The Letter

Summary: This story was written by Dhumketu. This story is about an old man who was a hunter during his heydays. When his daughter got married, he understood the pain of separation. After that, he gave up hunting began another phase of his life, i.e. to wait for a letter from his daughter. He goes to the post office every day to enquire about the letter. The post office becomes a pilgrimage for him and he continues his daily pilgrimage for five years. Everyone in the post office makes fun of him but nobody ever tries to understand the pain of an old man who is waiting for a letter from his beloved daughter. On his last visit to the post office, the old man gives five guineas to a clerk and requests him to deliver the letter to his grave whenever the letter comes. One day; the postmaster is anxiously waiting for a letter from his sick daughter and his agony makes him realize the pain and agony which the old man must have suffered. It was on that day when a  letter from the old man’s daughter arrives. But it was too late because the old man had died by that time. However, at the end of the story; everyone in the post office appear to realize the importance of human emotions and relationships.

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

Answer: Ali was an old man who was a clever shikari in his youth. He went to the Post Office  daily  for the last five years to receive a letter from his daughter .

b.    
"Ali displays qualities of love and patience". Give evidence from the story to support the statement.

Answer: Ali loves his daughter too much. This is evident from the fact that when his daughter goes away , he realizes the pain of separation. He has a lot of patience which is evident in his daily journey to the Post Office.

c.    How do you know Ali was a familiar figure at the post office?

Answer: All the people at the post office knew him by face and name. They even remembered his daughter’s name. They often discuss the mental state of Ali during breaks. This shows that Ali was a familiar figure at the post office.

d.    Why did Ali give up hunting?

Answer: When Ali’s daughter got married and left him; he understood the pain of separation. He began to feel the pain of the birds whose  dear ones had killed. After that, Ali gave up hunting.

e.    What impression do you form of the postmaster after reading the story 'The Letter'?

Answer: The postmaster had an expressionless face ard was too occupied with his own affairs to think about others. It is only when he  had  to wait for the news of the well being of his daughter , he realized a father’s anxiety for his daughter. This
incidence totally changes  him.

f.    The postmaster says to Ali, "What a pest you are, brother!" Do you agree with the statement? Give reasons for your answer.

Answer: I do not agree with this statement. Though Ali comes daiy to the post office;he waits patiently without disturbing anyone.Hope lures him to the door whenever post office employees jokingly call out his name,but he does not rebuke them.

g."Ali came out very slowly, turning after every few steps to gaze at the post office. His eyes were filled with tears of helplessness, for his patience was exhausted, even though he still had faith." Why were Ali's eyes filled with tears of helplessness? What had exhausted his patience but not his faith?

Answer:   Ali’s eyes were filled with tears of helplessness.  because he felt hurt at the postmaster’s rough and uncivilized  behaviour. His not receiving any letter from Miriam for over a period of five years and the old age had exhausted his patience. But he had still faith that he would receive a letter from Miriam.

h.Tortured by doubt and remorse he sat down in the glow               of the charcoal sigri to wait. Who is tortured by doubt and remorse? Why? What is he waiting for?    
Answer: The postmaster was tortured by doubt and remorse.

The postmaster is tortured by doubt and remorse .He was in doubt about well being of his daughter. He was remorseful because he failed to understand Ali’s pain and anxiety.He is waiting for the news of the wellbeing of his daughter.

         7- Tortured by doubt and remorse. the postmaster sits in the glow of a charcoal sigri                    that night, waiting for news of his daughter. As he sits, he writes his diary. As the                   postmaster, write a diary in about 150 words outling your feeling about the day’s                   events.

         4^th Aug.2016
         9.50 P.M.

I am overburdened with a feeling of doubt and remorse at how I have treated Ali. Today as I was waiting to give the letter Ali had been waiting so long to receive personally to him. I saw Ali coming and knocking at the door. I duly asked him to come in. He was leaning on his stick and had tears on his face. However, his features were unearthly.I gave him the letter. But later Lakshmi Das informed me that Ali had died three months back.

I am feeling a sense of remorse and  guilt at the way I have treated Ali. I  have  insulted Ali. I laughed at his genuine feeling of love for Miriam when he used to wait for a letter from her. I overlooked the human side of his emotions then. But very soon I found myself in the same predicament. I realised my foolishness towards Ali. This has cut me to piecess. How can I make amends for my rough and rude behaviour towards Ali when he was alive ! I really repent my actions and feel  that I should not have been harsh to Ali.

Postmaster