Chapter 7.

Class 12 Sanchita
A Gorilla in the Guest Room by Gerald Durrell
About the author …….Indian students should read Durrell’s stories with keener
interest, because this highly acclaimed British naturalist was born in Jamshedpur.
John Durrell (1925 -1995) was a multi-faceted personality. He was both an avid
watcher of the natural world, as he was an articulate communicator on animal
matters. As a TV presenter, he made a name for himself, but like Salim Ali, he
loved to wander in the world of flora and fauna. He observed the animals, their
habits and habitats, and from this hobby, he derived all his creative energy. Right
from his childhood, he took to collecting and rearing myriad species of animals
from different parts of the world. He was passionate about the conservation of
the animal world, and wrote many stories, travelogues and first-hand accounts of
his expeditions to see the animals in the wild. ‘A Gorilla in the Guest Room’ is one
such story that centers around the establishment of a zoo.
His childhood stay in Corfu proved to trigger and shape his lifelong pursuit of
pleasure in watching, and learning the intriguing lives of animals. The book ‘My
Family and Other Animals’ written by him bristles with humour and is lovingly
read by young and old alike. As a TV anchor, he produced many shows that were
vibrant, entertaining with great educational value.
The story ..
Durrell is a zoo-keeper. Although, he is just a salaried man, his interests in the
world of animals and plants go far beyond that. He connects with the animals
with great warmth and passion. So, he enjoys his job. He lives with his mother,
and wife, Jacquie.
The story starts with the letter of a writer pleading with Durrell to take possession
of the Rhesus monkey that had caused considerable inconvenience to their family
by its playful antics. The mother had been taken ill by the vigorous jumping
around of the growing monkey.
After reading the letter, Durrell concluded that the decrepit zoo needed some
good deal of renovation, and a facelift. After all, a zoo has to function as a model
sanctuary of animals for the benefit of people. Durrell pondered over the idea of
getting rid of the common species occupying the facility with some exotic ones.
However, when he sat down to list the possible newcomers, he found that the list
ran to three volumes, even excluding the reptiles. Durrell found it difficult to
short-list the ones that could be brought in. Around this time, an animal dealer
called him to ask if he would be interested to buy a baby gorilla from him.
Looking for the ‘elusive’ gorilla ….
Gorillas don’t proliferate as much as other species do, so they are in rarity. African
jungles are their natural habitats, but the continent had been caught in
internecine conflicts, illegal trading in animals, and similar other causes that had
pushed the gorillas to the edge of extinction. Animal conservation was seldom in
the governments’ agenda. No wonder, with fast dwindling numbers, gorillas
became too elusive for animal collectors. Durrell was not quite convinced that the
dealer was serious about his offer of a baby gorilla. Animal dealers, generally, had
pathetic awareness about the species they trade in. So, Durrell assumed that the
dealer possibly had a chimpanzee to offer. Nevertheless, he couldn’t dismiss the
offer out of hand.
A gorilla is spotted ...
The dealer quoted twelve hundred pounds for the animal. Durrell thought for a
moment, and conveyed his readiness to cut a deal. He decides that he will inspect
the animal at the London airport, and would take it if it was in relatively good
shape. Durrell’s mother was excited about the prospect of having a baby gorilla
around. Durrell’s wife, Jacquie, however, weighed the idea carefully. She wanted
to know the price being paid. Durrell skirted the query stating that gorillas are a
rare species to acquire. But, Jacquie insisted on knowing the price. When she
knew that the deal had been struck for twelve hundred pounds, she exploded in
indignation. She felt, it was too high a price to be paid especially when they
already had a large loan to repay to the bank. She said the idea was absurd, and
the bank manager would surely refuse to give such a big amount for just a baby
gorilla.
Durrell suggested that he could crowd-fund the purchase by approaching the
rich and bored inhabitants in the island, who would find the baby gorilla a good
source of entertainment. Jacquie was scathing in her comments about the
acquisition idea. Durrell was not deterred by his wife’s strident disapproval. He
rang up Hope to ask her for a list of the wealthiest people living in the island.
When asked why he needed the list, Durrell explained how he planned to
mobilize the twelve hundred pounds for acquiring the baby gorilla through
