The Thief's Story, Class 10th English
The Thief's Story, Class 10th English
The Thief's Story
By Ruskin Bond
1-Introduction
2- Summary
3- Word-Meaning
4- Textbook Exercises
5- Exam Practice
6- To Recapitulate
1-Introduction
This is a very beautiful story written by Ruskin bond. The story highlights how compassion and trust can change even criminals. The story is about a 15 year old thief named Hari Singh who undergoes a change when he meets Anil 25 year old writer. Animals unspoken words and kind gesture leaves a very positive impact on Hari singh’s life. As a result, Hari could not rob Anil according to his plan. He also realized the importance of education and became a better man under Anil’s company.
The story revolves around two characters out of which Hari Singh is 25 years old experienced thief. On the other hand Anil a 25 year old tall man earns his living by writing. He’s kind, and simple personality.
2- Summary
One day the narrator met Anil. Anil was 15 years old thief. Anil was a tall, thin, easygoing and simple man. The narrator thought that Anil could be an easy target for him to rob. The Narrator used some flattering words to gain Anil’s confidence and soon they started talking. The narrator lied to Anil that his name was Hari Singh. He changed his name every month to hide himself from the police and his former employers.
After the conversation when they started to walk, Hari followed him and told him that he wanted to work for him. At this Anil showed his inability to pay Hari. Hari questioned Anil if you could feed him. Anil told Hari that he would employ him if he knew how to cook. Harry lied that he knew how to cook and was employed by Anil.
Anil took him to his room which was located over Jumna sweet shop. He also told Hari that he could sleep in the balcony. Anil gave the food cooked by Hari to stray dogs because the food was terrible.
Anil also realised that Hari lie to him and don’t know how to cook. He asked Hari to leave but he stayed there. Anil told him that he would teach him how to cook.
Apart from cooking, he taught Hari taught him how to read and write. Hari was very grateful for getting education from Anil. Hari knew well that after being educated he could do anything. Hari made morning tea for Anil and would go to the market to purchase daily supplies and make a profit of rupees which he knew Anil would not mind.
Anil had no regular income. His source of income was by contributing articles to the magazines. One evening, Anil came back with a bundle of currency notes which he had earned by selling his books to the publisher.
Hari noticed it when he put the money under the mattress. Anil had given the key of the room to Hari. Hari decided to rob Anil that night.
At night, Hari crawled up to the bed when Anil was asleep. He drew the money out quietly. He came out of the room and run on the road.
He ran towards the railway station to catch10:30 express to Lucknow. Hari reached the station when the train was moving out. He could have jumped to catch but he did not catch the train and stood alone on the platform. He had no idea where to go as he had no friends except Anil.
In the excitement of theft, He forgot that apart from giving him some money Anil also educated him.
Finally, Hari decided to go back to Anil. He went back into the room and put back the wet currency notes which became wet when it rained when he was out. Hari went to sleep.
Hari woke up late in the morning. He found that Anil had already prepared tea. Anil gave a fifty rupee note to Hari which was still wet. He told him that now as he had earned some money by selling his books to the publisher and can now pay him regularly.
Hari felt that Anil knew about the theft but he didn’t say anything to him.
3-Word-Meaning
•Easy-going- relaxed
•Flattery- insincere praise
•Modestly- humbly
•Appealing- attractive
•Be off- go away
•Cheque- payment for work done
•Crept- moved quietly
•Deserted- empty of people
•Heart sank- felt disappointed
4- Textbook Exercises
I-Who does ‘I’ refer to in this story?
Ans- ‘I’ refers to Hari Singh, the narrator of the story who is 15 years old experienced thief.
II- What is he “a fairly successful hand” at?
Ans- He is “a fairly successful hand “ at stealing. He is an experienced thief. He robs people without being caught.
III- What does he get from Anil in return for his work?
Ans- In return of Hari singh’s work, he gets food and shelter.
IV- How does the thief think Anil will react to the thief?
Ans- According to Hari,Anil would feel sad not because of the loss of money but because of the loss of trust he had in Hari.
V- What does he say about the different reactions of people when they are robbed?
Ans- Hari’s experience at theft had made him aware of the differences in reactions of the people when they are robbed. Greedy man shows fear, a rich man anger and a poor man acceptance.
VI- Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?
Ans- Yes, Anil realised that he had been robbed because he knew that it had rained the previous night and all the notes were wet. It was likely that somebody had taken the notes out.
VII- Do you think people like Anil and Hari are found only in fiction, or are there such people in real life?
Ans- People like Anil and Hari are found only in fiction but not in real life. Most people would have either beaten up the thief or would had handed him to the police. These people are rarely found in today’s world.
VIII- Where is the story set? Which language or languages are spoken in these places Do you think the characters in the story spoke to each other in English?
Ans- The story is set somewhere in uttar Pradesh near Lucknow. The story mentions that there was a railway station for express train to Lucknow. Hindi is mostly spoken in these places.
No the characters do not speak to each other in English but probably in Hindi.
5- Practice Exercise
Read the following extracts and answer the following questions:
He also taught me to write my name and said he would soon teach me to write whole sentences and to add numbers. I was grateful. I knew that once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve.
I-Who is ‘He’ in the above extract refers to?
• Hari Singh
• Anil
• Police
• Neighbour
Ans- Anil.
II- Who is the author of the story ‘The Thief’s Story?
• Ruskin Bond
• Robert Arthur
• William Shakespeare
• Kenneth Anderson
Ans- Ruskin Bond
III- Why was the narrator grateful?
• As Anil educated him
• As Anil gave him a job
• As Anil gave him money
• All of the above
Ans- As Anil educated him
IV- What could he do as an educated man?
• He could add
• He could write
• He could teach
• He could achieve anything
Ans- He could achieve anything.
Ans- Anil expressed his inability to pay Hari. He told Hari that he could feed him only if he knew how to cook. Therefore, food and place were agreed upon as a mode of payment by Anil.
III- Did Hari like working for Anil? Give reasons in support of your answer. CBSE Board 2014.
Ans- Yes, Hari liked working for Anil. He made tea in the morning and buy the daily supplies. He also make a profit of rupees.
IV- In which queen way did Anil make a living? CBSE Board 2018.
Ans- Anil made a living by writing articles for magazines, which seemed queen to Hari, because he was not able to earn money on regular basis.
V- What made Hari Singh go back to Anil’s house? CBSE Board 2020.
Ans- Hari Singh decided to go back to Anil’s house because he realised the importance of education he was receiving from Anil. He knew that being a literate person would open doors to many opportunities.
VI- Why did Anil not hand Ari Singh over to the police? CBSE Board 2020.
Ans- Anil knew about the theft but he did not handed him to the police because he was glad that Hari had realised his mistake and the importance of education in life. Anil wanted him to become a literate man and lead a peaceful life.
6- To Recapitulate
I hope the above notes would be a great help in your upcoming exams. If any doubts you can reach me through the comment section box and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank You & All The Very Best For Your Future…..
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