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The Mdinight Visitor

The document presents a summary of 'The Midnight Visitor,' a short story by Robert Arthur about a secret agent named Ausable who uses his intelligence to outsmart an intruder named Max. Unlike typical spies, Ausable is portrayed as overweight and unassuming, yet he cleverly convinces Max that there is a balcony outside his window, leading to Max's demise. The story emphasizes the theme that wit and strategy can be more powerful than physical strength.

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49 views14 pages

The Mdinight Visitor

The document presents a summary of 'The Midnight Visitor,' a short story by Robert Arthur about a secret agent named Ausable who uses his intelligence to outsmart an intruder named Max. Unlike typical spies, Ausable is portrayed as overweight and unassuming, yet he cleverly convinces Max that there is a balcony outside his window, leading to Max's demise. The story emphasizes the theme that wit and strategy can be more powerful than physical strength.

Uploaded by

angelamariyawilsonpullockaran
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE MIDNIGHT

VISITOR
BY GROUP FOUR
GROUP MEMBERS
● Ann
● Neelim
a
● Manvi

● Honisha
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

● To read and
comprehend the
lesson.

● To understand
the theme and
analyse it.
AUTHOR’S PROFILE
ROBERT ARTHUR JR.
Robert Arthur Jr. (November 10, 1909 – May 2,
1969) was a writer and editor of crime fiction and
speculative fiction. He was known for his work
with The Mysterious Traveler radio series and for
writing The Three Investigators, a series of
young adult novels.

For his radio work, Arthur—together with writing


partner David Kogan—was honored with three
Edgar Awards by the Mystery Writers of America.

Arthur died at the age of fifty-nine in Philadelphia,


on May 2, 1969.
Your username
LET’S
WATCH A
VIDEO!!
SUMMARY
"The Midnight Visitor" is a short story written by Robert Arthur. It is about a secret agent
named Ausable, who is very different from the typical spy seen in movies — he is fat, slow-
moving, and lives in a small, messy hotel room in Paris. However, he is extremely clever and
quick-witted.

One night, while Ausable is in his room with a young writer named Fowler (who wants to learn
about the life of a secret agent), a dangerous situation arises. A spy named Max breaks into
the room with a gun. Max wants to steal important papers that Ausable is carrying.

Ausable, without panicking, outsmarts Max by inventing a story about a non-existent second
entrance to his room — a "balcony" outside the window. He pretends that someone (a police
officer) is about to arrive to protect him. Max, believing the story and scared of being caught,
tries to escape through the "balcony" — and falls to his death because there was no balcony
at all!

Thus, Ausable saves himself and his secret papers without any violence, proving that
intelligence and presence of mind are more powerful than physical strength.
GLOSSARY
● ROMANTIC : imaginative ; having a
fantastic view of reality

● PASSABLY : just well enough ;


tolerably well

● ESPIONAGE : spying

● SLOPPY : (here) carelessly dressed

● PROSAIC : ordinary
● CHUCKLED : laughed quietly, without
opening his/her mouth

● WHEEZED : spoke breathing heavily


and noisily

● MISSILES : weapons directed by


remote control or automatically

● SHRILLY : piercingly ; in a high pitch


QUESTIONS
How is Ausable different from other secret agents? How does he deal with Max?

Answer: Ausable is different from other secret agents in more ways than one. He has a small
room in the musty corridor of a gloomy French hotel. It was on the sixth and top floor and it was
scarcely the setting for a romantic adventure. He was extremely fat. In spite of living in Paris for
over twenty years, he spoke French and German with difficulty and had an American accent.
Instead of getting messages passed secretly to him by beautiful girls, he got only a routine
telephone call making an appointment. In these ways, he was different from the conventional
notion of a secret agent. He dealt with Max by inventing some stories and convincing Max to act
on them, so that he could get rid of Max permanently.

Who is Fowler and what is his first authentic thrill of the day?
Answer:
Fowler is a writer and he had come to meet Ausable. His first authentic thrill of the day came
when he saw a man in Ausable’s room pointing a pistol towards Ausable and himself.
QUESTIONS
How has Max got in?
Answer: Max had got into the room using a passkey or master key.

How does Ausable say he got in?


Answer: Ausable said that he thought Max had got into the room through the balcony. He said
that it was the second time in a month that somebody had got into his room this way.

Ausable did not fit any description of a secret agent Fowler had ever read.” What do secret
agents in books and films look like, in your opinion? Discuss in groups or in class some stories or
movies featuring spies, detectives and secret agents, and compare their appearance with that
of Ausable in this story.

Answer: Secret agents in fiction are projected like ideal men, ‘Tall dark and handsome’. They are
usually well-built and keep beautiful women for company. They would smoke a pipe (like
Sherlock Holmes) or a cigar and execute death-defying stunts (like James Bond). Movies based
on James Bond show hi-tech gadgets which assist the detective in countering villains. However,
there are some exceptions to this appearance of a secret agent also. A character named Feluda
QUESTIONS
How does Ausable manage to make Max believe that there is a balcony attached to his room?
Look back at his detailed description of it. What makes it a convincing story?

Answer: Ausable creates a detailed description of how his office was part a bigger apartment
and how the next room had a direct connection with a balcony. His statement that . somebody
else also broke into his office through that balcony earlier made it a convincing story. Ausable’s
ability to think quickly and calmly in a situation of panic makes it convincing.

Looking back at the story, when do you think Ausable thought up his plan for getting rid of Max?
Do you think he had worked out his plan in detail right from the beginning? Or did he make up a
plan taking advantage of events as they happened?

Answer: No, I don’t think that he had worked out his plan in detail earlier. He took advantage of
events as they happened. Ausable made up a story of the balcony outside the room and as
there was a knock at the door, he said that it would be the police. All these made Max
desperate. He became restless and without seeing below, jumped out of the window.
NIM

In the story ‘The Midnight Visitor’, the main character Ausable


protects important information using his intelligence and calm
thinking rather than violence. This reflects the idea of
protecting people through wisdom and strategy. Similarly, the
United Arab Emirates values the safety and security of its
citizens and residents. The UAE is known for its strong
intelligence systems, peaceful environment, and warm
hospitality, which make people feel safe and welcome.
CCL
HISTORY, ECONOMICS,
GEOGRAPHY

CREDITS: This presentation template was created by Slidesgo,


including icons by Flaticon, and infographics & images by
Freepik
MEP
● Kindness
● Integrity
Tolerance

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