a knock, Ausable calmly told Max it must be the police, whom he had arranged for extra protection for the important report. He added details to make his story sound credible, mentioning that the police would enter anyway if the door wasn't opened and that they might shoot. This created a sense of extreme urgency and panic for Max, leaving him no time to think and forcing him to use the 'balcony' as his only escape.
7. How do the characters of Ausable and Max differ from each other?
Ausable and Max are contrasting characters, especially in their approach to being secret agents. Here are the key differences:
- Intellect vs. Force: Ausable relies on his mental alertness and wit to handle situations. Max, on the other hand, depends on a conventional weapon—a pistol—and lacks foresight.
- Composure: Ausable remains calm and composed even when threatened at gunpoint. In contrast, Max is easily flustered and becomes nervous when he hears the knock at the door.
- Appearance: Ausable does not look like a typical spy; he is fat and unassuming. Max is described as slender and cunning-looking, fitting the stereotype more closely, yet he is the one who is outsmarted.
