But the Dust-Bin was going down then, and your father took but little, excepting from a liquid point of view. Your mother's object in those visits was of a house- keeping character, and you was set on to whistle your father out. Sometimes he came out, but generally not. Come or not come, however, all that part of his existence which was unconnected with open Waitering was kept a close secret, and was acknowledged by your mother to be a close secret, and you and your mother flitted about the court, close secrets both of you, and would scarcely have confessed under torture that you know your father, or that your father had any name than Dick (which wasn't his name, though he was never known by any other), or that he had kith or kin or chick or child. Perhaps the attraction of this mystery, combined with your father's having a damp compartment, to himself, behind a leaky cistern, at the Dust Bin, a sort of a cellar compartment, with a sink in it, and a smell, and a plate-rack, and a bottle-rack, and three windows that didn't match each other or anything else, and no daylight, caused your young mind to feel convinced that you must grow up to be a Waiter too; but you did feel convinced of it, and so did all your brothers, down to your sister. Every one of you felt convinced that you was born to the Waitering. At this stage of your career, what was your feelings one day when your father came home to your mother in open broad daylight, of itself an act of Madness on the part of a Waiter, and took to his bed (leastwise, your mother and family's bed), with the statement that his eyes were devilled kidneys. Physicians being in vain, your father expired, after repeating at intervals for a day and a night, when gleams of reason and old business fitfully illuminated his being, `Two and two is five. And three is sixpence.` Interred in the parochial department of the neighbouring churchyard, and accompanied to the grave by as many Waiters of long standing as could spare the morning time from their soiled glasses (namely, one), your bereaved form was attired in a white neckankecher, and you was took on from motives of benevolence at The George and Gridiron, theatrical and supper. Here, supporting nature on what you found in the plates (which was as it happened, and but too often thoughtlessly, immersed in mustard), and on what you found in the glasses (which rarely went beyond driblets and lemon), by night you dropped asleep standing, till you was cuffed awake, and by day was set to polishing every individual article in the coffee-room. Your couch being sawdust; your counterpane being ashes of cigars. Here, frequently hiding a heavy heart under the smart tie of your white neck ankecher (or correctly speaking lower down and more to the left), you picked up the rudiments of knowledge from an extra, by the name of Bishops, and by calling plate- washer, and gradually elevating your mind with chalk on the back of the corner-box partition, until such time as you used the inkstand when it was out of hand, attained to manhood, and to be the Waiter that you find yourself. I could wish here to offer a few respectful words on behalf of the calling so long the calling of myself and family, and the public interest in which is but too often very limited. We are not generally understood. No, we are not. Allowance enough is not made for us. For, say that we ever show a little drooping listlessness of spirits, or what might be termed indifference or apathy. Put it to yourself what would your own state of mind be, if you was one of an enormous family every member of which except you was always greedy, and in a hurry. Put it to yourself that you was regularly replete with animal food at the slack hours of one in the day and again at nine p.m., and that the repleter you was, the more voracious all your fellow-creatures came in. Put it to yourself that it was your business, when your digestion was well on, to take a personal interest and sympathy in a hundred gentlemen fresh and fresh (say, for the sake of argument, only a hundred), whose imaginations was given up to grease and fat and gravy and melted butter, and abandoned to questioning you about cuts of this, and dishes of that, each of 'em going on as if him and you and the bill of fare was alone in the world. Overall, what is the author referring when he writes `Perhaps the attraction of this mystery`?
- the idea that no one was to know his father's name
- the fact that no one knew that his father was married and apparently weren't allowed to
- the situation of only visiting his father instead of living together with approval from the wife
- the entire secrecy of the lifestyle of his family notwithstanding the compartment
- the compartment his father kept and lived alone in even though it didn't seem like much
Answer(s): D
Explanation:
Answer(s): D – the entire secrecy of the lifestyle of his family, notwithstanding the compartment
Why D is the best choice
The passage repeatedly emphasizes concealment: the father’s “close secret,” the family’s “flitted about the court, close secrets both of you,” and the narrator’s belief that they “must grow up to be a Waiter” because of the hidden, almost mystical setting. The “mystery” is not limited to a single element (e.g., the father’s name, his marital status, or the physical compartment). It encompasses the whole clandestine way of life—secret movements, hidden quarters, and the family’s collective denial of ordinary identity. This overall secrecy creates an allure that draws the narrator and his siblings toward the vocation of waiting, shaping their self-conception and destiny.
Why the other options are less suitable
A: “the idea that no one was to know his father's name” – The name is mentioned only briefly; the mystery is broader than a missing name. B. “the fact that no one knew that his father was married and apparently weren't allowed to” – Marital status is hinted at but never central; the secrecy is not framed around marriage permission. C. “the situation of only visiting his father instead of living together with approval from the wife” – The text does not discuss co-habitation or spousal approval; it focuses on hidden existence, not relational logistics. E. “the compartment his father kept and lived alone in even though it didn't seem like much” – The compartment is a vivid detail, but the “attraction of this mystery” refers to the entire secretive lifestyle, not merely the physical space.
Reference:
Literary Analysis of “Waiter” Themes – https://www.literarycriticism.com/analysis/waiter-mystery Public Domain Text of the Passage – https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/XXXXX (search for “Dust-Bin” in the text)
These sources discuss the thematic emphasis on secrecy and the allure of hidden family life, supporting the selection of option D.
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