donations from these people. An incredulous Hope laughed off the idea as a
crazy one. Finally, after listening to Durrell’s laborious explanations, she gave up,
and agreed to give him the list.
Durrell starts fund-raising. …
With the list in hand, Durrell began dialing up the affluent people one by one.
First to receive Durrell’s call was Mrs. Mcgurgle. Durrell was at his persuasive best.
With not much of haggling, she agreed to pay a part of the procurement cost of
the baby gorilla. Durrell smelled success. By lunch time, the collection had
touched a tidy 200 pounds. Still, there was the need for a thousand more.
Durrell’s mood was upbeat.
Next to be called was one Major Domo, whom Durrell had never met. With some
hesitation, he called the Major and explained his project. Quite surprisingly for
Durrell, the Major was excited about the idea of having a gorilla as an inmate in
the tiny island. Quite readily, he told Durrell to come to him to collect the
shortfall amount of a thousand pounds. Durrell was thrilled.
The windfall had caught Durrell completely unawares. Thanking his benefactor
profusely, Durrell sprinted to the zoo telling everyone on the way that a baby
gorilla would soon arrive to grace the zoo with its presence.
Durrell proceeds to London airport …
Durrell made quick plans to reach the London airport. The fear that the much-
prized primate could be an ordinary chimpanzee instead of the adorable gorilla
lurked in his mind constantly, though. He met the animal trader at the airport.
The seller ushered him to the animal enclosure under the aegis of the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. When the door opened, Durrell’s
eyes fell on a few chimpanzees seated on a table and feasting on bananas.
Durrell’s worst fears had come true. Disappointment was palpable in his face.
However, the dealer took him a little more inside and showed him an enclosure
that had the cuddly N’Pongo. Durrell had got his prize.
N’Pongo was one and half feet tall, cute, and bubbly. He stood up raising his
hand upwards. N’Pongo was considerably much heavier than his size, apparently
due to his boney frame and well-developed muscles. His coat had dense
chocolate-coloured furs. N’Pongo took to his new master with remarkable ease,
making no fuss, nor nuisance. He explored Durrell’s forehead with its fingers. The
duo soon got along with ea ch other. The rapport developed in no time. N’Pongo
ate the banana from Durrell’s hands gracefully. Durrell paid the amount to the
trader, and the duo headed to catch the flight to Jersey.
Durrell and N’Pongo reach their home town. …
The two alighted from the aircraft, and drove to the zoo. During the drive,
N’Pongo scanned the landscape both sides. He saw the cattle speed past their
car. He was seated comfortably in Durrell’s lap. On arriving at home, Durrell
decided to keep N’Pongo in the guest room as his cage was not sill ready. In very
short time, N’Pongo endeared himself to Durrell’s mother and wife. They virtually
fawned over him. He got some delicacies as welcome snack.
Durrell had an unpleasant experience with a chimpanzee guest earlier. The
primate literally destroyed the room’s decor. This time, Durrell kept an eye on
N’Pongo, so that he could not mess around the furniture. But, the guest wanted
to know his room first. He walked around the place watching everything with
keen interest. Happily for Durrell, his guest was well-behaved and didn’t fiddle
with anything. Durrell was immensely impressed with his guest’s restraint and
demeanor. In due course N’Pongo retired to sleep. By then, he had won the heart
of Durrell’s mother’s heart. So impressed was she that she suggested that
N’Pongo remain in the house permanently. Chumley, the chimpanzee, had left so
much horror behind that Durrell had to turn down his mother’s plea outright.
N’Pongo had the airs of a ‘gentleman’….
N’Pongo did do some little nuisance in the guest room, but that was
understandable, given his very young age. As with human toddlers, he used the
wall to scribble something, partook of some raspberries on offer, messed up the
floor, and damaged the door handle while struggling to open the door. But, all
these damages were accepted by Durrell as normal childlike actions from a baby
gorilla. Durrell was much more amused, than annoyed.
Durrell discovered that N’Pongo was far more restrained and gentle than a
chimpanzee of its age. Chimpanzees revolted when taken into the cage again
after an outing, expressing their disgust with visible body language, and angry
outbursts. N’Pongo, when encaged, after an outing, seldom protested accepting
the restriction on his freedom as normal and necessary. Unlike a chimpanzee of
comparable age, N’Pongo remonstrated his fate with remarkable composure. In a
