The Thief's Story Summary Class 10 English

The Lesson's Theme

Friendship; betrayal, ambitions, connection, trust, regret, change, compassion, loyalty, revenge, and honesty are the main points in Ruskin Bond's story The Thief. The story's premise is that kindness and love may change even the greatest criminals and thieves on this cruel earth. To avoid the police and his former employers, the 15-year-old burglar in the narrative changes his name every month. He continued to go as Hari Singh this time. Anil, a 25-year-old writer, is the other character in the narrative. The thief approaches Anil and asks if he would mind working for him. The narrative shows how the criminal betrays Anil by committing a steal but then repents.

Summary of the Thief's Story

There are two distinct characters in the narrative. One is a 15-year-old robber, and another is a man in his mid-twenties who is watching a wrestling bout. The burglar approaches Anil and begins conversing with him since he feels that he hasn't committed a robbery in a few days and believes that robbing a straightforward someone like Anil will be easier. Anil asks the robber for his name as soon as they begin speaking. The burglar calls himself Hari Singh. To avoid his former employers or the authorities, he changes his name every month; therefore, this is not his true name. They then began discussing the wrestlers, and as Anil was ready to leave, Hari called and asked if he might work for Anil. If he knows how to cook, Anil added, he could feed him even if he couldn't pay him. Hari made up the fact that he could cook. Anil led Hari up to his room above a candy store. Anil did not eat Hari's food; thus, it was terribly awful. Hari sought to appease Anil despite being ordered to leave by him. Anil could not stop giggling as he stared at Hari, who was grinning in his most engaging manner. Anil volunteered to tutor Hari in maths, writing complete sentences, and cooking. Hari was thankful because he knew that once he learned to read and write, there would be no end to the number of people he could robe.

The narrator enjoyed working for Anil because he would make him tea early before heading out to get the day's supplies. Additionally, he used to steal 1 rupee daily from the money given to him for grocery purchases. He used to steal, which Anil knew but didn't mind.

Anil used to get money through false labor. He would occasionally borrow money and then lend it to other individuals the next time he had money. He used to celebrate with his pals whenever he received money.

Anil informed Hari that he had sold a novel to a publisher one day when he entered the room with a stack of notes. He stored the cash under his bed's mattress at night to keep it secure. Hari realized that in the more than a month, he was working for Anil, he had not stolen anything other than the one rupee he had been keeping daily from the food money. Hari had several opportunities to steal because he held the room's key. He had never met a person that trustworthy, so he was taken aback by Anil's level of confidence in him. This distrust issue kept Hari from robbing Anil since he believed that since Anil was reckless, it wouldn't matter much if he were taken advantage of, and it would take the joy out of a job. He then considered robbing Anil of his money and excused his actions by claiming that if he hadn't done so, he would have spent the money on his buddies and that Anil hadn't paid him for the task he had performed.

The next night, Hari awoke and crept stealthily into Anil's bed. He takes the cash and leaves the city on the 10:30 Lucknow Express. When he arrived at the station, the train had already begun to sag off the platform. He might have simply boarded the train, but instead, he lingered for no apparent reason. He counted the money before getting to the station and found that there were 600 rupees in 50 rupee notes. With so much money, he could live a high life for two to three weeks. Hari was alone at the train station after the train had departed. There was nowhere for him to spend the night. Anil was the only person he was familiar with, and he had also plundered him. He was sitting on a seat in a park when it began to rain, so he moved to a spot beneath the clock tower. The notes had gotten damp, he realized after that. Knowing how to write and read would enable him to obtain a lot more honorable and honest profession that would pay him significantly more than just a few hundred rupees, he realized. He then made the decision to return to Anil's home.

He entered the space and repositioned the cash. The following morning, when he finally got out of bed, Anil was already brewing his tea. Anil offered Hari a 50 rupee note because he had been compensated for some labor and would continue to be paid. When Hari took the note back in his hands, he noticed that it was still damp from the rain from the previous evening. Hari understood that Anil was aware of his wrongdoing, but he showed no signs of regret, remorse, or guilt. Sincere delight could be seen in the narrator's smile as he realized he had avoided taking the incorrect path.

Conclusion

The conclusion of Ruskin Bond's tale, "The Thief's Story," is that relationships and human values are significant in life and have the power to transform a person.

Reason: The character Hari Singh is a thief. Even though he intended to rob Anil, he was unable to do so because of Anil's integrity and honesty.