Ruskin Bond | Once a Thief | An Analytical Study

Ruskin Bond | Once a Thief | An Analytical Study

Ruskin Bond | Once a Thief | An Analytical Study

Ruskin Bond | Once a Thief | An Analytical Study

‘Once a Thief’ is an English short story written by Ruskin Bond. Crime and repentance is the main theme of the story. It is written in an autobiographical style.

The story is about a thief named Hari Singh. He was a habitual thief and robbed many of his employers. One day he met a young man called Anil. When he met Anil, he was watching a wrestling match. Hari Singh approached him to get into his confidence so as to rob him also. After some introduction, he wanted to work for Anil and he assured that he could cook. For that Anil took him to his abode over the Jamna Sweet Shop. But the food he cooked that night had been so terrible that Anil gave them to the stray dog and told him to be off. Later Anil patted on his head and said that he would teach Hari Singh to cook. He also would teach him to write and read. Anil was a writer and he wrote for magazines. He was very easy to spend his earnings. Hari Singh made tea in the morning, did the everyday market and learned reading at night. One evening Hari Singh saw him coming home with a small bundle of notes. This very night Hari Singh robbed him of the money and ran off the train station. While he reached the station he saw that the 10.30 train was leaving the station and he could easily board the train. But for some unknown reason, he hesitated and lost the chance to get away. Then it was raining heavily. When the rain stopped he ran back to Anil and reaching home he put the notes from where he stole them. The next morning he was late to get up from his sleep. When he woke up he found that Anil had already made tea. Anil stretched out his hand towards him and gave him a note of fifty rupees and said that since then Hari Singh would be paid regularly. Anil seemed to know about the theft but he told Hari nothing. Thus the author has shown that under an honest man a thief may turn into a good man.

There are two main characters in the story. Hari Singh is the prominent one. He is a clever boy with an experienced hand in robbing his employers. He also planned to rob his latest master Anil. But the honest and simple nature of Anil had eventually transformed him into a good boy. The other character is Anil. He is a writer. He writes for a magazine and earns money occasionally. He is a simple and easy-going and kind-hearted young man. It is for his good behaviour that Hari Singh who was a thief became a god boy.

In narrating the story the author has employed the Subjective Method with skill. In this method, the author becomes a character of his story and relates the events in the first person.

The story, in Structure, is a perfect one. It bears visibly all the stages of a good short story. The exposition of the story is direct and exemplary as:

”I was still a thief when I met Anil. And though only 15, I 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.”

The Setting of the story is consistent with the events and situation. The author gives a good description of his main character along with the environment of his event.

The Dialogue employed in the story is very logical as he uses them sparingly but all the dialogues have taken his story ahead and unfolded the inner nature and motives of his characters.

The Philosophy of Life is also found in the story. The author has not expressed it directly but leaves it to be drawn out by his readers that under an honest man a thief may turn into a good man.

The Language of the story is exemplary very simple and it is the simplicity of the author’s language and manner of expression that has made the story to be one of the finest short stories ever written in the English language.

All the Qualities of a good short story as —unity of purpose, brevity, spontaneity and universality are present in this short story. 

 It is a short story of ideal Length.

As the entire component elements along with required qualities of a good short story are present in it, in a logical order, so it may be called that it is a short story of the first grade. 0 0 0