The Thief's Story
Trust, education and change
Discuss Anil's trust and Hari's change of heart.
How Hari's idea of education grows.
- At first: 'once I could write like an educated man there would be no limit to what I could achieve': education as a tool, maybe even for bigger crimes.
- Later: 'to be a really big man, a clever and respected man, was something else'. Stealing is simple, and getting caught is simple too.
Why Anil doesn't call the police. The money came back. Anil chooses trust and a second chance over punishment. Most employers would have handed Hari over. Anil is different: he cares more about the boy than the money.
Does it matter that Anil is a writer? A struggling writer knows hard times, loves learning, and is careless about money. That helps explain why he teaches Hari, and why he can forgive.
How does a boy become a thief? Poverty, no family, no school, nobody who cares. Kindness and education can turn him back.
Where is it set? The clues are the Jumna, Lucknow, the maidan, the bazaar, Jumna Sweet Shop: a town in north India. Anil and Hari would really have been speaking Hindi, not English.
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