Trust and compassion can reform a person. Justify this statement in the light of the lesson ‘The Thief’s Story’.

Question :Trust and compassion can reform a person. Justify this statement in the light of the lesson ‘The Thief’s Story’.

The correct answer is – The statement “Trust and compassion can reform a person” can be justified by analyzing the character transformation of the protagonist in the short story ‘The Thief’s Story’ by Ruskin Bond.

The protagonist in the story is a young thief who has been caught stealing and is being taken to prison. He narrates his story to a fellow passenger on the train and shares his struggles and hardships that led him to a life of crime. The protagonist’s life had been marked by poverty, hunger, and neglect, which forced him to take up stealing to survive.

However, during his conversation with the kind and understanding stranger, the thief begins to feel a sense of empathy and compassion from the stranger. This sense of empathy and understanding is something that the thief had never experienced before, and it touches him deeply. The stranger listens to the thief’s story with a sympathetic ear and tries to understand the reasons behind his actions.

The stranger’s kindness and compassion toward the thief creates a sense of trust and understanding between them. This trust and understanding lead the thief to realize the wrongness of his actions and begin to see the possibility of a better life. The thief starts to feel a sense of remorse for his past deeds and decides to turn over a new leaf.

In the end, the thief decides to give up his life of crime and start anew, inspired by the kindness and trust shown to him by the stranger on the train. The stranger’s compassion and empathy for the thief led to his transformation from a hardened criminal to a reformed person.

In conclusion, the story shows that trust and compassion can indeed reform a person. The stranger’s kindness and understanding toward the thief created a sense of empathy and trust that ultimately led to the thief’s transformation. This story highlights the importance of understanding and compassion in transforming people’s lives, especially those who have gone astray due to poverty, neglect, or other circumstances beyond their control.