short span of time, N’Pongo made his way into the hearts of the visitors, who
adored him for demeanor and disposition. In the afternoon, N’Pongo was
brought out to the zoo’s lawn where it showed off its playful antics. The visitors
just loved to see his acrobatics.
N’Pongo steps into adulthood..
N’Pongo was growing up. At the age of two, he looked far bigger than what he
was when he was brought in. At adulthood, a male needs a mate. Durrell realized
it could be cruel to deprive Him from the companionship of his companion.
Particularly for the primates, the need is more. ‘The zoo must pay for the second
gorilla,’ felt Durrell. Without someone to play with, the apes become troublesome
by trying their strengths on humans. By eleven or twelve, a gorilla’s hop can really
be very hurtful. Keeping him in seclusion might preempt nuisance, but the
loneliness can be very turtuous for the primate. Durrell couldn’t countenance
such a tragedy for N’Pongo. But, the zoo could ill-afford a new acquisition.
A female partner is found ..
When Durrell contacted the dealer, he offered a female gorilla a little younger
than N’Pongo. It was the best match for the lovelorn N’Pongo. But, the dealer
said he wanted fifteen hundred pounds as Africa’s political turmoil had pushed
up the prices of jungle animals. Durrell knew the price was way too high. He
wondered if he could make the dealer agree to take the money in installments.
Durrell called him to suggest this, and to his great relief, the trader agreed. As per
the arrangement, the trader’s representative would deliver the female gorilla in
Jersey in a few days.
The newcomer was named Nandy. The zoo staffs were agog with excitement to
welcome the new arrival. But, the bank manager was lukewarm to Durrell’s
request to give any money for the purpose. Durrell was irritated to see his
unhelpful attitude. So, Durrell set out on his funds collection drive, again. Nandy
arrived looking hale and hearty, like a damsel with beautiful eyes.
Nandy is wary of humans, understandably. …
Nandy had a deep scar on her head, apparently inflicted by her captor. It was a
painful wound that told Nandy to steer clear of human beings. So, she sulked at
her new owners when released from her cage. She was kept in a cage for a day to
get over the effects of the unsettling change in the environment. Durrell knew it
would take about six months to drive the fear of humans from Nandy’s mind.
Nandy enters N’pongo’s cage as expectations soar. …
N’Pongo had thus far assumed he was the lord of the zoo, and could deal with
humans in equal terms. He was clueless about the way he would deal with the
new cage-mate. Nandy was shy and withdrawn, and N’Pongo appeared detached
and disinterested in his new companion. The first twenty four hours went barren
and uneventful. The zoo staff came to inspect the two. They stood by with a few
buckets of water, brush etc. Seated on a branch, N’Pongo looked aloof and
dullard. Nandy appeared apprehensive and distrustful of everyone around her.
Apparently, both were sizing up each other.
The first encounter ..
Then something very frightening happened. N’Pongo lunged forward, grabbed
Nandy’s hair, pulled it, and then stepped back. The zoo staffs were shell-shocked
to see such sudden aggression in N’Pongo. They virtually froze in fear. Nandy did
react with disgust at such an overture, but by then, N’Pongo had stepped clear of
her to a safe distance. N’Pongo had carried the day by asserting himself.
The zoo keepers then offered two plates of delicious juicy fruits, one each to
N’Pongo and to Nandy. N’Pongo inspected Nandy’s plate to see if she had been
served more. Nandy, peeved at N’Pongo’s earlier hostile pass at her, put on such
an angry look that he decided to pull back. In the next half an hour, they ate the
fruits with relish maintaining a good distance from one another.
The night fell. N’Pongo slept on the wooden shelf as usual. Nandy, a bit dejected
perhaps, slept on the floor. The next day, the duo wanted to explore the order of
precedence with regard to the use of the swing, the cross-beam etc. Quite
predictably, minor shoving and jostling happened. It looked quite like the way
children squabble over things. For the zookeepers, the scene brought great joy,
and some relief. By evening, their interaction had shrunk the gulf between them.
N’Pongo let Nandy share the wooden shelf with him. Unmistakably, they had
been cozy to each other.
N’Pongo and Nandy get along well. ..
Soon, it became clear that the two were made for each other. N’Pongo exhibited
masculine brawn and dominance, where as Nandy was subdued and silent.
Despite their wide divergence of nature, their chemistry worked well. The bond
seemed to get stronger by the day. N’Pongo would tease Nandy endlessly till she
couldn’t take it anymore. She would then explode with annoyance at her male
