The Boy Who Broke the Bank

Ruskin Bond
Introduction:
Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian author of British descent. He lives with his
adopted family .The Indian Council for Child Education has recognized his role in the growth
of children’s literature in India. He was awarded the Sahitya Academy Award in 1992 for his
novel “Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra”. his novel in English. He was awarded the Padma
Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014

Back ground
In this story “The Boy who Broke the Bank”, Nathu, a central character and is working as
Sweeper in Pipalnagar bank which is owned by Seth Govind Ram. Nathu belonged to middle
class family and still he has not been paid his payment from the manager of the bank. How
this news spreads and what are the consequences caused by this news is the story.

Characters

 Nathu: Nathu is the protagonist of the story. He is a sweeper by profession. He works

in the Pipalnagar bank.
 Sitaram: Sitaram is the son of a washerman. He plays a significant role in the story.
 Seth Govind Ram: He is the owner of the Pipalnagar bank.
 Mrs. Srivastava, Mrs. Bhushan, Mr. Bhushan, Kamal Inshore, Deep Chand, Old
Ganpat: All of them are the villagers of Pipalnagar.

Introduction:
The gripping story “The Boy Who Broke the Bank”, by Ruskin Bond deals with plight of the
underpaid or unpaid boys. Exploitation, innocence of children, role of rumours, anxiety, and
mob psychology find effective expression in the story. Ruskin Bond is better known as
“Indian Words Worth” has written many books for children.

Summary

The short story describes Nathu’s suffering in the opening lines. He works as a sweeper boy
with the Pipalnagar Bank. He has for long been requesting for a hike of two rupees in his
pay. Seth Govind Ram, the owner of the bank, has not agreed to raise his pay.

Nathu grumbles to himself about his not being paid his regular salary though it was already
the twentieth of the month. At this point of time, Sitaram, the washerman’s son happened to
pass by the bank. He was on delivery rounds. He observed Nathu replies that he has not
even received his regular pay yet. He also mentioned that he would leave the bank as soon as
he got his pay. Sitaram wishes him good luck and also adds that he would keep a lookout for
any job that might suit him. Sitaram’s visit for fourth home, the lady of the house mention
that she was in need of a sweeper. He told the lady that he knew of a sweeper boy who was
looking for work and he could start from next month. He was working in the bank as a
sweeper but they were not giving him his pay and he wanted to leave his job. Mrs. Srivatsava
asked Sitaram to tell the boy to meet her the next day. Thus, Sitaram tried to help Nathu by
finding a new job.
In the story ‘The Boy Who Broke the Bank’ Ruskin Bond deicts how rumours spread like
wild fire. Sitaram, the washerman’s son, tells Mrs. Srivastava that the sweeper boy of
Pipalnagar Bank has not been paid his slaray and is looking for a job. A little later Mrs.
Srivastava meets her friend, Mrs. Bhushan, in the market. She comments that Seth Govind
Ram’s bank cannot pay it employees. The sweeper boy has not received his wages for more
than a month. Mrs. Bhushan concludes that none of the employees must be getting paid. She
is sure that the bank must be in a bad way. She tells her husband that the bank is going
bankrupt. The news spread rapidly and there is panic and confusion.

Soon everyone in the town is convinced that the bank has gone bankrupt. Rumours fly thick
and fast about the Seth Govindram. Some believe he has fled the state and other say that he
has fled the country and someone even claims that the Seth had hanged himself from a tree.
In reality, the Seth is in Kashmir on a holiday.

All the people rush to the bank to withdraw their money. They refuse to hear the pleas of the
manager. They claim that the Seth is hiding inside a bank locker. When all the ready cash
gets over, the crowd gets restive and agitated. Mischief makers join the scene. They
gathered outside the bank and started pelting stones and broke the glass window of the bank.
Thus, Ruskin Bond depicts how rumours spread like wild fire and causes irreparable damage
and lands the bank in trouble.

Conclusion:

The piece of news that the sweeper is not been paid yet, destroys the Pipalnagar bank as the
news gets passes on from person to person. Ruskin Bond conveys us a lesson that we should
never belive the rumours and also shouldn’t become the part of spreading it as it will destroy
the life’s of people. We can see this from the lesson where all the bank employees loose their
jobs outof rumours.

Analysis

“The boy who broke the bank” is a very interesting story written by Ruskin Bond. The
story relates to the murmuring of a sweeper boy Nathu about irregular payment of his salary.
It takes the shape of a rumour and results into the collapse of a bank. In the end of the story,
Nathu, who is responsible for the whole episode, wonders innocently about the incident.

This story is basically about how rumors and lack of communication can cause
many problems and be destructive.

