“Child’s Play” Assignment

This assignment is to be completed following reading and analysis of “Sredni Vashtar” by Saki and viewing its short film adaptation,
“Child’s Play” (1980). This assignment focuses on applying all of the skills we learned throughout the Short Story Unit by comparing
and contrasting the short story to the short film.

Inferencing
Identify 3 things you can infer from the film that were not in the short story. (This is not a location to identify obvious differences
between the text and the film. Your answers should only be inferences you can make.)
Your Inference Description of What You Saw That Led to That Inference

Setting & Imagery

Identify settings from the short story and the film. Focus on how they are different from each other. (Examples of what to focus on:
the setting in the film is still technically the same but is shown differently than described in the story or there is a setting in one
representation of the story that is not in the other)
Setting Descriptions (Imagery) from the Story Images from the Film
 “Child’s Play” Assignment

Mood
Identify moods that you experienced watching the film by supporting it with elements from the film and explain why that element
caused you to feel that mood.
Item/Element from the Film Mood Explain Why That Item/Element Caused That Mood

Conflict
In the short story, Saki only had this quote to explain how Conradin came to be in possession of the ferret (Sredni Vashtar): “Further
back in the gloom stood a large hutch, divided into two compartments, one of which was fronted with closed iron bars. This was the
abode of a large polecat ferret, which a friendly butcher boy had once smuggled, cage and all, into its present quarters, in exchange
for a long-secreted hoard of small silver.” The film spent more time addressing how Conradin came to own Sredni Vashtar.
How did the film portray this situation? Be thorough.

This change in the film led to a new conflict between Conradin and Mrs. De Ropp and deepened the conflict between the two.
What was the new conflict between Conradin and Mrs. De
Ropp?

How does this deepen the original conflict between Conradin

and Mrs. De Ropp?

Why do you believe the director did this?

 “Child’s Play” Assignment

Plot
You have been provided with a completed plot diagram based on the short story. Numbers have been added to correlate to the
prompts below for you to indicate how the plot changed in the film.

How is Conradin’s “illness” addressed in the film? What is

1.
said? What is shown?

2. How was this conflict established at the beginning of the film?

What events were specifically shown in the film (at this point in
3.
this plot) to show how Conradin came to be in possession of
 “Child’s Play” Assignment

Sredni Vashtar?

What specific event happened in the film (that did not occur in
4.
the short story) in relation to De Ropp and the Houdan hen?

In the film, there is more information given about Conradin and

his parents. What specific plot point occurs at this point in the
5.
film concerning his parents? What does he go looking for?
What does he do with it?

Due to the additional interactions concerning how Conradin

acquired Sredni Vashtar, there is an additional plot point later
on about this that does not happen in the text. What do we see
6. concerning the butcher boy? What does this cause between
De Ropp and Conradin at this point? What do we learn about
the house (and therefore all the items in this house) during this
interaction?

In the text, Conradin specifically only prays to Sredni Vashtar

for help. How is this different in the film? What does it appear
7. Conradin is doing? What is the difference in what we see in the
film about the interaction between De Ropp and Sredni
Vashtar?

How is this different in the film? Where is Sredni Vashtar

8.
following his interaction with De Ropp?

In the film, who goes to the shed to call De Ropp inside for tea
9.
(and is therefore the first to discover what happened)?

In the text, there is a debate about who is going to tell

10. Conradin about what happened to De Ropp. How is this
different in the film?
 “Child’s Play” Assignment

Symbolism
In the short story, Saki gave these two quotes to show how Conradin celebrated his freedom from and triumph over Mrs. De Ropp:
● “And while the maid went to summon her mistress to tea, Conradin fished a toasting fork out of the sideboard drawer and
proceeded to toast himself a piece of bread. And during the toasting of it and the buttering of it with much butter and the slow
enjoyment of eating it, Conradin listened to the noises and silences which fell in quick spasms beyond the dining-room door.”
● “And while they debated the matter among themselves, Conradin made himself another piece of toast.”
In the short story, Saki takes the time to describe in detail the process of toasting the bread, to the point where it seems almost like a
ceremony or a ritual. (Hint: the symbolism I want you to determine/get to are examples of the motif theme. If your symbolism
answers are not connected to that, then you need to look at it again.)
What is the significance of these details? What could this
process be symbolic of?

Did the film show this process with the same amount of detail?
What was different about the toast in the movie (when
compared to the short story)?

What is the significance of the change to the toast specifically?

What could this be symbolic of?

Motif
Religion is a motif in both the story and film. What are examples showing this? (You can put them in a list or in complete sentences.)
Examples from the Text Only Examples Present in Both Examples from the Film Only
 “Child’s Play” Assignment

Characterization
When studying characterization, we don’t just analyze what characters do, but also why they do what they do. Mrs. De Ropp is the
quintessential villain in both the short story and the film.
What was Mrs. De Ropp’s motivation for behaving the way she
does and doing the actions she does in the short story?

How did Mrs. De Ropp’s motivation change in the film from that
in the short story?

Theme
As you have learned in class, a theme is a universal idea, lesson, or message explored throughout a work of literature. You can only
formulate the theme of a work after analyzing all other aspects of it. A work can (and usually does) have more than one possible
theme. Remember that a moral tells you what to do, while a theme is more of an insight into the human condition.
Following all the observations and evidence you have found so far, what is one of the possible themes present in both the short
story and the film? (Be careful not to give a moral. This needs to be written as a complete sentence.)