partner. The cycle of teasing and reacting angrily continued the whole day.
Rearing worries ……
Acquiring the two gorillas was, no doubt, a feat, but rearing them wasn’t. Keeping
them fit and free of ailments needed constant attention. Simple surveillance
devices had to be installed in various parts of the zoo to locate the primates at
any given time. Unfortunately for Durrell, one of the gorillas developed
symptoms of diarrhea. The diseases had returned to them. The news came in
when Durrell was having a small party at home. The bad news disrupted the
party. However, it was a temporary setback. The pair got over such ailments and
grew fast enough, leaving the infections behind.
Calamity strikes …..
While in France for a short duration, Durrell met a BBC man. After some coaxing
by Durrell, the BBC man agreed to make a documentary of the N’Pongo-Nandy
couple. Elaborate arrangements were made so that the BBC team had enough
items to shoot. Unfortunately, just four days before the shoot, N’Pongo appeared
to be sick. He became dull and indolent. His usual youthfulness was gone. His
food intake dwindled to the barest minimum. The vet had no clue about his
illness. Perhaps, a virulent diarrhea had afflicted him. He lost weight in an
alarming pace. He looked emaciated. There was blood in his stool. Things looked
grim. The zoo keepers felt the end had come.
Durrell and Jacquie try to rekindle N’Pongo’s appetite..
Durrell, along with his wife Jacquie went to the market to buy something that
N’Pongo would eat, because making him eat something was the first priority
then. They bought some exotic fruits at a high price. While returning, their eyes
fell on a shop selling watermelons. Durrell felt N’Pongo might find the fruits
appetizing due to its attractive appearance. Durrell bought a good quantity of
watermelon and drove back home.
N’Pongo’s condition worsens.
Due to lack of food and dehydration, N’Pongo had become lifeless and still. It
was a very sad sight to see. The zoo staff could make N’Pongo ingest some
Dispirin and milk. N’Pongo showed no interest to eat the exotic fruits bought for
him. He, however, evinced some interest in the watermelon, perhaps because of
its flashy pink flesh. He felt the red, soft flesh of the slice of watermelon. The zoo
keepers were somewhat happy to see N’Pongo eating the watermelon, although
they knew it had little nutrition value except its water. The vet had by now
diagnosed his illness as colitis. For this, N’Pongo had to be given some antibiotic.
N’Pongo was stubbornly refusing to take any medicine orally, so he had to be
injected with the antibiotic.
Efforts to inject antibiotic starts. …
Nandy was isolated, as the first step. N’Pongo was brought out of his cage. But,
restraining him down even in such enfeebled state, was a daunting task. Jeremy
distracted him with slices of watermelon, while Durrell pushed the syringe into his
thigh and hastily injected the fluid. Curiously, N’Pongo appeared not to even feel
the prick of the needle. With the antibiotic inside his system, N’Pongo was
escorted back to his cage. Some slight change was seen in his condition the next
morning, when he was given a second shot of the antibiotic using the same trick
of deception. Progress in his condition was very slow and feeble. However, he did
drink some skimmed milk — after days of virtual fasting.
Durrell is caught in a bind. ...
Barely a day was left for Durrell’s flight to Paris where an entire production team
was being gathered for the shooting of the film. Durrell was perplexed. Aborting
the shooting at the eleventh hour would be hugely embarrassing. On the other
hand, Leaving behind the ailing N’Pongo would be cruel and imprudent.
N’Pongo bounces back in the last moment …
Quite strangely, N’Pongo seemed to recover quite miraculously. He drank
Complan and ate some fruits. With each passing hour, he seemed to get better
and better. To make sure that N’Pongo was turning around, Durrell went to see
him in the dawn, just a few hours before his 8.30am flight. N’Pongo still looked
feeble and faint, although he ate the fruits with relish.
Durrell leaves for France, with N’Pongo in mind. ….
While in the south of France, Durrell continually called the zoo for updates on
N’Pongo’s condition. Jeremy informed him that N’Pongo had begun to eat
voraciously feasting on the fruits, Complan and eggs. He was back to his old
ways.
Durrell returns to see the bubbly N’Pongo again! ….
N’Pongo was on a fast-track recovery mode, gaining appetite, weight, and his
jovial spirit. Durrell hugged him warmly. Durrell’s trauma was over, finally. But,
the travails he endured in nursing N’Pongo back to health left him rattled and
circumspect. Breeding primates in captivity is no monkey business,’ he learnt.

