How I Met Myself

How I Met Myself Q: Based on the novel above, describe the main character. Answer with evidence. Ans: The main character in the novel ‘How I Met Myself‘ is John Taylor. He is a 34-year-old-Englishman living and working in Hungary. He is 2 meters tall with light brown hair and eyes and a moustache. Taylor is adventurous and eager to try something new. He is a computer programmer who takes a job in another country, especially in one which he has never visited before, because he thinks it will be interesting. He takes Hungarian lessons from a girl named Andrea.They fall in love and get married. Later, they also have a daughter whom they name Kati. Taylor is also curious and determined to understand the strange meeting that took place on 18 January. He feels afraid whenever he thinks of the strange encounter but his curiosity pushes him to seek answers. Q : Based on the novel above, describe one of the following moments in the story, answer with evidence. – the most fr ightening – the saddest Ans : The most frightening part in the novel ‘How I Met Myself’ is when the main character, John Taylor meets himself.The incident happens one evening when a man comes out of a street door and runs straight into Taylor. It is eerie that when the man apologises and Taylor looks at his face, he sees someone who looks just like him. He has the same features as Taylor. Even more puzzling as well as intriguing is that there are no footprints on the snow left by the man. Taylor follows the man but discovers no one has seen him. He seems to have simply vanished. Taylor’s life changes after that strange encounter as he begins to have dreams about the meeting. It is frightening because he has to relieve the experience over and over again.He also always wakes up feeling afraid. Taylor cannot understand the meaning of the strange meeting which only makes it intriguing. Q : Based on the novel above, describe an important event which changes the main character’s life, answer with evidence. Ans : In the novel ‘How I Met Myself’ the life—changing event for John Taylor is when he meets himself during one cold January evening, A man runs into Taylor and he looks just like him. The strange meeting is both confusing and frightening for Taylor. Taylor’s life changes after the strange event.He dreams about the encounter every night. He gets up in the dark feeling afraid every night. At times, when he does not go back to sleep after dreaming, he lays awake. He grows more and more tired. He even isn’t nice to his wife, Andrea. He also isn't honest with her. He does not tell her that he is arriving home late every night. Andrea also notices the change in his attitude and she is unhappy, Even his work life is affected. He finds it difficult to think about the things he has to do. Soon, Taylor is afraid to go home and sleep because he is afraid he will dream the same dream.He no longer has a sim ple and happy life with his wife like he did before the strange meeting. Q : Based on the novel above, describe the relationship between two characters, answer with evidence. Ans: In the novel ‘How I Met Myself’, the two characters I would like to write about are John Taylor and his wife, Andrea. Taylor and his wife share a close and loving relationship. Andrea notices a change in her husband’s attitude. She feels hurt and upset. Taylor loves Andrea very much and fees terrible that he has been hurting her. At first, Taylor does not tell his wife about his strange meeting and his recurring dreams.However, when he does, she wants to help him find answers to his questions about the strange encounter. Taylor soon begins to feel more hopeful for the future once Andrea knows the truth. They work together to find information about the man’s identity. Even though, they learn nothing from talking to the people living in the buildings where the strange meeting took place, the fact that Andrea knows about the strange meeting is comforting to Taylor. His life returns to what it was before. Soon, they discover they will have a baby.Q : Based on the novel above, write about a conflict between the characters, answer with evidence. Ans: In the novel ‘How l Met Myself’ conflict arises between Taylor and his wife, Andrea, because of the strange events that happened to Taylor that turned his life upside down. Andrea is first unhappy with Taylor’s change in attitude. Once she knows what is troubling him, she helps to investigate. However, Taylor continues to dream about the strange meeting and wants to know the truth. In doing so, he spends less time with Andrea and his daughter He also does not tell her that he goes to the ibrary to read old newspapers to find clues that can help him make sense of his strange meeting. When she finds out, she is angry and does not want to help him anymore. Andrea fails to understand that her husband wants to be free of the dreams. The story of the doppelganger may seem impossible in the normal world so she finds it hard to