Debts of Gratitude penned by Nobel laureate Selma Lagerlof is an autobiographical work. It is actually a moving speech that she delivered while receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature. Here she is envisioning a meeting with her departed father and the conversation they have about her winning the Prize. She is quite grateful to all the people who have influenced her in one or the other and helped her become a renowned writer. During this imagiinary conversation with her father, she asks him how she can pay off the debts she owes her readers, friends and family.

You can watch a detailed Malayalam explanation of this chapter in this video

Side Questions and Answers

a. How did the speaker’s visit to Stockholm differ from her earlier visits?

On all the previous occasions, the speaker was in Stockholm to do something difficult like passing examinations. This time around, she was there to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.

b. How do you spend time when you go on a long journey?

When I go on long journeys, I usually spend time reading a book or looking at the sights outside.

c. I thought of my father and felt a deep sorrow.’ Why was she sad at the thought of her father?

She was sad at the thought of her father because her father was no more. If he had been alive, she could have told him that she had won the Nobel Prize for Literature and he would have been quite happy to hear it.

d. ‘The coaches no longer seemed to run on rails and sleepers but glide into space.’ Why does the speaker feel so?

The speaker was now beginning to day-dream. Most passengers inside her coach were dozing. She was also sitting very quietly thinking about her departed father. The train was also moving very smoothly. Soon she entered a dream like state and started feeling that the train was gliding into space.

e. What is your impression of the writer’s father?

The writer’s father must have been an avid reader. He encouraged his children to read. He told them stories. It also seems that he was quite affectionate and supporting.

f. ‘I have come to ask you for advice…’ What advice does the speaker request of her father?

The writer asks her father how she can pay off the debts of gratitude she owes to her family, friends, readers and the writers who influenced her.

g. ‘…a look of wonder will come into his eyes.’ What do you think is the reason for the change of expression?

The expression in his eyes will change when the writer tells her father that she is indebted to him for telling her stories and encouraging her to read the stories of writers like Tegner and Andersen. Those stories made her fall in love with fairy tales and the sagas of heroes. The father will be quite interested to hear this and he will be quite happy to hear that he got her into that debt.

h. Do you think there is poetry in hard rocks and black forests? State reasons.

Yes. There is poetry in hard rocks and forests. Nature inspires us in so many ways. It makes us more creative. Spending some time in nature and relishing its sights and sounds can encourage many people to write.

i. How does Selma’s father console her?

Father consoles Selma by telling her that there is a remedy for her trouble.

j. ‘I owe them gratitude, Father both for their praise and for their censure.’ Why is the speaker thankful even to those who criticised her?

For a writer, criticism is as important as praise. It helps a writer learn their mistakes, improve their craft and produce even better works in future. Hence, the writer is thankful even to those who criticise her.

k. What do you think makes Father ‘less calm’?

Father becomes less calm when he realizes that his daughter is indebted to a lot of people. She is even indebted to nature. He cannot figure out how she can pay off her debts so becomes less calm.

l. How did her friends and readers contribute to Selma Lagerlof’s journey to the Nobel Prize?

If her readers didn’t want to read her works, she wouldn’t be able to continue writing. The people who wrote about her, who worked for her and who opened the doors for her when no one believed in her also contributed to her journey to the Nobel Prize.

m. How does Father respond when he discovers his daughter’s biggest debt?

Father responds by saying that he cannot believe the Academy has bestowed the award on his daughter. While the daughter is worried about how she can pay off the debts of gratitude she owes her family, friends, readers and other people, her father says that he is too happy to worry about anything else now that his daughter has won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

n. How shall I repay this debt? What does Selma mean by this?

Here she is talking about the debts of gratitude she owes the Academy for showing enough trust in her to bestow her with the coveted Nobel Prize for Literature.