Mulk Raj Anand: “The Lost Child”
Introduction
of the story:
“The Lost Child” is a short story written by
famous Indian English author, Mulk Raj Anand. The
story “The Lost Child” written is about a fair in a child is lost. He
has written a number of novels and short stories. This short story, “The Lost
Child” deals with the incidents of a child who goes to a fair with his parents.
He is happy and excited and wants the sweets, toys and flowers, etc displayed there. He asks for toys, sweets, flowers etc. form
his parents but they don’t buy them for him.
When the child gets lost later, he refuses to accept the things he asked
for earlier and persists on getting back to his father and mother.
The story “The Lost Child” is described by a
third person speaker who does not interrupt into the action. He is the
objective spectator telling, narrating and recording the events himself. It is
possible to understand the story at different levels. In the story, the narrator
blends the concrete and the abstract, the particular and the general, the
individual and the collective to create the proper atmosphere for the
development of the theme. The author uses a number of illustrations, acoustic
and olfactory images to make the scene and situation come alive.
Textual Questions:
Comprehension
A.
Answer the following in a single word, phrase or sentence each.
1.
Why does the child often lag behind?
Ans.: He
is fascinated towards the toy shops.
2.
What does the child's mother point out to distract him?
Ans.
Showing him other natural things such as: field,
files, trees and sun etc.
3.
Why does the child eventually stop asking for the things he desires?
Ans.
Because he knows that they will not give him these
things.
4.
When does the child first discover that his parents are missing?
Ans.
When he reaches the near swirling and wants to have a
trip on it.
5.
Where does the man discover the child?
Ans.
In the Temple.
6.
How is the child brought to the man's notice?
Ans.
He heard his cry.
B.
Answer the following in about 150 words each.
1.
What are the things the child sees on his way to the fair? How do his parents
respond to this?
Ans.: On his way to
the fair, the child first comes upon toy shops that were lined on the way. In
an attempt to distract the child his mother shows him the golden mustard field,
full of dragon flies intercepting the flight of a lone black bee. There are
also butterflies fluttering about in search of nectar. He also sees insects and
worms which come out to enjoy the spring sunshine. He asks for toys, sweets,
flowers etc. form his parents but they don’t buy them for him.
2.
What things does the child desire in the fair?
Ans.: The child sees many things at the fair, such as sweets like
gulab jamun, rasgulla, burfi, and jalebies. He wants to have burfi as it was
his favourite. Next, he yearns for a garland of gulmohur; followed by tempting
rainbow coloured balloons. Then he takes fancy to the snake charmer’s music.
Finally, he badly wants to have a ride on the roundabout.
3.
How have the lost child's anxiety and fear been described?
Ans.: The child’s anxiety and
fear has been brought about in an expressive manner. On finding out that he had
lost his way the boy cries out and tears start rolling from his eyes.
Panic:stricken he runs about hither: thither, not knowing where to go or what
to do. His yellow turban becomes untied and his clothes become mud stained.
4. Why
does the lost child lose interest in the things he wanted earlier?
Ans.: The lost child did not take interest in things that he had
demand from his parents. When he gets lost, he refuses to accept the
things he asked for earlier and persists on getting back to his father and
mother. In
short the things which the child wished have no value when he has lost his
parents, who are more precious than anything else, and wants them back.
C.
Answer the following in about 300 words each.
1.
Describe how the story manages to immerse the reader in the child's feelings
over the course of the story.
Ans.: This short story, “The Lost Child” deals with the incidents of a
child who goes to a fair with his parents immerses all the reader’s feelings
with the child. The child is happy and
excited and wants the sweets, toys and flowers, etc displayed at the fair. As a child like other children he asks for
toys, sweets, flowers etc. form his parents but they don’t buy them for him. It
is naturally that all the readers will immerse in the child’s feelings that
feelings were not fulfilled by his own parents.
When the child gets lost later, he refuses to accept the things he asked
for earlier and persists on getting back to his parents; this may remind the
readers about the affection of their own children.
When reader starts to read about child who is
fascinated towards different things at the fair their emotions immerse with
them over the course of the story. As a
child he wants to buy the toys but his father gets annoyed when he demands to
buy them. His mother however is in a pleasing temper and tries to divert his
attention by showing him other natural things such as: field, files, trees and
sun etc. The boy is delighted with the dragon flies, butterflies and the lone
black bee in the mustard fields. He also becomes absorbed with the insects and
worms on the road. His parents call him,
and then lift him, up before going on towards the fair. When they reached in
the fair the child like and want different things such as: sweets balloons, and
garland of gulmohur etc. He did not express his wish to his parents because he
knows that they will not give him these things at this time the reader will
immerse with the feelings of the child.
When the boy reaches the near swirling
he wants to have a trip on it, and turns around courageously to get consent
from his parents for a travel on this. But when he looks there unfortunately he
recognizes that he had lost his parents. He starts crying and tears start
continuing from his eyes. Being terrified he pleads for help but did not know
what to do and how to search parents. His turban becomes free and his clothes
become dirty due to mud. He seeks his parents all over the place but is not
capable to find them. The ending of the story has deeply immersed all the readers in to the child’s
feelings because it is more tragic that a child rejects all what he wanted for
the sake of his parents.
2.
How does Mulk Raj Anand bring out the rural flavor through this story?
Ans.: Mulk Raj Anand was one of the first Indian English
writers. He is regarded as one of the
founding figures of Indian English literature. He is prominent for his stories associated to the
customary society and the deprived class of rural society. He wrote mostly about the lives of the poor,
exploited rural Indian people and about social evils like the caste system,
untouchability and communalism which were more privileged in rural societies.
Mulk Raj Anand brings out the
rural flavor throughout the story “The Last Child”. The setting of the story is
village and have full flavor of rural life throughout the story. The story starts in the early morning of
spring in a village. The village people dressed in new colored clothes and
start out to visit the temple fair. A couple takes their child with them on the
fair. The child with his parents was eager and gay. As a child the boy is fascinated towards the
toy shops. As a child he wants to buy the toys but his father gets annoyed when
he demands to buy them. His mother however is in a pleasing temper and tries to
divert his attention by showing him other natural things such as: field, files,
trees and sun etc. The boy is delighted with the dragon flies, butterflies and
the lone black bee in the mustard fields. He also becomes absorbed with the
insects and worms on the road. His
parents call him, and then lift him, up before going on towards the fair. When
they reached in the fair the child like and want different things. When the boy reaches the near swirling he
wants to have a trip on it, and turns around courageously to get consent from
his parents for a travel on this. But when he looks there unfortunately he
recognizes that he had lost his parents. He goes near the temple in the crowd
where he is picked by a kind man. The
man tries to calm him and offers him all the things he had wanted one after the
other; but the child is terribly upset and wants nothing but his parents.
In short the setting as well as
the theme and message brings out the rural flavor when we study this story.
