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Question
Fiction writers prefer creating grey characters rather than black and white. Analyse this in detail, with reference to both the characters of The Thief’s Story.
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Solution
Introduction - Both characters in ‘The thief’s story’ are neither completely black (negative) or white (ideal) as both of them have redeeming qualities as well as those that need improvement. Therefore, the story reveals both their personas as grey. (mix of both black and white). Let us look at the natures of these characters individually.
i. Hari Singh
- He was a thief who was artful and too smart for his age.
- He fooled his victims and police with the help of his mind and wasn’t ashamed of lying and stealing.
- Also, he made no efforts to confess that he had given in to the temptation of stealing the notes.
- However, his nature changed due to love, affection, and Anil's trust.
- Therefore, the character of Hari Singh is not a flat character who is either black or white.
ii. Anil -
- While we can admire Anil for his qualities such as him being helpful and simple, he also had certain negative or ‘not ideal’ qualities such as -
- He was easily trusting and forgave the thief
- He never uttered a word despite knowledge of the theft.
- He was also casual about money and ignored Hari Singh’s pilfering.
- Therefore, even the character of Anil is not a flat character who is either black or white.
Conclusion - Grey characters present a challenge to the readers, allow a sense of unpredictability and present a moral challenge. Hari Singh and Anil are created as grey characters.
Notes
Marking Scheme
Content - 3, Expression - 2, Accuracy - 1
Curriculum document - Questions to assess creativity, imagination and extrapolation beyond the text and across the texts. This can be a passage-based question/ or taken from a situation/plot from the texts.
Note -
- Use the given descriptors to mark the LQs. For Content (refer to Value points) and Expression.
- If the response does not justify all points of a level, the response is marked down.
| Descriptors for Content (with reference to value points) | Marks |
|
• Sustained, clear, well-developed personal response to the task |
3 |
|
• Largely, a reasonably well-developed personal response to the task |
2 |
| • Fairly competent personal response to the task • Justification with restricted arguments/evidence |
1 |
|
• Limited awareness of the task |
½ |
| Descriptors for Expression (Coherence & Cohesion) | Marks |
|
• Carefully structured content with a beginning, middle and end with highly relevant ideas presented cohesively. |
2 |
|
• Ideas are generally well sequenced and related to the given topic maintaining overall cohesion of ideas. |
1½ |
| • Ideas sequenced fairly well and related to the given topic, sometimes maintaining cohesion of ideas. • Range of vocabulary is limited and conveys a basic idea of the overall meaning |
1 |
|
• Poor sequencing of ideas; though related to the given topic, expressed in a disjointed manner exhibiting a lack of coherence of ideas. |
½ |
| Descriptors for Accuracy | Marks |
|
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar are almost always or mostly accurate with occasional minor errors which do not impede communication |
1 |
|
• Spelling, punctuation, and grammar are fairly accurate, with some minor errors that mildly impede communication |
½ |
| • A lot of errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar that impede communication. | 0 |
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
State whether the following statements are true or false.
Anil made money by fits and starts. He would borrow one week, lend the
next. He kept worrying about his next cheque, but as soon as it arrived he
would go out and celebrate. It seems he wrote for magazines — a queer way
to make a living!
One evening he came home with a small bundle of notes, saying he had
just sold a book to a publisher. At night, I saw him tuck the money under the
mattress.
I had been working for Anil for almost a month and, apart from cheating on
the shopping, had not done anything in my line of work. I had every opportunity
for doing so. Anil had given me a key to the door, and I could come and go
as I pleased. He was the most trusting person I had ever met.
And that is why it was so difficult to rob him. It’s easy to rob a greedy
man, because he can afford to be robbed; but it’s difficult to rob a careless
man — sometimes he doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed and that takes all
the pleasure out of the work.
Well, it’s time I did some real work, I told myself; I’m out of practice.
And if I don’t take the money, he’ll only waste it on his friends. After all, he
doesn’t even pay me.
Anil was asleep. A beam of moonlight stepped over the balcony and fell on
the bed. I sat up on the floor, considering the situation. If I took the money, I
could catch the 10.30 Express to Lucknow. Slipping out of the blanket, I crept
up to the bed. Anil was sleeping peacefully. His face was clear and unlined;
even I had more marks on my face, though mine were mostly scars.
My hand slid under the mattress, searching for the notes. When I found
them, I drew them out without a sound. Anil sighed in his sleep and turned on
his side, towards me. I was startled and quickly crawled out of the room.
