How Did The Rain Change What Happened to Lencho’s Fields ?
This answer has been carefully reviewed by the Teachiki Editorial Team to ensure accuracy, conceptual clarity, and full alignment with NCERT, CBSE, and SEBA guidelines.
Answer in One Line
The gentle rain suddenly turned into a devastating hailstorm with strong winds, which completely destroyed Lencho’s ripe corn crop and left his field stark white, as if covered in salt.
Quick Revision Summary
- The Shift: The weather drastically changed from a hopeful, gentle rain to a destructive hailstorm, wiping out Lencho’s livelihood in just one hour.
- Core Theme: The unpredictable and dual nature of the environment—nature as a provider versus nature as a destroyer.
- Important Metaphors to Remember: Raindrops as “new coins”; hailstones as “new silver coins” or “frozen pearls”; the ruined field as “covered with salt.”
- Textbook Reference: Chapter A Letter to God, Book First Flight, Class 10 English Literature.
Detailed Explanation: How Did the Rain Change What Happened to Lencho’s Fields?
To fully understand this crucial turning point in A Letter to God by author G.L. Fuentes, we need to look at the exact sequence of events. Lencho, a hardworking farmer, was initially overjoyed when the rain began. He stepped out just to feel the rain on his body, comparing the falling drops to “new coins” (ten-cent and five-cent pieces) because they guaranteed a prosperous harvest and financial security for his family.
1. How the Gentle Rain Changed into a Hailstorm: Suddenly, the pleasant weather took a dark and violent turn. A very strong wind began to blow across the valley. Along with the rain, massive hailstones began to fall from the sky. While Lencho’s boys playfully ran out to collect these “frozen pearls,” for Lencho, it was a nightmare unfolding. The gentle shower had violently transformed into a severe, unstoppable hailstorm.
2. The Complete Destruction of Lencho’s Fields: The hailstorm did not pass quickly; it rained heavily on the house, the garden, the hillside, and the cornfield for an entire hour. The aftermath was absolute devastation:
- Total Crop Loss: The ripe corn was totally destroyed. The flowers were violently stripped away from the plants.
- Barren Trees: The fierce winds and hail were so brutal that not a single leaf remained on the trees in the valley.
- The “Salt” Metaphor: When Lencho looked at his valley, the entire field was completely white. The author beautifully yet tragically compares it to a field “covered with salt,” emphasizing the lifeless, barren state of his once-lush farm.
With his harvest ruined, there was nothing left to feed his family, prompting Lencho to make his desperate, unwavering plea to God.
Why This Question Matters for CBSE & SEBA Board Exams
This specific two-part question is a highly repeated topic among board exam paper setters for several reasons:
- It’s the Inciting Incident: This exact moment drives the entire plot forward. Without the hailstorm, there is no ruined crop, no desperation, and ultimately, no “Letter to God.”
- Tests Textual Nuance: It requires students to recall the exact visual imagery used by the author (the white field, the falling leaves, the “salt” comparison).
- Highlights Emotional Contrast: It perfectly contrasts Lencho’s extreme happiness at the beginning of the chapter with his deep sorrow just an hour later.
- High-Frequency Exam Topic: It frequently appears as a 2-mark or 3-mark short answer question and serves as essential context for 5-mark long-answer character sketches.
Key Exam Keywords to Secure Full Marks
When writing your answer in the exam, make sure you include these specific keywords:
- Sudden Strong Wind: Mention that the change wasn’t just heavy rain, but wind and large hailstones.
- One Hour: Specify that the hail lasted for an hour to show the immense scale of the disaster.
- Covered with Salt: Always use this exact textbook phrase to describe the white, ruined field.
- Total Destruction: Clearly state that the corn was destroyed and no leaves were left on the trees.
Common Mistake Students Make
- The Mistake: Many students simply write, “It rained heavily and flooded the field.”
- The Correction: The chapter never mentions a flood. It specifically mentions a hailstorm (falling ice/hailstones) that battered the crops and turned the field white. Always use the word “hailstorm” instead of just “heavy rain” to be factually accurate to the text.
More Important Questions from A Letter to God:
Frequently Asked Related Questions
Why did Lencho compare the raindrops to ‘new coins’?
Lencho compared the large raindrops to ten-cent pieces and the little ones to five-cent pieces because his crops desperately needed the rain to yield a good harvest. A good harvest meant he could sell the crops for money, so the rain literally represented incoming wealth and survival for his family.
What were Lencho’s feelings when the hailstorm stopped?
When the hailstorm finally stopped, Lencho’s soul was filled with deep sadness and despair. Standing in the middle of his ruined field, he told his sons that even a “plague of locusts” would have left more behind than the hail did. He realized they would have no corn that year and faced the terrifying prospect of his family starving.
Final Understanding
Nature’s sudden mood swing changed Lencho’s fortune in an instant. The rain brought hope, but the hailstones brought total destruction, turning his green fields into a white, lifeless wasteland and setting the stage for his ultimate test of faith.
NCERT Verified Answer with Expert Review
This study material has been carefully prepared after analyzing the NCERT English textbook First Flight, Chapter A Letter to God, for Class 10, along with reliable academic sources, topper answer sheets, and previous year question papers. It has been reviewed by the Teachiki Editorial Team to ensure strict alignment with the latest CBSE and SEBA marking schemes.
Source Reference: NCERT Textbook: First Flight Chapter A Letter to God