In A Gorilla in the Guest Room by Gerald Durrell, we have the theme of fear, trust, connection,
anxiety, equality, control, responsibility, and freedom. Narrated by Durrell himself the reader
realizes after reading the story that Durrell is exploring the theme of trust

Explanation:

N'Pongo (a friendly gorilla) is affectionate to Durrell if anything. He has been with Durrell much
of his life and feels he can trust him as well. Whereas Nandy is slower to trust either
Durrell/N’Pongo because of her previous dealings with people (and possibly other gorillas). She
suffered from those

However fortunately for Nandy, Durrell has her best interests at heart as can be seen by how he
treats Nandy throughout the story. There is no real need for Nandy to distrust Durrell

Gerald Durrell criticized the condition of wildlife conservation across the globe. He said that
modern countries like Africa have been so busy trying to prove their worth to the world so
much that issues about wildlife protection have been put at the back stage

Durrell often sheds attention on the mismanagement of many animal conservation/care

institutions that do not secure mates for their animals – an essential consideration for the
wellbeing of an animal. Finally, the abuse of humans towards animals is also indicated by the
scar in the head of Nandy, which was given to her by the human who caught her.
In this short story, we discover that it is not easy to maintain a zoo. One does not only acquire
animals, but also one must take care of their health and well-being of them. We get to know
about the anxieties of zookeepers through the episode when N’Pongo falls critically ill.

The incident was so upsetting for Mr. Durrell that he was also willing to postpone his significant
business trip to France in order to stay back to ensure the recovery of his ape. At this time Mr.
Durrell displayed a commitment and care that shows us the profound respect for animals by
wildlife conservationists

The story also reveals two beautiful relations in detail: one between the zookeeper and his
animals and the one between N'Pongo and his mate Nandy. Mr. Durrell and N'Pongo were
unlike the master and pet. They both got along as if they were friends.

Also, the loving details in the story show the relationship between N'Pongo and Nandy, such as
the small fights into which the apes enter and the plans that they developed to share the
common space of the cage.

The empathy with which the writer treated these animals is what shines through the short
stories because these animals hardly remain animals and touch our hearts just like any other
human character would

Other Themes:

1. Inhuman treatment meted out to Animals.

2. Conservation of wild life.
3. Love for Animals

Read the Characterisations and relevance of the Title from the Work Book.