Conclusion:
The story is ironical. It points out that rumors and gossip are dangerous and destructive. The
story is a criticism of crowd psychology and anti-social elements.
 2. The Blue Bouquet
by Octavio Paz

Introduction:
Octavio Paz Lozano (March 31, 1914 – April 19, 1998) was a Mexican writer, poet, and
diplomat, and the winner of the 1990 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was one of the most
important literary figures of the postwar period. Coming from a family of writers ,he was
introduced to literature very early in life His grandfather’s library , equipped with classics
from both Mexican and European Literature. had a great influence on him and he took to
writing at a very young age . His work, which is primarily in Spanish, has been translated into
several other languages. Early Poems and Collected Poems arwe two of his most prominent
works translated into English.
Paz renovated Spanish. Paz began to write at an early age, and in 1937, Paz travelled to India
in 1962 when he was appointed the Mexican Ambassador to India , but resigned in 1968. In
1976 he founded a cultural magazine ‘’Vuelta’ and was its esditor until his death.Early on
Paz was influenced by Marxism, surrealism of the early twentieth century.His influences also
included East religious traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism. His poetry was dedicated to
overcoming isolation.
Summary
The story 'The Blue Bouquet' takes place in an unnamed village or town which presents how
the harmonious world turns suddenly into a world of violence and terror. The narrator, whose
name is not given, is staying in a hotel room and wakes up from his sleep fully drenched in
sweat. As the room is very hot, he decides to go out for a walk.
He gets dressed first making sure that no bugs get into his clothes. When he reaches
downstairs, he notices a one-eyed hotel keeper sitting at the door. The hotel keeper warns him
that he better stay in as there are no street lights. The narrator without being bothered about
the warning moves away from that place.
While walking the narrator enjoys nature: mild moonlight, the colorful twinkling of stars, the
vocals of crickets and the accompaniment of sounds of leaves and insects. He thinks that the
whole universe is a grand system of signals where he was only a part of that macrocosm.
With nature’s presence everywhere, he feels safe and free though he is alone in that street.
All of a sudden, the narrator senses that he is being followed by someone. Though he tries to
run, he could not. Before he tries to defend himself, he hears a voice asking him not to move
otherwise he will be dead. He feels a point the knife against his back. The stranger does not
want money from him whereas he demands the narrator’s blue eyes to make a blue bouquet
for his beloved.
The stranger appears to be a short and slight man. Though the narrator tells him that his eyes
are not blue, the stranger is not moved by his request. He asks the narrator to light a match to
check the colour of the eyes. After several attempts, the stranger realises that the eyes are not
blue. Throwing the narrator into terror, he disappears into the darkness.
After this horrible experience, the narrator runs through the deserted street and reaches the
hotel. The hotel keeper is still sitting there. Without uttering anything he goes inside. The
next day he flies away from that mysterious town. This story beautifully captures the trouble
that pervades our everyday life.
Conclusion
The story is rich in ironic pathos, humor, cruelty and metaphor.

Analysis

“The Blue Bouquet” by Mexican writer Octavio Paz, is a tale of a tourist who starts off being
happy, naïve, and content with the world, until he goes out for a walk one night and gets
mugged by a psychopath intent on plucking out his eyes.

The story starts with the protagonist waking up at night, in a hot hotel room in Mexico. He
seems peaceful and content, “breathing in the air from the fields, and listening to the
feminine breathing of the night”. He then gets dressed and goes out for a walk, despite the
hotelkeeper’s advice to stay in.
As he walks through the street, the tourist feels blessed and connected with nature. He
“smells the fragrance of the tamarind trees”, “listens to the sounds of leaves and insects”, and
admires the stars in the sky. As he walks along, he feels safe and free.
Then suddenly, he is stopped by a stranger at knife-point. The stranger wants to gouge out the
tourist’s eyes to make a bouquet of blue eyes for his sweetheart. The tourist first offers him
money, then tells him his eyes are light brown, not blue, and finally appeals to his sense of
brotherhood. But nothing dissuades the deranged stranger.

He makes the tourist light a couple of matches one after the other and hold it close to his
eyes. The tourist has a horrifying time, with the stranger “prying open his eyelids”, the blade
of the knife touching his eyelids and the flame of the match burning his eyelashes. Suddenly,
the stranger announces that the tourist’s eyes are not blue and lets him go.
The tourist is so terrified; he “huddles against the wall with his hands over his face”. He then
“runs through the deserted streets for almost an hour”, and gets out of that village the very
next day.
Thus, in the short span of one night, the innocence and contentment of the tourist is replaced
by horror. This short story by Octavio Paz poignantly highlights how the peace and
tranquility of a lifetime can be shattered in a moment by the vagaries of fate. Perhaps it is a
reminder to us how illusory our worldview can be. We see how life can throw at us shocking
surprises that could alter us forever, like the innocent tourist who will now forever carry
haunting memories wherever he goes.
 3. The Happy Prince
Oscar Wilde

Introduction

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, novelist, poet, and critic. Wilde
was born of professional and literary parents. He is regarded as one of the greatest
playwrights of the Victorian Era. In his lifetime he wrote nine plays, one novel, and
numerous poems, short stories, and essays.
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), and on his comic masterpieces Lady Windermere’s
Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). He was a spokesman for the late
19th-century Aesthetic movement in England, which advocated art for art’s sake and not
necessarily for moral and social reasons. This is the evident in many of the poems, short
storied and plays written by him. He had an extraordinary ability to incorporate both fantasy
and realism into his work. He was the object of celebrated civil and criminal suits involving
homosexuality and ending in his imprisonment (1895–97).

