OMPEE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

SESSION 2025-26
ENGLISH NOTES
GRADE: X
CHAPTER: THE THIEF’S STORY

INTRODUCTION: The story is about a 15 year old thief who changes his name
every month to stay ahead of the police and old employers. This me he keeps
his name Hari Singh. The other person in the story is a 25 year old writer
named Anil. The thief meets Anil and asks him if he can work for him. Anil gives
him work in his house. One day Hari Singh steals Anil’s money and runs away.
But the kindness and love of Anil make him come back and return the money.
The writer shows how the reforma on of a criminal is best achieved through
love and understanding rather than punishment.

THEME: The story deals with basic human values and rela onships. It is easier
for a thief to rob a greedy man. It is difficult even for a thief to rob a careless
and honest person. Hari Singh did steal Anil’s money but he couldn’t run away
with it. He had no friends because he regarded them to be trouble than help.
The only person he really knew was the man he had robbed. Moreover, Anil
was ready to educate Hari Singh. The thief’s conscience pricked him. He came
back to Anil and crept to his bed. He slipped the money under the ma ress
from where he had stolen it a few hours ago.

What is the moral of Thief's story?

In conclusion, The Thief's Story is a powerful tale that illustrates the
importance of honesty, the possibility of redemption, and the transformative
power of kindness. It is a reminder that we should always strive to be honest,
show kindness to others, and never give up hope for redemption.

What is the irony of the thief's story?

The thief, who appears dishonest and untrustworthy, ironically ends up being
deceived by someone he initially thought he could trust. This irony enhances
the story's message by highlighting the unpredictability of trust and deception.
CHARACTERS:
HARI SINGH : Hari Singh is a small- me thief. He is just fi een but an
experienced and fairly successful hand. His real name is not Hari Singh, he
keeps on changing names to escape from police. His modus operandi is that he
earns the trust of people and then robs them and flees. When he sees Anil, he
thinks of robbing him and hence approaches him and asks for work. He is an
expert in telling lies. Anil, being a simple person lets him work and even starts
teaching him how to cook. Hari Singh is delighted when Anil starts teaching him
how to write as he plans to rob on a larger scale. Hari exploits Anil’s generosity
and makes money by keeping aside a rupee for him from buying the day’s
supplies. One day Anil comes home with a bundle of notes. Hari Singh plans to
steal the money. He breaches Anil’s trust by stealing his money but later on
realizes that he has no friends and well-wishers. Anil’s large-heartedness and
his love for educa on transform him in the end. He comes back to Anil and
puts the stolen money back at the place from where it was stolen.

ANIL: Anil is a kind, simple and easy-going young man. He is tall and lean in
stature and has interest in sports like wrestling. He is not rich and cannot afford
to employ Hari as a servant. Hari Singh manages to convince Anil and so the
la er employs Hari Singh as a cook. He has the pa ence and goodness to not
only teach Hari to cook but also to read, write and add numbers. Though he
knows about Hari’s stealing of li le bits of money from the groceries, he
ignores this fact. Anil is a writer who writes for magazines and makes money in
fits and starts. He is a very trus ng person. Even when he earns a large amount
of money, he keeps the money under his ma ress and not in a safe box. Anil
knows all about the the but does not say anything to Hari Singh. He does not
want to hand over Hari Singh to the police. He is generous enough to pay Hari a
certain por on of the money which Hari tried to steal from him earlier. He has
a forgiving nature and forgives Hari of his the without le ng him know of his
discovery. He con nues to be a good man to Hari.

(Write the theme, moral,irony and characters in the register)

Short Answer Type Ques ons

Q1. What made Hari Singh come back to Anil?

Ans. Hari Singh returned to Anil because he felt guilty about robbing him. He
thought that people have different responses to being robbed. Some people
show fear, some show anger, and some show acceptance. But, Hari knew that
Anil would be sad, not for the loss of money but for the loss of trust. Hari could
not have the inner peace by robbing Anil. So, he returned back to him along
with the money.

Q2. In which queer way did Anil make a living?

Ans. Anil made a living in a queer way by borrowing money but repaid the loan
whenever he earned money through his writings for magazines. He lived life
according to the flow of money. When he got money, he enjoyed out with his
friends. When he had less money, he reduced his expenses.

Q3. Why does Anil not hand Hari Singh over to the police?
Ans. Anil did not hand Hari Singh over to the police because he knew that Hari
Singh had started becoming a better person and that’s why he had even
returned the stolen money. Anil wanted to improve Hari further. He wanted
him to become successful, independent and good at heart.

Q4. Education, love and sympathy can transform even a thief. How is it true
in the case of Hari Singh? [2020, 100-150 words]
Ans. In the story titled ‘The Thief’s Story’ we see that Anil Singh’s positive
attitude and careless outlook towards money transform Hari Singh, the thief.
Anil teaches Hari and overlooks the petty theft of one or two rupee done by
Hari on a daily basis. When he observes a change in Hari’s nature, he does not
acknowledge the attempted theft done by Hari Singh. He does not hand over
Hari to the police because he can foresee a reform in him. Anil’s careless
attitude towards money takes away the temptation to rob it and Hari finds
robbing such a person to be useless. Thus, Anil gradually reforms the hardened
thief.

Q5. Why did Hari Singh decide to return the stolen money? What light does it
throw on his character?

Q6. Having stolen Anil’s money what did Hari Singh do?
Q7. How did Had Singh realize that Anil knew about his theft?
Q8. How did he think Anil would react when he discovered the theft? Why
did he think so?
Q9. Why was it so difficult for Had Singh to rob a trusting and unsuspecting
person like Anil?
Q10. Describe Hari Singh’s dilemma at the station. Why didn’t he jumped into
a compartment of the Lucknow Express when he could?
Long Questions and Answers
Question 1: Money can’t make a man as much as education can. Elucidate
the statement.
Answer: The statement stands true in almost all the aspects of life. Money may
but us all the luxuries and fulfil our needs but it cannot buy us knowledge,
civilised thinking, skill and abilities to achieve our dreams. Education lays the
platform for all to act upon our goals according to our abilities. Education
enables us to keep up with the fast-moving world. It opens the door to
opportunities we do not know even exist. Money, on the other hand, can assist
us to a certain level. It can buy us a plan but education gives us the knowledge
of its execution. Just as in the story ‘A Thief’s Story’.
Hari Singh befriends the struggling author ‘Anil’, in the plans of making a steal.
Anil, the author is a good fellow and wants to teach Hari Singh how to read and
write. Gradually, he develops trust in Hari Singh. But Hari Singh has been
waiting for the right moment to steal the valuables of Anil. After stealing
money from Anil, Hari Singh tries to go away forever. But some inner voice
stops him from doing so. He returned to Anil because he wants to live a life of
respect. This shows that Hari Singh prioritised the chance of being literate over
a few hundred rupees; we must understand that education can help us to
achieve whatever we desire.

Question 2: Hari Singh didn’t board the express and returned to Anil. Why
did he return? On what values does this incidence put light on?

(All the ques ons to be done in the register along with the sample
ques ons.)