(a) Anil writes for magazines for a living -
(b) Anil kept a small bundle of notes in a cupboard -
(c) The narrator used to cheat Anil on the shopping -
(d) After stealing the money the narrator quickly crawled out of the room -
(A2) Complete the following sentences with the help of the given passage.
(1) The narrator was thinking to catch
(2) When Anil was sleeping peacefully, his face was
(3) The narrator slid his hands under the mattress to
(4) The narrator thought that If he didn’t take money, Anil would only waste
(A3) Cross out the odd man.
(i) blanket, magazine, maintain, mattress.
(ii) rob, take, time, search.
(iii) queer, small, greedy, pleasure
(iv) quickly, mostly, money, peacefully.
(A4) Rewrite the following sentences by choosing correct tail tag given in the
brackets.
(does he ?, didn’t he ?, isn’t it?, wasn’t he?, doesn’t he?, is it?)
(i) Anil was sleeping peacefully.
(ii) He doesn’t even notice he’s been robbed.
(iii) Anil kept worrying about his next cheque.
(iv) It’s difficult to rob a careless man.
(A5) What will you do if you are robbed by someone you know very well?
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?
Does Anil realize that he has been robbed?
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?
Read the following passage and do the activities:
A1. Choose the correct alternatives from the given options and rewrite the sentences :
(appealing, casually, flattery, well-oiled) (2)
(1) I followed ….........
(2) Anil talked about the ….........wrestlers.
(3) I gave him my most ….........smile.
(4) A little …......... helps in making friends.
I was still a thief when 1 met Anil. And though only 15, was an experienced and fairly successful hand.
Anil was watching a wrestling match when I approached him. He was about 25 — a tall, lean fellow — and he looked easy-going, kind and simple enough for my purpose. I hadn’t had much luck of late and thought I might be able to get into the young man’s confidence.
“You look a bit of a wrestler yourself,” I said. A little flattery helps in making friends.
“So do you,” he replied, which put me off for a moment because at that time I was rather thin.
“Well, I said modestly, “I do wrestle a bit.”
“What's your name ?”
“Hari Singh,” I lied. I took a new name every month. That kept me ahead of the police and my former employers.
After this introduction, Anil talked about the well-oiled wrestlers who were grunting, lifting and throwing each other about. I didn't have much to say. Anil walked away. I followed casually.
“Hello again,” he said.
I gave him my most appealing smile. “I want to work for you”. I said.
“But I can't pay you.”
I thought that over for a minute. Perhaps I had misjudged my man. I asked, “Can you feed me ?”
“Can you cook ?”
“I can cook,” I lied again.
“If you can cook, then may be I can feed you.”
He took me to his room over the Jumna Sweet Shop and told me I could sleep on the balcony. But the meal I cooked that night must have been terrible because Anil gave it to a stray dog and told me to be off. But I just hung around, smiling in my most appealing way, and he couldn’t help laughing.
A2. Complete the following web-chart: (2)
A3. Find the similar meaning words from the passage for the following : (2)
(1) endearing
(2) miscalculated
(3) humbly
(4) awful
A4.
(1) “I want to work for you,” I said. (1)
(Change it into indirect speech)
(2) I can’t pay you. (1)
(Rewrite making it affirmative)
A5. “We should learn from our own mistakes.” Explain. (2)
Answer the following question in 30-40 words:
What made Hari Singh come back to Anil?
Complete the web diagram.
Pick out from the story 3 or 4 examples of Code-mixing (Indian words used in English).
Read the story carefully and complete the table:
| Total no. of characters | Names | Ages | Physical appearance |
Earned money by |
Qualities |
Complete the given sentence.
Hari continued making money ____________
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
What did Hari learn from Anil in the beginning?
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
Do you feel Anil’s way of handling a thief like Hari was effective? Justify your answer.
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
What tact had Anil used to change Hari’s dishonest ways?
Think and write in your own words, in your notebook.
‘And the smile came by itself without any effort.’ Say why. When do people give fake smiles?
Write a character sketch of ‘Hari Singh’ with the help of the following points, using the paragraph format.
- Hari Singh's background
- His dishonesty
- His aspirations
- His courage to change himself
Answer the following in about 100-120 words:
Trust and compassion can reform a person. Justify this statement in the light of the lesson 'The Thief's Story'.
Imagine that Hari Singh from ‘The Thief’s Story’ by Ruskin Bond, writes a diary entry, exploring the theme of human values and relations that are essential in life and can transform a person in the context of his own experience. Write this diary entry as Hari Singh.
