Ans: The defeated and the lost people are those who are dejected and disappointed in life. They feel comfortable to walk about at dusk as they do not want to face others and want to escape the bitter and harsh realities of life.
Q: Describe the setting of the story.
Ans: The story begins with Norman Gortsby sitting on a bench in a park located near the Hyde Park corner in London. It was some thirty minutes past six on an early March evening. The roads were empty and many unnoticed people moved silently. It was the time of dusk, which according to Gortsby was the hour of the defeated. He believed that those who are dejected and disappointed in life walk about in this gloomy hour of life as they want to escape the bitter and harsh realities of life. The market area and the roads behind the fence were full of light and traffic noise and Gortsby believed that this haunted those who had been defeated in life.
Q: How does the atmosphere in the park match harmonize with the mood of Gortsby?
Ans: Norman Gortsby was not in a good mood that evening and was heartbroken. He had no financial problems but had failed in a more subtle ambition for which he was disappointed. He considered dusk to be the hour of the defeated and believed that those who are dejected and disappointed in life walk about in this gloomy hour of life as they want to escape the bitter and harsh realities of life and hence ranked himself among those people.
Q: Describe the old man who comes and sits on a bench close to Gortsby. How did his appearance match the description of defeated people in the extract?
Ans: The old man who came and sat beside Gortsby appeared to be a person who had admitted defeat to himself and to life. Although he wore neat clothes, he didn’t look like a person who could afford to buy a box of chocolates or flowers to put on the lapel of his coat. He appeared to be a