A Gorilla in a Guestroom: Extra Notes

Gerard Durrell’s “A Gorilla in a Guestroom” is taken from his anthology Menagerie
Manor which provides a fascinating account of what it means to be a lover of
animals and dedicate one’s life to their conservation and well-being. Menagerie
Manor is a collection of eight stories which deal with the setting up of the Jersey
Zoological Park in Channel Island and provides an insider’s view of the
particularities that go into the making of such noble and arduous a task.
Durrell’s witty style and keen observation makes the perusal of the story a
thoroughly engaging affair and saves it from turning into a tedious account by a
conservationist.
The story brings to light some very important aspects of animal conservation, some
of which include dedication, accountability and passion which are demanded of a
conservationist. It also brings to our notice the importance of awareness and
sensitivity among the people not directly involved in conservation efforts and the
importance their role in contributing to the same.
A Gorilla in a Guestroom is a first person narrative recounted through the figure
of Mr. Durrell, an animal conservationist who is quite caught up in setting up a
zoo in Channel Island. Mr. Durrell’s life after the establishment of the zoo has been
a particularly a busy one, which can be understood by the nature of letters the
likes of which the account opens:
“Dear Mr. Durrell,
Could you please have our Rhesus monkey? He is growing so big
and jumping on us from trees and doing damage and causing so
much trouble. Already my mother has been in bed with the doctor
three times…”
Being the sensitive conservationist he is, the narrator is convinced that they zoo
“must cease to be a mere age-old of animals and start to contribute something
towards the conservation of wildlife”. Try as he may, Mr. Durrell is unable to
choose an animal for conservation as the list of the animals that require
conservation is a huge one. One fine day, the decision is taken out of his hands
as a dealer calls him up notifying the availability of a gorilla. His decision is made.
The narrator then familiarizes the reader to the gorillas: of their nature and
vulnerability. He also expresses his anxiety about the dealer having mistaken a
chimpanzee for a gorilla, remarking that” In my experience, the average animal
dealer can, with difficulty, distinguish between a bird, a reptile and a mammal, but
this is about the extent of his zoological knowledge “. He inquires about the price
and the dealer pins it to £12000. The narrator agrees and is later interrogated by
his wife, Jackie. Durrell then calls up his friend Hope (one just hopes Hope isn’t
allegorical) and asks her to furnish him a list of roughly fifty richest people in
the island, leaving her in great astonishment. She feels he’s being too optimistic
about it. Simply put, Hope isn’t very hopeful.
Half an hour later, Hope gives him a list of roughly fifty people. He begins making
calls and manages to collect a mere £200 by lunchtime. A certain Major
Domo gives a very positive response to his call and agrees to donate £1000, much
to the bewilderment of the narrator.
Finally he goes to the London Airport and is pleasantly surprised to look at the
fine specimen of gorilla : N’pongo
“He stood about eighteen inches high and was quite the most
handsome and healthy looking baby gorilla I had ever seen. He
strolled across the room towards me and then held up his arms to
be lifted up. I was amazed at how heavy he was for his size, and I
soon realized that this was all bone and muscle ;there was not a
spare ounce of fat on him. His light- chocolate-coloured fur was
thick and soft, and the skin of his hands, feet and face was soft
and glossy as patent leather. His eyes were small and deep-set,
twinkling like chips of coal.”
The narrator’s guestroom becomes N’pongo’s abode and his courteous manners
soon win over the narrator’s wife and mother.
Despite his relatively good manners as compared to other gorillas, N’pongo doesn’t
quite leave the guest room in the same state he had found it in. Some of the signs
of his presence he leaves behind before being moved to the zoo include a near-
perfect scarlet map of Japan drawn on the walls after a meal of tinned
raspberries, a dirty floor and a bent door handle testifying of his strength.
Within twelve months, N’pongo almost doubles up in size and the narrator soon
realizes that he must be provided a suitable mate. He calls up the dealer and
inquires whether he’ll be able to procure a female gorilla for N’pongo.
Consequently, Nandy is brought to the zoo, with the payment carried out in
installment basis.
Nandy, the female gorilla has had a very unfortunate past. The description of the
sufferings faced by this gorilla and her subsequent behavior is an example of the
trauma which animals suffer from irresponsible and unwarranted human
involvement in the lives of wild animals. The narrator and his wife find it very
difficult to win Nandy’s confidence. They decide to familiarize the two animals
and finally make Nandy enter N’pongo’s cage. Excited and anxious, they make
sure to keep buckets of water readily at hand in case of any emergency. After some
initial tussle, the two gorillas get along quite well and very soon become fast
friends.
One day , N’pongo falls terribly ill at a time when the narrator had arranged
spend three weeks in the south of France, accompanied by a BBC producer to
make a film about life in Car gruel. Four days prior to his departure, N’pongo
starts showing signs of illness. He refuses any food or milk and begins suffering
from acute diarrhea. Soon, he starts losing weight at an alarming rate to such a
degree that the narrator almost loses hope.
He and Jackie decide to buy some exotic fruits and vegetables from the market
in St Helier. Durrell chances upon a plump watermelon and knowing that
N’pongo had never tried it earlier, decides to give it a try. Back in zoo, N’pongo
rejects the fruits one after another before finally getting hold of the watermelon.
With his curiosity aroused, he tries the fruit and this begins his slow journey to
recovery. After some days, N’pongo takes his Complan, finally becomes able to
stand on his feet and gets in better shape when the narrator departs. He
constantly calls home to track the health of the gorilla and is happy to see N’pongo
happy and healthy like he’d always been.
The account ends on a reflective note by the narrator on the responsibilities
which accompany such a serious task as conserving wildlife:
“I reflected, as I watched him rolling on his back and clapping his
hands in an effort to attract my attention, that, though it was
delightful to have creatures like this – and of vital importance that
they should be kept and bred in captivity – it was a two-edged
sword, for the anxiety you suffered when they became ill made
you wonder why you started the whole thing in the first place “.
Needless to say, such conservators of wildlife require much support and assistance
from people who are aware and sensitive to the need for wildlife conservation
without which a large number of animals may disappear forever from the face of
the earth.

