THE FRUITCAKE THE FRUITCAKE SPECIALSPECIALFrank Brennan

ELEMENTS OF THE FRUITCAKE SPECIAL

SETTING

PHYSICAL SETTING

*Amos Cosmetics, New Jersey* Anna’s home*French restaurant* Aunt Mimi’s house

SOCIAL SETTINGMiddle-class urbanites

TIME

20th century America

CHARACTERS

MAIN CHARACTERS

*Anna*David Amos•Aunt Mimi

MINOR CHARACTERS

*Momma*Armstrong*Sabina * The Waiter

THEMES

*Physical appearance versus true love

*importance of integrity and self-respect

MESSAGE

Be realistic in our expectations

Always look beyond physical appearances.

MORAL VALUES

*rationality and moral courage

* diligence and perseverance

THE SYNOPSIS

The Fruitcake Special is an amusing story about Anna, a

scientist, who creates a perfume that has an

extraordinary effect on men. Her boss, David Amos, is

instantly smitten with her the minute he smells the

perfume on Anna. Chaos ensues when Anna and David

dine together as Anna also becomes the object of the

waiter’s affection. Anna asks her Aunt Mimi for more

information about the fruitcake before coming to a dead

end. Guided by his jealous girlfriend Sabina, David offers

a money-based apology to Anna, who decides to leave

for a rival company. Anna’s love life develops together

with her career as she is wooed by Armstrong, her local

pizza delivery man, who is now a pizza owner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An Australian writer, originally a businessman.

Started to write fiction in 1983.

Died in 1995.

Wrote with his wife, Wendy Brennan under the pseudonym ‘Emma Darcy’. As a team, they wrote more than 45 romance novels.

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

THE FRUITCAKE

SPECIAL

THE FRUITCAKE

SPECIAL

SETTINGSETTING

THEMESTHEMES

MORAL VALUESMORAL VALUES

Inner beauty vs outer beauty

True love can do wonders

Determination Honesty Courage Acceptance Rationality

Lesson Learnt

Lesson Learnt

Try out new ways and experiment

Maintain dignity when being insulted

New does not mean better

Some secrets are better left buried.

Nobody is perfect.

ANNADAVID AMOS

AUNT MIMI

MOMMA

ARMSTRONG

SABINA

THE WAITER

Aunt Mimi’s apartment

Anna’s home

Amos Cosmetics factory

The French Restaurant

Anna experiments by adding a slice of fruitcake to a mix of flowers to create a new perfume.

EXPOSITION

Mr Amos is attracted to Anna who is using the perfume and invites her to dinner

RISING ACTION

The Fruitcake Special attracts both Mr Amos and the waiter. A fight breaks out between David, Sabina and the waiter.

CLIMAX

Anna visits Aunt Mimi and discovers that the fruitcake was brought from an old lady who had put in a special ingredient. Unfortunately the woman is now dead and so is the secret.

FALLING ACTION

Armstrong, the owner of ‘Armstrong’s Peachy Pizzas’, presents Anna with flowers and pizza and tells her that he had fallen in love with her from the very first time he delivered pizza to her.

RESOLUTION

THE PLOT

Anna David Amos

Aunt Mimi

Sabina WaiterMomma

THE CHARACTERS

Armstrong

ANNA

CURIOUSCURIOUS

INTELLIGENTINTELLIGENT

OBSERVANTOBSERVANT

PRACTICALPRACTICAL

INNOVATIVEINNOVATIVE

INTEGRITYINTEGRITY

SENSIBLESENSIBLE

DETERMINEDDETERMINED

ANNA’S Character Traits

Evidence from text

Practical * thinks her new invention smells nice but nothing more (p.32) * uses the same handbag she does for work on her date with David (p.38)

Sensible Knows she is an ordinary-looking girl and is not actually David’s type (p.34)

Reminds the waiter to serve the lobster instead of being silly (p.43)

Realizes the effect of the perfume on the waiter and ensures she does not walk by other men (p.44)

Innovative Tries to concoct new perfumes (p.31)Intelligent Realizes that the fruitcake perfume had an effect on her boss

(p.41)Observant Notices that her boss prefers pretty young models (p.32)

Observes that men say one thing but mean anotherCurious Wants to know why David suddenly finds her attractive (p.38)Determined Anna was determined to design good perfumes

When she knew the effect of ‘ the fruitcake special’ on men , she stayed at home to find out the truth about the fruitcake given by Aunt Mimi.

Integrity Anna portrayed integrity when she walked out of her job

She did this when she was insulted by her boss’ humiliating offer of compensation.