believe her husband. She grows tired of his doppelganger story and wants him to think about taking care of his family. The doppelganger and Taylor’s quest to find answers seem to drive a wedge between Taylor and Andrea. Later, she even thinks he is ill and needs a doctor's help.Q: Based on the novel above, write about an important event/s in one of the character’s life, answer with evidence. Ans: In the novel ‘How l Met Myself’ the most important event occurs when John Taylor discovers more about what happened to him one cold January evening when he met himself. It is called a doppelganger. Taylor realizes that he had met his doppelganger that evening. Then, after talking to his old friend, he realizes he is not crazy and what happened to him has happened to other people. His friend tells him that a doppelganger comes to give a mess age to the person who can see him.After New Year, Taylor realizes that the one year anniversary of the strange meeting is drawing near. Then, an idea comes to him. He realizes that the date is important. This is the reason he has never met himself again after the first meeting. Taylor begins to investigate all the events that took place on that day in the past. He looks at some old newspapers to find out if there was any event that could help him understand what is happening to him. These separate events which occurred after the first strange meeting were important to help Taylor understand, at least a little, what he experienced.Q: Based on the novel above, write about a quality which you like in a character, answer with evidence. Ans : In the novel ‘How l Met Myself’ I like the determination shown by John Taylor. Even though the strange meeting is puzzling and he is afraid about what he is experiencing, he wants to learn more about it. He does not know what frightenin g revelation may be in store if he uncovers the truth but it is better than doing nothing. He does some research like reading old newspapers and with his wife talks to people near the location of the strange meeting to find out the identity of the man.He also confides in his old friend about his experience. All along, after the first strange meeting, he still has dreams about the encounter which leaves him afraid to sleep and more and more tired. His life is turned upside down with a few happy moments such as the birth of his first child. However, the dreams come back to haunt him. Taylor's determination to seek the truth probably helped him maintain his sanity and peace of mind. Q: Based on the novel above, write about your favourite part in the novel, why do you like this part? Answer with evidence.Ans: My favourite part in the novel ‘How I Met Myself is when Taylor finds relevant information that can help him understand what happened to him. He reads about a story where a w oman and a child died in a cellar of a building in Gergely utca which was hit by a Russian bomb. The tragedy occurred on 18 January which was the same date that Taylor met himself. The doppelganger comes out of a building in Felka utca and runs to Gergely utca. This part is interesting because this information also sheds some light on Taylor‘s doppelganger.Taylor talks to several people to enquire about the name Szabo. An old woman tells Taylor about Janos Szabo and the tragedy which befell his wife and daughter. There are several similarities between Taylor and Janos Szabo. It is at this time that Taylor realizes his doppelganger wants to help him but he is still puzzled why he appears to look like him. I like this part as it gives me clues to solve the mystery surrounding the doppelganger. I realize that Taylor’s wife, Andrea, and his daughter are in danger. Q: Based on the novel above, do you like the ending of the novel?Answer with evidence. Ans: I like the ending i n the novel ‘How l Met Myself’. This is mainly because it has a happy ending. The story reaches a suspenseful moment when Taylor realizes that Janos Szabo is Hungarian for John Taylor. Taylor and his doppelganger share the same. Then, he discovers that Janos Szabo‘s wife and daughter were also named Andrea and Kati respectively. Then, on 18 January. Andrea leaves a note saying that she and Kati will be at the bar. Taylor runs to get them but there is a blast. Taylor arrives at the bar and frantically tries to clear the entrance.However, he is told to go home so the authorities can clear the debris. Taylor feels terrible that he was too interested in the doppelganger and not on what he wanted to tell him. He thinks his life is destroyed and that he will never be happy again without his wife and daughter. I feel terrible for Taylor, too, because he could not save his family. Unexpectedly the doppelganger appears to him again and points to Andrea and Kati. Taylor is so happy. The ending is happy and bittersweet too because Szabo, unable to save his own wife and daughter, in the end helped to save Taylor’s wife and daughter.Q: Based on the novel above, write about an unexpected