The Boy Who Broke the Bank
The author discusses Nathu, a young sweeper who is unhappy and discontented with his overdue salary. The author humorously interprets the chaos caused by rumors.
Meet the Author
- Ruskin Bond is an Anglo-Indian Author known for his vivid descriptions of landscapes and insightful portrayal of human emotions.
- Born: 19 May, 1934
- Place of Birth: Kasauli, Punjab state agency, British India.
- Major Works: The Room on the Roof, Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra, A Flight of Pigeons
- Best Known For: He is known for transporting readers to visualise the landscapes of India, and depicts the complexity of human relationships.
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Summary & Analysis
The story begins with Nathu, vigorously sweeping the steps of Pipalnagar Bank, owned by Seth Govind Ram. Sitaram, the washerman's son enquires about this frustration and discontentment. Nathu complains with angst that he was neither given a hike nor paid properly as it was already the twentieth of the month.
Sitaram assures he would actively find job prospects on his behalf. When Sitaram encounters Srivastava, he discovers she needs a sweeper. Sitaram enthusiastically recommends Nathu for this job emphasizing that Nathu wasn't paid and wanted to quit the bank. When Srivastava heads to meet her friend Mrs Bhushan to purchase clothes. After all the discussions, she informs about Nathu not being paid. This catches the attention of Mrs. Bhushan leaving her to think that if the sweeper wasn't paid, other employees also wouldn't have been paid.
She then finds her husband with Kamal Kishore, the photographer who wasn't surprised by the news as he did not have any account. But he got reminded of his friend Deep Chand who had an account. Deep Chand, after knowing the news, rushed from the barbershop to call Seth Goving Ram.
Seth was on a luxury vacation and was found to be out of reach. Deep assumed that he fled the place to evade the penalties of being bankrupt. The news spread like wildfire to the betel seller, tailor, fruit vendor, and even beggar who desperately ran to save his thousand rupees in the account.
Men stood in groups at street corners discussing the situation. Pipalnagar seldom had a crisis, seldom or never had floods, earthquakes or droughts; and the imminent crash of the Pipalnagar Bank set everyone talking and speculating and rushing about in a frenzy.
The whole town was in turmoil, with people assuming facts that Seth had hidden or fled somewhere. They created wild stories, even claiming he had hung himself. This frustration escalated to the townspeople reacting vigorously, throwing stones and rubbish on the bank.
Sitaram comes to inform Nath about all the chaos and advises him to look for a new job. Nath innocently swept the dust and pondered over the mystery of how the bank collapsed.
‘Who would have thought the bank would collapse!’ he said to himself, and looked thoughtfully into the distance. ‘I wonder how it could have happened…’
The chapter ‘The Boy Who Broke the Bank’ depicts how one misunderstanding spread can affect people's lives like a chain reaction. The beggar who ran to the bank who was lying all these days demonstrates that appearances are deceptive. The tale also reminds us to not believe what everyone says and to enhance effective communication.
The plot of ‘The Boy Who Broke the Bank’ unfolds quickly and is narrated in the third person funnily by the narrator. The irony is significant here in how fast the news spreads like wildfire. The narration gains momentum in pace with the rumor that is spread swiftly among the community.
Now let us take a look at some of the literary devices used in the story.
Irony:
The irony is we as main readers know what is going to happen that even the main characters are unaware of. Situational irony highlights the old beggar Ganapat who had crooked legs.
Chronology:
It starts with a sequence of events in chronological order from the boy who complained about the salary to the boy who realized the bank collapsed.
Imagery:
The Imagery is used by the writer to bring the scene to life. Some of the examples from the story are:
Visual imagery: Plodded barefoot along the road, the big bundle of clothes hiding his head, and shoulders.
Auditory imagery:And so they gathered outside, on the steps of the bank shouting Give us Our money or we'll break in!
These literary techniques emphasize more on the story of how a simple misunderstanding can break society. It also ensures proper listening is mandatory.
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The Boy Who Broke the Bank Questions and Answers
Below are a few questions that you can look out for your examinations and class tests. Stand out with perfectly written answers with help of Aneetta Class.
He was grumbling as his salary was overdue and wasn't paid properly by the Pipalnagar bank owned by Seth Govind Ram.
They were spreading rumors like wildfire without verifying the facts. They believed blindly of whatever was informed to them.
He innocently pondered over the mystery of how the bank collapsed despite not knowing it was because of him.