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The Thief’s Story
Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?
There are instances in the story where the thief in the story indicates about Anil's irregular sources of income. It is evident that Anil is a struggling writer when he mentions that he got some money as he gave a book to a publisher. It is mentioned that he made money by fits and starts. When he gets the money he enjoys eating out with his friends. He is a simple man who takes life as it comes but he never resorts to immoral ways to be happy.
He is aware of the fact that the thief is making money everyday from the money for grocery. But, he doesn't point him out. There might be a possibility that he was expecting the thief to realize his fault. Anil discerns that the thief himself wants to live a respectful life. Even after he discovers the stealing, he didn't enquire anything. Rather, he motivates the thief by telling him that he would be paid from that day. He also told him that they would start writing sentences that day.
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Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
How does the thief think Anil will react to the theft?
What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Does Anil realise that he has been robbed?
What are Hari Singh’s reactions to the prospect of receiving an education? Do they change over time? (Hint: Compare, for example, the thought: “I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve” with these later thoughts: “Whole sentences, I knew, could one day bring me more than a few hundred rupees. It was a simple matter to steal — and sometimes just as simple to be caught. But to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else.”) What makes him return to Anil?
Why does not Anil hand the thief over to the police? Do you think most people would have done so? In what ways is Anil different from such employers?
Do you think it a significant detail in the story that Anil is a struggling writer? Does this explain his behaviour in any way?
Have you met anyone like Hari Singh? Can you think and imagine the circumstances that can turn a fifteen-year-old boy into a thief?
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