twist in the story, answer with evidence. Ans: In the novel ‘How l Met Myself’ an unexpected twist comes towards the end of the story when the doppelganger appears to someone close to Taylor to give that person an important message. He wants to save Andrea and Kati’s lives because Taylor has not been able to understand or act upon the earlier warnings. After the blast, Taylor walks home, thinking that his wife and daughter have just died in the cafe. Suddenly, he bumps into his doppelganger.The doppelganger points to Andrea and Kati. Taylor is so happy to be reunited with his family. On three previous occasions, the doppelganger appears to Taylor as he (the doppelganger) runs out of Felka utca. He, then, appears in front of Andrea and Kati to wa rn them. Andrea thinks John is blocking their way but when Kati begins to cry she realizes that it is his doppelganger. He wants them to leave the place so they do. Janos Szabo enters Taylor and his family’s life to save them. He lost his family too and probably does not want someone else to suffer like he did.Q: Based on the novel above, write about an interesting character that you admire. Answer with evidence. Ans: An interesting character that l admire is Andrea Taylor from the novel How I Met Myself. She is a loving and understanding wife. She always puts her family’s needs ahead of everything else. She takes good care of her husband, John and their daughter, Kati. She works hard as a teacher, putting in many hours of work at home as well as giving classes outside the home. When she loses her teaching job at the bank, she takes up Zsolt’s offer to help out at the cafe. Her daughter Kati is always with her.In the beginning, she tries to be supportive and und erstanding regarding John's preoccupation with his doppelganger but she soon grows tired and annoyed with John. She sees this as a waste of time, time that can be better spent with his family. Still, no matter how angry she is with her husband, she remains a loyal partner and carries on with her duties as a good wife and mother. When the doppelganger appears to her at the entrance of the cafe, she is not afraid. She also does not ignore his warning, remembering everything that John has shared with her about Janes Szabo.This saves her and Kati from the explosion at the cafe. Q: Based on the novel above, describe the most interesting event you found in the story. Answer with evidence. Ans: The event that I find the most exciting in the novel How I Met Myself is at the very end of the novel, when the explosion at the cafe takes place. John rushes over to the cafe, thinking that Andrea and Kati are there, but upon reaching Felka utca, he hears an explosion. John frantically tries to dig them out of the rubble, with the help of the passers-by. But when the police and firemen arrive, they stop him as it is too dangerous for him to do so.He is told to go home and wait for news about his wife and child. As he is walking home, feeling devastated as he is so sure that he has lost his wife and child, he sees his doppelganger. Janos points to the end of the street. John looks up and sees Andrea and Kati. He is overjoyed. Janos, the doppelganger, has saved their lives. Q: Based on the novel above, write a lesson you have learnt from the novel. Answer with evidence. Ans: The lesson I have learnt from How I Met Myself is that one must be persistent in seeking the truth about something that we wish to understand.John remains persistent in trying to find out more about his doppelganger throughout the novel. He cries his best to make his wife understand the importance of his quest. He doesn't give up easily even though he faces many challenges. Andrea becomes angry and annoyed with him as a result of all the time he spends researching about his doppelganger. This puts his marriage in trouble. But John is determined to carry on as he knows that it is important for him to understand the reason behind meeting his doppelganger, not just for him, but for his wife and child too.His persistence pays off in the end when he learns about Janos Szabo's sad story. Q: Based on the novel above, write a character that you dislike the most. Answer with evidence. Ans: The character I dislike in the novel How I Met Myself is Andrea Taylor. Although for the most part she is a loyal and loving wife, there are times when she does not support or try to understand her husband's predicament. Her husband, John Taylor, is convinced that his doppelganger has an important message to convey to him, most likely involving his wife and child. Therefore, he is determined to find the identity of his doppelganger.Unfortunately, Andrea fails to understand this and gets annoyed with him. She refuses to listen to any more stories about the doppelganger which in the end forces John to investigate the matter in secret. This causes a rift in their marriage. It is ironic that it is the doppelganger who saves her and her child's life at the end of the story. Q: Based on the novel above, write why you find the novel interesting. Answer with evidence. Ans: I find this novel interesting as it explores the subject of doppelgangers. One snowy night, while walking home from work, John Taylor is knocked over by a stranger in the streets.The man turns around to apologise and to John's surprise the man looks exactly like him. From this point on, the story gets even more interesting. John tries to find out more about his double. He soon stumbles upon an article on doppelgangers and is then convinced that the man he saw in the streets that fateful night is indeed his doppelganger. It is said that a doppelganger usually appears to give advice or present a warning to the person it appear s to. In the end, it is revealed that John's doppelganger did indeed appear to warn him of the impending danger that involve his wife, Andrea, and his daughter, Kati.Andrea and Kari are saved from the explosion at the cafe thanks to the doppelganger. Q: Based on the novel above, write about a theme in the story. Answer with evidence. Ans: One of the themes in the novel How I Met Myself is love. John Taylor's love for his wife and daughter spur him on to find out more about his doppelganger and the massage that the doppelganger is trying to convey to him. John realises that it is something important, not only for him, but for his family. The doppelganger, Janos Szabo, lost his wife and child in a tragic bombing during the war.The doppelganger does not want the same devastating fate to befall John. In the end, John's wife and child are saved from the explosion at the cafe with the doppelganger’s help. Q: Based on the novel above, write about why you like or dislike the ending. Answer with evidence. Ans: I like the happy ending in the novel How I Met Myself. Andrea and Kari are saved from the explosion at the cafe. The doppelganger, Janes Szabo, saves them by warning them not to go into the cafe, John, who initially thinks that he has lost his wife and child, is overjoyed to discover that they are safe.He would have been deeply devastated if he lost them. Q: Based on the novel above, write about what happened to the protagonist or main character at the end of the story. Answer with evidence. Ans: The main character, John Taylor, meets his doppelganger at the very beginning of the story. He is deeply disturbed by this meeting and he is determined to find out the reason why his doppelganger has appeared to him. He realises at the end of the story that his doppelganger had come to warn him of the impending danger to his wife and child.As a result, his wife and child are saved. Q: Based on the novel above, write about the plot in the story. Answer with evidenc e. Ans: On a snowy evening, John Taylor is on his way home from the office when a man runs into him and knocks him over. The man turns to apologise and John is shocked to see that the man looks exactly like him. The double rushes off leaving no footprints in the snow. John tries to look for the man but he has somehow mysteriously disappeared. From this point on, John becomes almost obsessed with finding out more about his double and why he has met him.From his findings, John learns that the man he saw was his doppelganger and that meeting his doppelganger was no accident. His doppelganger had a very important message for him, that is to warn him of impending danger. In the end, John learns that the doppelganger has saved the lives of his wife and child and he is extremely grateful. Q: Based on the novel above, write about the positive influence that a character has on another character in the novel. Answer with evidence. Ans: The doppelganger, Janos Szabo, has a positive influence o n John Taylor. The doppelganger tries to help John by warning him of impending danger.As a result of his doppelganger’s appearance, John learns the meaning of determination and perseverance in his quest to uncover the identity of his doppelganger. He faces many obstacles before he succeeds in doing so. Finding out more about his doppelganger also helps John realise how important his family is to him. When he mistakenly thinks that his family has died in the explosion, he is truly devastated. This makes him appreciate them all the more when he realises that they are alive after all. Q: Based on the novel above, write about the relationship between two characters in the story.Answer with evidence. Ans: In the beginning of the story, John and Andrea have a very close and loving relationship. But once the doppelganger appears to John and he becomes almost obsessed with finding out whatever he can about the doppelganger, Andrea grows annoyed and angry with John. She feels that he should be spending more time with his family. Their marriage becomes strained. Towards the end of the novel, John and Andrea are barely on speaking terms. But, when the doppelganger appears to Andrea and saves her and Kati from the explosion at the cafe, things between John and Andrea get bette