CLASS: X SUBJECT: ENGLISH TOPIC: THE LETTER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Dhumaketu (1892–1965) was the pen name of Gauri
Shankar Goverdhanram Joshi, a prolific writer, who is
considered one of the pioneers of Gujarati short stories.
He published twenty-four collections of short
narratives, as well as thirty-two novels on social and
historical subjects, and plays and travelogues. His
writing is characterized by a dramatic
style, romanticism and powerful depiction of human emotions. Along with short
stories, he wrote novels, dramas, stories and books for old people and children. In
all, he published more than 250 books in the various fields. He is the author of the
short story 'The Letter' which is adapted in the CBSE class X syllabus.
THEME
The theme of the chapter ‘The Letter’ is that the human beings are transformed
into better beings by suffering. For example, Ali’s brutality to animals is
converted to his sensitivity to their sufferings after he is separated from his own
daughter.
SUMMARY

Early in the morning at dawn, an old man by name

Coachman Ali was habituated to go to the post office
expecting a letter from his daughter Miriam who was
married to a soldier and went to live with him in Punjab
regiment. The people in the post office jestingly called out
his name to see him jump up and ask for letters. He had
never got a letter in his lifetime. They used to call him a mad man. The post office
was the pilgrimage for Coachman Ali as he went there with boundless faith and
infinite hope.

SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 1 of 7
He did not go to post office for few days. Later, when he went there, he enquired
the post master if he had received any letter from his daughter Miriam or else
asked him to register the name. The postmaster who was in a hurry to go out was
rude to Ali and called him ‘a pest.’ Ali gave five gold coins to one of the clerks
named Lakshmi Das and asked him to deliver his daughter’s letter to him
whenever it comes. After this he returned home. The postmaster too one day
found himself in a similar situation when his daughter was sick and he didn’t get
any news of her. He couldn’t sleep and went to the post office early in the
morning. When he was searching for his daughter’s letter he found a letter
addressed to Coachman Ali. He dropped it as if it gave him an electric shock. He
understood the feelings of Ali and the reason why he was raving the hostile
weather all the way to the post office. The postmaster could visualize Ali’s wraith
like image standing at the door. Lakshmi Das the clerk to whom Ali had given
five gold coins to deliver his daughter’s letter informed the post master that Ali
had died three months ago. The postmaster was perplexed. He couldn’t believe
his eyes. He accompanied Lakshmi Das the clerk to deliver Ali’s letter to the grave.

CHARACTER SKETCH:
COACHMAN ALI
Coachman Ali is a character conceived by Dhumaketu
for the story "The Letter". He is a devoted father,
who, in the last stretch of his life,
philosophizes that the universe is built through love
and that the grief of separation is inescapable.

Ali was a hunter until he was about fifty. His sharp eyes made him an ace hunter.
Towards the evening of his life, he stopped hunting, as he could no longer enjoy
the sportsman's pleasure of seeing the bewildered terror of the young birds when
they saw their parents dying before their eyes. This change came over him when
he himself suffered terribly after his daughter married and left home. He
experienced stark pain that separation gives. After having understood that the

SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 2 of 7
world was bound by love, and only love, Ali displayed the utmost patience and
tolerance when people criticized him for waiting with boundless hope for five
long years for a letter from his daughter. His love for his daughter
and his sympathetic understanding for the people around him show that he
could now accept people with all their shortcomings.

Through Ali, Dhumketu depicts the emotion of parental love. An old man always
thinks of his children. The news from them and about them is always welcome
but when a daughter does not write to her father for years, a father can die
requesting someone to send her letter to his grave when it arrives.

POSTMASTER
The postmaster was an ill tempered man who cared the least about any other
person’s lfe and plight. He was always impatient and emotionless. He has been
compared with a pumpkin, as he had a sad and inexpressive face. He was not at
all compassionate towards anybody in need and paid no heed to anyone. Initially,
he could not understand why Ali had been so keenly waiting for someone’s letter.
That is why he called Ali a pest. He understood the apathy of Ali only after not
being able to receive a letter from his daughter. For him, the letters and envelopes
at the post office were mere pieces of paper. He was a very ruthless and practical
man.
However, his character saw a drastic change when he too became anxious of not
receiving any news from his ill daughter. He deeply felt for the suffering of Ali
and realised the affection a father could have for his daughter. Now he
understood the magnitute of each letter, that each of them carried an emotion –
pain, love or a throbbing heart.

SOLVED QUESTIONS:
I Stand -alone MCQs:
i. Ali's walking to the Post Office daily even in biting cold weather shows his
__________.

SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 3 of 7
a. courage b. optimism c. foolishness d. strength of will
ii. The Post Office is referred to as Ali's "place of pilgrimage" as he__________.
a. visited it daily c. came there to pray for a letter from his daughter
b.went there with faith and hope d. believed God would bless him if he went
there
iii. The Post Master's rudeness to Ali reveals his ____________________________..
a. lack of empathy c. preoccupation with his work
b. preconceived notions d.sensitivity
REFERENCE TO CONTEXT
i. ‘’Ali came out very slowly,turning after every few steps to gaze at the post
office’’.
a. Where had Ali gone?
Ans: Ali had gone to meet the postmaster in the postoffice.
b. What is his state of mind in the given line?
Ans: He was feeling helpless and sad as he could trace no information about
about his daughter’s letter. Moreover, the postmaster misbehaved with him.

c. What do you mean by the word ‘gaze’?

Ans: The word ‘gaze’ means to stare or to look continuosly.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:

i. How do you know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office?
Ans: Ali was a well-known figure at the post office because he had been visiting
the post office regularly for last five years. He sat on the same bench everyday
waiting for his name to be called. The postmen made fun of him. They knew well
that each day he used to come early in the morning, hoping to get his daughter’s
letter. Even though there would be no letter for him, they would call out his
name, just to see his reaction.

ii. Who was Ali? Where did he go daily?

Ans: Ali was an old man who used to be a hunter in his days of youth. The only
living member of his family is his daughter Miriam whom he has not seen for
years. He visits the post office daily with the faith and hope that her letter will

SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 4 of 7
 arrive. However, old age and loneliness have turned him nearly mad. The
postmen make fun of him and tease him by calling his name daily even if no
mail has arrived in his name.
iii. “Ali displays qualities of love and patience”. Give evidence from the story to
support the statement.
Ans: Ali’s longing for his daughter’s mail is the first sign of love in his heart. He
treats the post master with respect and patience by calling him Sahib when he
asks him if any mail has arrived in his name from his daughter. He again
demonstrates patience when he hands over the five guineas to the clerk
requesting him to send Miriam’s letter to his grave when it arrives. “Yes. It is true.
Today is my last day: my very last, alas! And I have not seen Miriam, I have had
no letter from her.” There were tears in Ali’s eyes as the clerk slowly left him and
went on his way with the five golden guineas in his pocket.”
LONG ANSWER QUESTION:
What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story 'The
Letter'? What different set of values prompted him to react in this way?
Ans: In the beginning the postmaster appears to be haughty, arrogant, ill-
tempered, unfeeling, selfish, impatient, insensitive, indifferent, irresponsible and
unresponsive. His face is as inexpressive as a pumpkin. There is no sign of
loveliness in his features. He does not understand Ali's feelings and anxiety. He
considers Ali a mad man and rebukes him by calling him a 'pest'. But, he
undergoes a complete transformation when he himself faces the mental trauma
of not getting the news of his own daughter's well-being. Now he realizes the
pain and suffering of Ali. He is full of remorse, guilt and repentance. He becomes
loving, caring, helpful and sympathetic. He realized the pain and anguish that Ali
must have undergone waiting to hear of his beloved daughter’s well-being at a
far-off place.
ASSIGNMENT
I Stand -alone MCQs
i. "Tortured by doubt and remorse, he sat down in the glow of the charcoal sigri
to wait." The Post Master was waiting for____________________________.
a. a letter from Miriam b. a letter from his own daughter
b. a letter from Ali d. Ali to deliver Miriam's letter to him.

SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 5 of 7
 ii. Ali did not come to the Post Office for several days as
_____________________.
a. he had given up hope c. he was upset by the Post Master's rebuke
b. he was unwell and not able to walk to the Post Office
d. he was busy hunting
II REFERENCE TO CONTEXT
i. “But when the evening of his life was drawing in, he left his old ways and
sudddenly took a new turn.”
a. What do you understand by the expression ‘evening of his life’?
b. Whom does ‘he’ stand for in the above lines? Which old ways did he leave?
c. How did this ‘new turn’ affect his outlook on life?
III SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS:
i. Why was Ali leading a cheerless existence?
ii. Why could Ali not enjoy a sportsman’s pleasure of hunting any more after
Miriam left him?
iii. Coachman Ali and the post master share feeling of guilt but their realization
come a little late to make amends. Describe what they feel guilty about and
how the realization comes to them?
iv. Justify the title ‘The Letter’.
v. Why did Ali give five gold coins to Lakshmi Das?
vi. What led to the end of the haughty temper of the postmaster?
IV LONG ANSWER QUESTION:
i. You are one of the villagers who have noticed Ali and his helplessness. Write
a letter to your friend giving an account of the life and experience of this
depressed man.

SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 6 of 7
SCM_X_ENGLISH_2023-24_TERM-1 Page 7 of 7