Summary of James R. Waugh's The Silver Idol

The play The Silver Idol by James R. Waugh is about a silver idol that Jack brings from India. The play depicts the Westerner’s view of Eastern countries.

The play takes place in the drawing hall of Mr. & Mrs. Pryde’s home. As the play opens, one could see Mr. & Mrs. Pryde’s family busying themselves to receive Jack. Betty, who is engaged to Jack, is preparing herself to meet Jack. Harold, the son of Mr. & Mrs. Pryde, could not believe that Jack is back. Harold, the youngest of all is much interested in hearing strange stories from Jack who has been to a strange country like India. Jack comes to their home and all the family members are eager to learn about adventurous experience that Jack has had this time in India. Jack though feels reluctant at first, starts narrating an event that he faced in India.

Jack met an old man in India, who was being robbed by three rogues. Jack fights with them and saves the life and the valuables of the old man. The old man presented him a silver idol, which according to the old man was of Tibetan origin having magical power. The old man said that the silver idol would grant three wishes to the person who has it. He warned Jack by quoting two stories about the silver idol, which granted the wishes of its owners, but the ends were very different and tragic.

The old man said that the silver idol’s first owner was a rich man. As he had enough money, he wished for peace in his life. The next day everyone saw the rich man dead and without any worries. The second story the Indian old man said to Jack was about the strangeness of the silver idol was that of a man who had lost his wife when she was very young. The man loved his wife very much and he was passionate about her even after her death. When he got the silver idol, he wished his wife would come alive. Days passed but nothing really happened. He once went to his town and as a kind of remembrance; he went down the lane where he had a store once. To his surprise, he saw a shop that sold the same articles that he sold and the person who was selling things was exactly his wife. However, the pathetic situation was that the woman was of the same age as she had died and the man was too old and therefore she did not accept him as her husband. The man told this truth to all people in the town but nobody helped him. People considered him a lunatic and they put him in jail.

On hearing all these terrible, unbelievable and strange events, the Pryde family gets much impressed. Jack and Betty goes to the theatre. Jack absent-mindedly leaves the idol in the table and leaves for theatre with Betty. On his departure Mrs. Pryde and Harold plans to use the silver idol. Mr. Pryde warns Mrs. Pryde and Harold about not to use it. However, they both wish for a Television. As soon as they wish for a TV set, there is a knock at the door and a Visitor comes and informs the family about their winning a TV set in the competition, for which Mr. Pryde sent a coupon a month ago.

This sudden arrival of the TV set surprises Mr. and Mrs. Pryde but not Harold. Harold says that it happened very naturally and not because of the power of the idol. Saying so he asks his mother to try for another wish and it is to foretell the matches that would be a draw in the forth-coming football cup. Before this wish comes true, Jack and Betty returns home and they come to know about what is happening. Their second wish also comes true, but Harold says that he is not satisfied. He says it has happened in a natural way.

Then the whole of the family, including Jack, starts discussing it and Betty says Harold to switch on the radio for some program. As they are talking, Mrs. Pryde says that she wishes to have a lot of wealth with the silver idol in her hand and that happens to be her third wish. The answer for this wish comes through the radio that gives the summary of the program. The radio voice asks all human beings to be content with what they have, and to be happy with the existing things and not to wish for more on seeing their neighbours and friends.

Listening to the radio talk Mr. Pryde and Jack feel safe and they ask Mrs. Pryde and Harold to follow it throughout their life. Jack by the end of the play on seeing Mrs. Pryde and Harold dissatisfied asks them to turn the silver idol and read what is written on it. To everyone’s surprise below the silver idol are the words “Made in Birmingham”. Jack later says that he has played a trick on them just because Harold asked for a good yarn. The play ends in a good note that we should not be jealous of others and imitate them but to be content with what we have.