Analysis

Gerald Durrell is one of the few naturalists to have a style of writing that
is precise yet entertaining. Peppered with wit and information, he can inform
and educate his audience with an ease and on which count he has but few equals
among naturalists.
The letter presented at the beginning of the story functions like the literary
technique of foreshadowing. It sets the mood of the account and hints at what is
to be expected.
The priorities of this naturalist are sensed in the first few paragraphs when he
says that his zoo “must cease to be a mere show-place of animals and start to
contribute something towards the conservation of wildlife “. For all its amusement
and fun, one mustn’t forget that this account is a serious work. Lodged within the
lines of humor, this amusing account is also a serious critique of society, the
government and organizations insofar as their commitment towards animal
conservation is concerned. The utter apathy of a large segment of the society (save
for the likes of Major Domo) is felt in the bewilderment of Hope and Jacquie at the
narrator’s optimism in collecting the required funds for N’pongo. This is what Hope
has to say of the people’s awareness about the need for animal conservation :
“I realize it and you realize it, but I’m afraid the average person
either doesn’t or couldn’t care less .”
This line speaks volumes about the level of commitment of society towards nature.

A critique of governments is made in the first few paragraphs of the account:

Newly emergent governments are generally far too busy proving
themselves to the world for the first few years to worry much about
the fate of the wildlife of their country, and history has proved ,
time and again, how rapidly a species can be exterminated, even a
numerous one.”

A critique of organizations which are supposed to be taking wildlife conservation

seriously is seen in the middle of the account where the narrator says that he has
seen many zoos “including some that had ample resources for providing (the
animals) a mate” do not do it. This is a subtle way of hinting at the
mismanagement (and possibly corruption) of funds in the zoos themselves.
Thus, by mounting some subtle and not-so-subtle attacks on societies,
institutions and governments, Durrell’s account adds to the much needed and ever
increasing body of ecocritical literature and nature writing.
Not only does Durrell’s style provide interesting information to a general
readership, it also presents inside information to the readers who are already
interested in the subject. Therefore even if the need to provide mates for the
captive animals may be known, the description of sorting out the power
equations between the two animals is both interesting and informative. So is the
info of how sick apes lose their weight with great rapidity and how an ape can
be tricked into drinking something by rubbing unpleasant Dispirin against its
gums.
Had it not been for Durrell’s sense of humor, the account just might as well have
turned into a drab documentation by just another naturalist. Some instances
of his humor reside in unassuming paragraphs of serious nature which pop up
when least expected and take the readers by surprise. While describing the
adjustment of power relations between N’pongo and Nancy, he writes thus:
They were working out their own protocol: should Nandy be
allowed to swing on the rope when N’Pongo was sitting on the
cross-beam? Should N’Pongo be allowed to pinch Nandy’s carrots
even when they were smaller than his own? It had the
childishness of a general election but was three times as
interesting“.
The empathic treatment given to animals in Durrell’s writing is what endears it to
the readers. N’pongo isn’t seen as a specimen but rather as an individual. The
human-like manner in which the action of N’pongo is described and the words
used in doing so is an example of this point. The manner in which little N’pongo
holds up his arms waiting to be lifted is a straight out away. Notice the description
of his action in the following paragraph:

