THE LOST CHILD

MULK RAJ ANAND

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mulk Raj Anand was one of the first Indian writers who wrote in
English and gained popularity at an international scale. He
produced a remarkable body of work that contains several
short stories, novels and essays. Anand was born in Peshawar
and his father was a coppersmith. Anand was a highly
educated man; he graduated with honours from Punjab
university and then went to university college, London.
He first gained popularity for his novels, ‘Untouchable and
Coolie’. Among his other notable works is a trilogy consisting of
‘The Village, Across the black waters and the Sword and the
Sickle’. Through his empathetic portrayal of the lives of the
common Indian people, he provided stark social commentaries
on the structures of society. Anand is regarded as one of the
founding figures of Indian English literature.
 CENTRAL IDEA of the story
The story is set in an Indian village around the time of independence. Set during
springtime, the story offers a look into a period of time in history when changing
seasons were celebrated with fairs, which offered simple pleasures like the
sweetmeat seller, the flower seller, the snake charmer, a balloon seller, etc. The
time period is emphasised further by mention of the modes of transportation,
such as people riding on horses on the roads, while others rode in the bamboo
and bullock carts.
 THEME of the story

The underlying theme of the story “The Lost Child” is the universality of
a child's desire for everything that he claps his eyes on. All that
the child witnesses—from the toys lining the street, to the dragon flies in the
mustard field, to the snake swaying to the tunes of a snake charmer's pungi—
obsesses the child.

He looks at everything in wonder, his senses almost rejoicing at being alive. His
parents on the other hand make him abstain him from the lures of the illusionary
world as if secretly knowing that what he needs most is something else entirely.
They offer a quiet reminder that the child must learn to prioritise what is important
and what is not in life.
message
The story highlights the value of relationships over material goods. The child
realises the true value of his parents once he is separated from them. It also
sheds light on the universal fear of children and parents of getting separated
from one another and the result of such a calamity as seen from the eyes of a
little child.
 relevance of the title
The title beautifully captures the reactions of the child to the world around him
before and after he is lost.

The lesson is about an event that takes place in the life of a child who gets lost in
a fair. It expresses the fears, anxieties and worries of this very young child who is
separated from his parents due to his fascination with the world around him.
When he gets lost and separated from his parents, however, his fascination with
the world around is also lost.
 content analysis
‘The Lost Child’ is the story of a small child who gets lost in a fair. He had gone with his parents to
the fair but loses them when he gets engrossed in looking at a roundabout swing. The story highlights
the bond of love and affection that the child shares with his parents.
It was the season of spring. The people of the village came out of their houses, in colourful attire and
walked towards the fair. A child along with his parents was going to the fair and was very excited and
happy. He was attracted to the stalls of toys and sweets. Though, his father got angry but his mother
pacified him and diverted his attention towards other things. The child moved forward but once again
lagged behind because his eyes were caught by one thing or the other every now and then.
 content analysis - continued…
As they moved forward, the child wanted the various things on the stalls. His mouth watered
seeing sweets decorated with gold and silver leaves. He wanted his favourite burfi but
knowing that his parents would refuse on the ground that he was greedy, he walked ahead.
Then he saw beautiful garlands of gulmohur but didn’t ask for it, then he saw balloons but he
knew very well that his parents would deny due to the fact that he was too old to play with
balloons, so he walked away.
Then he saw a snake charmer and a roundabout swing. As he stopped to ask his parents for
permission to enjoy the swing, to his astonishment, there was no reply. Neither his father nor
his mother was there. Now the child realized that he was lost. He ran here and there but could
not find them. The place was overcrowded. He got terrified but suddenly a kind hearted man
took him up in his arms and consoled the bitterly weeping child. He asked if he would like to
have a joyride but the child sobbed “I want my father, I want my mother.” The man offered him
sweets, balloons and garland but the child kept sobbing “I want my father, I want my mother.”
 character sketch – the parents
The father of the child appears to be a strict disciplinarian who does not give into the
demands of the child for toys and sweets. He is the head of the family and both his
wife and child do not question his decisions. In fact he seems to be leading the family,
expecting them to follow him without dawdling.

The mother has been described as a typical loving mother who tries to soften the
disappointment of the child by diverting his attention from the objects that he wants to
possess. She seems to be torn between her husband and her child as she struggles
to keep pace with her husband and at the same time keep her child from straying. At
some point her attention seemed to have wavered, when her child gets separated
from her.
 character sketch – the child
The child is very young and full of joy and excitement at the thought of visiting the
fair. He is attracted by all the sights and sounds of the fair. Like all children of his age,
he wants whatever catches his fancy, whether a sweetmeat or a dragonfly. He is
however quite obedient and disciplined as he does not throw tantrum when his
parents don’t give him any of the things that he demands. In the end he dissolves into
tears as he realizes that he has lost his parents and makes a valiant effort to look for
them, almost getting trampled underfoot by the people at the temple before he is
rescued by a stranger. The same things that he had desired a little while ago lose all
meaning when he gets separated from his parents.
 character sketch – the stranger
The stranger appears to be a kind hearted man who rescues the lost child from
under the feet of people thronging outside the temple. He tries hard to stop the child
from weeping by offering him all the goodies at the fair and appears to be genuinely
concerned to restore the child to his parents.
I. Read the following extract and answer the questions that follow:
His father looked at him red-eyed, in his familiar tyrant’s way. His mother, melted by the free spirit of the
day was tender and, giving him her finger to hold, said, “look, child, what is before you!” It was flowering
mustard –field, pale like melting gold as it swept across miles and miles of even land.

1. The father looked red eyed because:

A)The child was being naughty

B)The child ran away
C)The child asked for a toy
D) The child refused to walk
2. Pick the option that does not correspond with the word ‘tyrant’.

A) Dictator
B) Oppressor
C) Authoritarian
D) Humanitarian

3. Identify the literary devices used in the given sentence.

‘It was flowering mustard –field, pale like melting gold as it swept across miles and miles of even land.’

A) Alliteration, Simile, Personification

B) Simile, Repetition, Imagery
C) Repetition , Metaphor, Personification
D)Simile, Imagery , Personification
 4. Choose a option that contains a statement which CANNOT be inferred from the extract.

A)The father in the story ,is the true advocate of universal paternity disciplining the child under tight vigilance.
B) The child’s mind lives in the present and never thinks or bothers about past or future.
C)Nature has the power to attract everyone towards it.
D) Authoritarian parents are always interested in negotiating and their focus is on children’s psychological well being.

5. The phrase 'free spirit' signifies that the mother is

A) deeply engrossed in thoughts.

B) in a festive mood.
C) not interested in anything.
D) none of these.
 Assignment

II. Answer the following questions in about 40-50 words.

[Link] does the child in the story lose himself ? How far is he responsible for his predicament?

2. How did the child enjoy the beauty of the nature on his way to the fair?

[Link] the condition of the child when he was separated from his parents in the fair.
 assignment

III. Answer the following question in about 100-120 words.

1. Imagine you are the stranger from the lesson ‘The Lost Child’. Write a diary entry
in about 120 words expressing your feelings when you found the lost child. Also
invent details of how you helped the child to reunite with his parents.