Summary
The Happy Prince is a beautiful story written by Oscar Wilde. It is the tale of a sculpture of
the Happy Prince that was covered with gold leaves and precious gems. The statue was
placed at a height such that it overlooked the city from the top. One fine day, a swallow bird
took shelter under the sculpture as he was flying to Egypt. He found out that the Happy
Prince was not happy indeed; he was rather miserable. So, the bird asked the Prince the
reason for his unhappiness. The Prince told him that when he was alive, he used to stay happy
in his palace. He stayed uninformed of his people during his lifetime. When he died, his
statue was erected on a tall column over the city. He became sad when he started noticing the
misery and suffering of the needy people in the city.

The Prince’s sculpture was covered with gold and many precious jewels. His body was
covered with gold leaves, his eyes had two splendid sapphires, and there was an enormous
red ruby that was shining on his sword handle. The sculpture of the Happy Prince looked
marvelous, and everyone praised the beauty of the statue. When the bird saw the Prince’s
eyes filled with tears upon seeing the misery of the people, he decided to become the
messenger of the Prince to make him happy again. This made the Prince glad. At first, the
Prince asked the swallow to take the ruby from his sword and give it to the needy seamstress
who had no money to take care of her ailing son. The bird did as commanded. The Prince
asked the little bird to stay and help him as he could not move from that place. On another
occasion, the Prince asked the bird to take out one sapphire from his eye and offer it to the
poor dramatist who could not afford to make a fire during winter to proceed with his
composition. The playwright was feeling very weak and hungry such that he could not finish
his play to deliver it to the producer on time. The bird followed the Prince’s instructions.
One day, the Prince noticed a match girl who was ruthlessly beaten by her father for allowing
her matches to fall into the canal. The Prince’s heart was filled with pain, and he promptly
asked the swallow to pluck out his other eye and help the young lady. However, the swallow
was unwilling to do so as this would make the Prince totally visually impaired. But the Prince
insisted, and the swallow plucked it and dipped past the match girl and slipped the gem into
the palm of her hand. Thereafter, the compassionate bird chose not to leave the Prince, who
was completely blind at this point.

Despite the fact that the Prince couldn’t see the distress or suffering of the people anymore,
the bird stayed with the Prince. Upon the instructions of the Prince, the swallow removed the
fine gold leaves from his body and offered them to the poor people. The bird obediently
followed the Prince’s words and took out leaf after leaf of gold till the Happy Prince looked
very dull and somber. Soon, winter came. There was snow everywhere, and the bird became
colder and colder. Despite being weary and cold, he didn’t leave the Prince. Eventually, he
became frail and died from exhaustion. Just then, there was a sudden curious crack that came
from inside the sculpture as though something had broken.

It was, indeed, the leaden heart of the Prince that had snapped directly in two pieces at the
sudden demise of the sweet and kind swallow. The sculpture was, therefore, no longer
valuable and beautiful. It stood abandoned. When the Mayor and the Town Councilors saw
the dull statue of the Prince, they pulled it down. Soon after, they melted the sculpture in a
furnace, yet the broken heart didn’t melt. Thus, it was rendered useless for them, so they
discarded it where the dead swallow was lying.

Soon, God requested one of His Angels to bring the two most valuable things to the city. The
Angel brought the leaden heart of the Prince and the dead swallow. God warmly welcomed
the two beings in His garden of Paradise and regarded them as His charming creations.

Analyses
The happy prince is a tale with multiple lessons. From one side it is the critic of the society
that can be cruel and heartless and on the other side; it is about the compassion towards
humans troubles.

The happy prince is a contemporary fairytale whose plot is surreal and it is placed into a
modern society with real problems. Oscar Wild tried to state in a simple way the virtues and
flaws of a person in all of his fairy tales and tried to criticize the society which is insensible.

The main character knew only about nice things and after that, he decided to open his lead
heart to everyone in need. When he helped them he didn’t regret about the decorations taken
down from him and he keeps on doing noble things with the help of a swallow. The swallow
was the proof that everyone can do selfless things even though they would maybe be risking
their lives. His love and devotion were rewarded with an eternal life.