DAVID AMOS

Weak

Impulsive

Superficial

Not employee-friendly

DAVID AMOS’S

Character Traits

EVIDENCE FROM TEXT

WEAK Is controlled by Sabina and so offers Anna money rather than apologizing properly

SUPERFICIAL Prefers the company of beautiful young models (p.34)

Looks at Anna’s body instead of her face when she returns to the table (p.41)

IMPULSIVE Is flabbergasted when the waiter starts singing very loudly, so he hit the waiter.

Feebly explains to Anna that they would not be a good match, unlike him and Sabina (p.56)

NOT EMPLOYEE-FRIENDLY

Anna is afraid to tell him how she made the new perfume as he might have laughed at her (p.32)

David only speaks to his employees when he has complaints (p.34)

AUNT MIMI

WARM

GENEROUS

GOOD-HEARTED

OBSERVANT

CURIOUS

AUNT MIMI’S Character

Traits

Evidence from text

WARM Welcomes Anna’s visit even though she may have other interests at heart (p.48)

GENEROUS Always brings gifts when she visit (p.37)

GOOD-HEARTED

Being very concerned for Anna’s future, she wants to find a nice husband for Anna.

OBSERVANT Tells Anna about her market experience and the people she met at the funeral (p.52)

CURIOUS Is suspicious about Anna’s sudden interest in baking. (p.49)

MOMMAMOMMA

Anna’s mother

Loving and caring- still packs meals for Anna

Gets on well with Aunt Mimi

SabinaSabinaThe latest girlfriend of David AmosBeautifulSnootyVain, Dominant, confident, well-spokenCondescending but is actually jealous that David asked Anna outHot-headed- Hits David hard in the face when he proclaims love for Anna.

ARMSTRONGARMSTRONGThe pizza delivery man

Fell in love with Anna at first sight

Hardworking-saved hard and finally bought over the pizza company he worked for

Was determined to improve his social and economic status before asking Anna out

The WaiterThe Waiter

*Like David Amos, was impulsive and effusive in his words and actions after inhaling the Fruitcake Special

* Bold – told Anna how he felt, and called her even though she was in the restaurant with David on a date.

THEMESTHEMES

Anna’s experiences with David and the waiter at the French restaurant illustrate the fragility of physical attraction or superficial love.

Both the men are drawn to her not because of her own qualities but because of the ‘special’ perfume she is wearing.

Fortunately Anna realizes that true love is not based on external appearances but on genuine liking and mutual self-respect.

The man who truly loves her- Armstrong the pizza delivery man- declares his love for her only after he has achieved success in his life.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE VS TRUE LOVE

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE VS TRUE LOVE

We should focus on a person’s character rather than their physical appearance.

Anna is a person of integrity and practicality who is truly a credit to her company.

Anna has dignity, pride and principles and looks for these qualities in a future husband.

She finds them in Armstrong, a slightly short and balding man, but is a gem compared to the superficial David.

IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRITY AND SELF-RESPECT

IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRITY AND SELF-RESPECT

THEMESTHEMES

Rationality and moral courage

When Anna creates the potent perfume by chance, she does not give it to her boss immediately as she is afraid of him making fun of her.

She reveals her character and good sense of values in her actions, speech and thoughts ( mental self talk)

Her outrage at David’s treatment of her and the scene in the office with Sabina present shows her sense of dignity, pride and moral courage.

Anna’s character grows and in the end we see her willingness to accept Armstrong even though she may have higher expectations before.

Diligence and

Perseverance

Anna’s painstaking attitude and

seriousness about her work are

work ethics that should be

followed.

She is creative and intelligent

in the work she is doing.

Determination

Can be seen in Armstrong’s character

He is determine to be successful before he can declare his love to Anna.

From just ordinary pizza delivery man, he turns to be the owner of the pizza restaurant.

All this displays his strong determination to be successful in life.

Honesty

Momma is honest in terms of her feelings

towards Armstrong. Even Armstrong is just

a pizza delivery man, she does not look

down on her.

Aunt Mimi is honest in finding a husband

for Anna.

Anna is an honest employee. She does not

reveal the secret

Armstrong accepts Anna for who

she is. He also able to accept his

own weaknesses and work to

improve on them until he

becomes successful.

Anna accepts the fact to let the

secret of the fruitcake special

“lie buried” with the old woman

who has died. She never

pursues the matter although she

was persistent in finding out the

truth about it.

Acceptance

Courage

It takes courage to stand up to

one’s beliefs. Anna is willing to

walk out of her career in Amos

Cosmetics after the event in the

French restaurant.

Armstrong is courageous in

asking Anna out at last. He knows

his status but never gives up .