Back to: West Bengal Board Class 6th English Guide and Notes
Table of Contents
Characters
Kepler Masterman: The protagonist, who was born on the moon.
George Masterman: The governor of the moon and Kepler’s father.
Introduction
‘Goodbye to the moon’ is a short story about a young boy who was born on the moon and was travelling for the first time to the earth with his father who is the governor of the moon. He feels strange when they enter the earth’s orbit as he feels the difference between the life on the moon and earth for the first time.
Summary
The story begins with the introduction of a 15-year-old boy whose mother died five years ago. She had told him stories about the earth and his father was the governor of the moon. The boy and his father were going on an expedition to the earth and it was Kepler’s first-ever journey to the earth. The father was surrounded by reporters and the kid could only think about how everyone must be getting ready for what would take place at sunrise as the sun rose only 12 to 13 times a year and so it was special to the people on the moon.
It was time for the father and son to leave for the earth. Kepler described the spaceship as an Earth ferry. Everyone wished them luck and bid them farewell. The ferry moved slowly and entered the earth’s gravity. Kepler was tired and about to close his eyes when his father woke him up so that he doesn’t miss the view of entering the earth’s orbit. The planet was all water. On the moon, water was harder to get than oxygen and people had to pay for every ounce. Washing was a luxury and drinking a delight.
Kepler grew up thinking that water was the most precious thing in-universe and now he saw the earth covered with water. Kepler felt a little unwell as they orbited across North America and Arabia as he weighed six times his normal weight on earth. The passengers start collecting their belonging as they reached the surface of the earth.
The press was already waiting for the governor. As Kepler watched his father walk down the aisle, he realized standing was tough and walking even more difficult. He practiced one foot at a time holding on to the seat backs for support. Kepler struggled to walk but eventually got down and saw all the reporters surrounding his father, the noise was too loud for him. He realized the people on earth talked very loudly.
The Governor replies to all the questions when he sees his son standing among the reporters and gave his arm to the boy for support. Kepler felt the sun was gently warm and he felt strange being outside without a space suit. All the boy could think about was the places e would visit and will six months be enough for his travel.
Conclusion
The author uses sensory language to create a mental picture of life on the Moon. She develops Kepler’s point of view by including Kepler’s observations about life on the moon as well as personal details about Kepler.
