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Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
The narrator of this story is a thief. 'I' refers to the thief in the 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?
What does the narrator tells about himself?
The narrator tells that he is an experienced thief and he is only fifteen years old. He tells us that he has a fairly successful hand at stealing.
What do the narrator tells about Anil?
He was a tall and lean fellow who looked easy-going. He was about twenty five years old.
Why did the narrator approach Anil?
The narrator approached Anil because he wanted to gain his confidence so that he could use him to play his tricks.
Why the narrator did take a new name every month?
The narrator took a new name every month because it helped him to keep himself ahead of the police and his former employers.
What was Anil doing when the narrator approached him?
Anil was watching a wrestling match when the narrator approached him.
Why did the narrator compliment Anil that he looked like a wrestler?
The narrator wanted to befriend Anil. So, he was flattering him to take him into his confidence.
Why did the narrator compliment Anil that he looked like a wrestler?
The narrator wanted to befriend Anil. So, he was flattering him to take him into his confidence.
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Why the thief did think that he had misjudged his man?
The thief thought so because he wanted to work for Anil. But, Anil said that he couldn’t pay him.
How did Anil react when he found that the thief couldn’t cook?
At first, he asked him to leave. Later, he patted him on the head and told him that he’d teach him to cook. He also taught him to write his name. He also promised him that he would teach him to write whole sentences and to add numbers.
How was the thief’s experience of working for Anil?
The thief liked working for Anil. He used to make the tea in the morning. Later, he would go to buy the day’s supplies. He usually made a profit of about a rupee a day. Probably, Anil knew that the thief stole a little money this way but it seemed that Anil never mind it as he never pointed out.
Why it was so difficult for the thief to rob Anil?
It was very difficult for the thief to rob Anil because he was a careless man. The thief discerned that it’s easy to rob a greedy man, because he can afford to be robbed; but it doesn’t give pleasure to rob a careless man because sometimes he doesn’t even notice that he’s been robbed.
Why did the thief decide to rob Anil?
The thief decided to rob Anil because he believed that he was out of practice as he had not done any real work for a long time. He also thought if he didn’t steal the money, Anil would only waste it on his friends. Moreover, Anil didn’t even pay him.
What did the thief do after stealing the money?
After stealing the money, he crawled out of the room quickly. He started running on the road. He slowed down for a while and counted the notes. He was surprised to see six hundred rupees. He reached the railway station and dashed towards the platform directly without buying the ticket.
Did the thief board the train? Why?
No, the thief couldn’t board the train because he hesitated to jump into the train. He couldn’t understand the reason behind the hesitation.
What did he forget about in the excitement of the theft?
In the excitement of the theft, the thief had forgotten about his routine. Sitting under the shelter of the clock tower, he ruminated that Anil would probably have given him two or three rupees to go to the cinema. Because he deserted him, he couldn’t cook his meals and run to the bazaar to buy groceries. He would never be able to learn to write whole sentences any more.
Why did the thief decide to go back to Anil?
The thief decide to go back to Anil because he wanted to live a respectful life. He understood the value of education and wanted to be educated.
How did Anil respond the next morning?
The thief woke up late next morning. Anil had alredy made tea by that time. Giving him a note of fifty rupees, he told the thief that he would pay him regularly. He also told him that they would start writing sentences.
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