Key Points of the Story
- Ruskin Bond’s ‘The Thief’s Story’ is more than just a tale about a thief.
- The story highlights essential human values and relationships.
- Even a thief finds it hard to steal from an honest and careless individual.
- A young boy becomes friends with Anil. Anil trusts him totally and employs him.
- To evade the police and previous employers, he frequently changed his name, and this time he went by Hari Singh.
- The narrative reveals how the thief tricks Anil by stealing from him but later feels guilty.
- Anil’s expression when he realised the theft showed only a hint of sadness, not for the money lost, but for the trust that was broken.
Try yourself:
What does Anil feel when he realizes the theft?
- A.Fear
- B.Happiness
- C.Sadness
- D.Anger
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Detailed Summary
The Thief’s Story by Ruskin Bond revolves around Hari Singh, a young but experienced thief who earned his living by befriending people and stealing from them. To keep himself safe from police and former victims, he kept changing his name — this time calling himself Hari Singh.
He met Anil, a simple and easy-going writer, while Anil was watching a wrestling match. Anil, who lived a modest life, earned money irregularly by writing articles for magazines and selling books to publishers. He often borrowed and lent money, earning “by fits and starts”.
When Hari Singh offered to work for Anil, Anil said he could not pay him but could at least feed him if he could cook. Hari lied about knowing how to cook and was hired. His first meal was terrible, but Anil did not get angry. Instead, he offered to teach Hari cooking, reading, writing, and simple mathematics.
Hari Singh worked for Anil and sometimes made small profits while buying groceries, earning about a rupee daily by cheating Anil. However, Anil knew about it and never confronted him.
One day, Anil brought home a bundle of notes after selling a book. At night, while Anil was asleep, Hari Singh stole the money from under Anil’s mattress. He told himself that Anil would only waste the money on friends anyway. As he slipped out quietly, he reached the railway station and was ready to catch the Lucknow Express. But at the last moment, he hesitated and missed the train.
Wandering the streets at night, Hari Singh felt guilty and restless. It started raining heavily, soaking him completely. He sat under the clock tower and thought deeply about his actions. He remembered that stealing from greedy people was easy as they could afford to be robbed, but robbing a careless, trusting person like Anil gave him no satisfaction. Anil would likely feel only sadness, not because of the money lost, but because of the broken trust.
He also realised that Anil’s education was giving him an opportunity for a better life. Without it, he would remain a thief; with it, he could become a respectable man. Overcome by guilt, Hari Singh returned to Anil’s room and quietly placed the money back under the mattress.
The next morning, Anil behaved as usual. He handed Hari Singh a fifty-rupee note — which was damp from the rain — and told him that he would now start paying him regularly. He also said they would begin writing full sentences from that day. Although Anil didn’t say anything directly, Hari Singh understood that Anil knew about the theft but chose to forgive him and give him a second chance.
Try yourself:
What does the story highlight about the difficulty of stealing from an honest person?
- A.It is easier for a thief to steal from a greedy person.
- B.It is difficult for a thief to steal from an honest person.
- C.An honest person is more likely to catch a thief.
- D.An honest person is less likely to have valuable belongings.
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Theme
- The story The Thief’s story by Ruskin Bond is focused on the topics of friendship, treachery, aspirations, connection, trust, guilt, change, kindness, loyalty, retribution, and honesty.
- The plot of the narrative is built on the idea that kindness and love have the power to change even the worst crooks and thieves in this harsh planet.
- The moral of “The Thief’s Story” teaches us not to betray someone’s trust. Although Hari tried to keep the money, he realised that breaking Anil’s trust would leave him with deep regret. Just like Hari, everyone has a chance for redemption.
Message
- The message or the moral in ‘The Thief story’ is not to betray the trust reposed on you by a person.
- Once the trust of a person is lost, everything is lost. Kindness touches hearts and brings about a change in even in the worst person.
- This is shown by Hari Singh, the thief, who, despite stealing from Anil, chooses to return because he cannot bear the thought of Anil feeling hurt by his betrayal. Kindness has the power to change even the most troubled individuals.
Glossary