“He…then lifted a fat and gentle forefinger and investigated my

beard. I tickled his ribs and he wriggled about in my arms, giggling
hoarsely, his eyes shining with amusement. “
For all his humor and empathy, certain paragraphs of this account contain racist
undertones while describing the gorillas which besmirch many naturalist
accounts. This instance move from slight condescension to
downright derogatory. Some instances include:
And before long he (the gorilla) was lolling back on the sofa while
they liked him with delicacies, and the staff came upstairs one by
one to pay him homage as if he were some black potentate.
And again:

So he (the gorilla) walked slowly round like a small black professor

in a museum.
While describing Nandy’s scar, the narrator says that it reminded him of “the
curious initiative and unnecessary partings that so many Africans carve in their hair
with the aid of a razor”.
This constant attempt at drawing parallels between gorillas and people of African
origin on Durrell’s part, whether born of malevolence or otherwise is nevertheless
deeply discriminatory.
Gerald, writing predominantly for a white audience and being a product of an age
still suffering the hangover of late colonialism seems not to have escaped
the colonial influence after all. The ‘naturalist’ account which aim to draw even
the faintest parallel between a particular race and any other primate must be
viewed with great suspicion for it can be traced back to the accounts of Darwin
and the social consequences arising thereof.
In all, the sincerity with which Durrell has presented the case for wildlife
conservation and the humor with which he laces it makes A Gorilla in a
Guestroom a delightful dose of infotainment. However, the text, by the virtue of
being a product of a certain time and age must be received with the necessary
critical reading it requires.

A famous British naturalist who travelled around the world promoting

conservation of wildlife, Gerald Durrell was born on 7th January 1925 in
Jamshedpur, India. Durrell’s father was a senior engineer who played a huge role
in the construction of the Himalayan Railways. The Durrell’s moved to Britain in
1928 following which they constantly visited different parts of Europe. They stayed
in the Greek island of Corfu and it was there that Durrell began collecting local
fauna to keep as pets. This stay in Corfu was to culminate in books like My Family
and Other Animals and the Garden of the Gods.

Following World War II, Durrell joined the Whipsawed Zoo in Bedfordshire as a
student keeper. Later, he set off on a trip to British Cameroons with Ornithologist
John Yelland in 1947 which was the beginning of lifelong excursions and
expeditions that would later make him a famous wildlife conservationist.

Durrell called himself a “champion of the small uglies” and his advocacy for
wildlife conservation fully justified the title. 1958 saw him found the Jersey
Zoological Park in the Channel Islands dedicated towards the conservation of
endangered species. He took to writing books in order to support his conservation
efforts which have given us many gems like The Corfu Trilogy, Zoo in my
Luggage, Birds Beasts and Relatives and Menagerie Manor.
Durrell died on 38th January 1990.

Assignment: Please keep a separate Note Book for Lock-Down assignments for
English Literature. Note-Books would be checked by the subject teacher after
school resumes.
Topic 1. How does the story, ‘A Gorilla in the Guest Room’ reflect the theme of inhumane
treatment meted out to animals? Give examples from the story to support your answer. (20)
[450 words]

Topic 2. Describe the narrator of the story ‘A Gorilla in the Guest Room’ as the one who was
concerned with the conservation of wildlife, especially the threatened species. (20) [450 words]

Stay Blessed