Trail of the Green Blazer

- R.K.Narayan

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Answer the following:

1. What did Raju love to find in the pockets he picked?

Raju loved to find a nice, bulging purse with loads of money in the pockets he
picked.

2. Why do you think the speaker called Raju an ‘idler’?

The speaker called Raju an ‘idler’ as he was lazy and wasn’t interested in doing
any work but theft.

3. Why did Raju select the Green Blazer as his ‘prey’?

The Green Blazer stood out among the crowd with its bright colour and the
promise of good money. This attracted Raju to it.

4. What made Raju think the green blazer was mean and petty?

Raju calls the Green Blazer ‘mean and petty’ as he haggled with the coconut seller
over the price of coconuts even though he was well off.

5. Why didn’t Raju throw the empty purse into the well?

Raju didn’t throw the empty purse into the well because he saw a balloon folded
and tucked away inside the purse. The Green Blazer had bought this to give to a
motherless child. Raju did not have the heart to rob the child of its balloon.

Think and answer:

1. Was Raju an innocent man? Do you sympathise with his situation? Why or
why not?

Raju is a pick-pocket. One day, he stole the purse from a person wearing a Green
Blazer. However, when he discovered the balloon that was bought by Green Blazer
to give to a motherless child, he was caught in a dilemma—whether to throw the
purse or return it to Green Blazer. He knew that a child would be left disappointed
and so attempts to put the purse minus the money back where he took it from. This
shows that though Raju is a pickpocket, he has a conscience. While putting the
purse back into Green Blazer’s pocket, he is caught and jailed. But Raju did not
consider what he was doing wrong. For him pick pocketing is a job that supports
his family. In Raju’s eyes, he tried to do the right thing and only ended up in
prison. While we sympathise with him, stealing is wrong and a crime. And so,
Raju cannot be called innocent.

2. Whom do you like more – Raju or the Green Blazer? Why?

Raju’s character is more likeable in the story because he is generous. Though a

pick-pocket by profession, he loves his family and he steals only to support his
family. He picks the pocket of the Green Blazer, who, though well-off, is portrayed
as stingy and miserly. He even bargains with the coconut seller over the price of
coconuts. Raju takes a huge risk in trying to return the purse, all because he is
overcome with pity for a child. The Green Blazer, however, has no mercy. He
beats Raju up cruelly on catching him. Raju’s kindness makes him a more likeable
person.

3. What incident in Raju’s life can be considered an irony?

In this story, a pickpocket named Raju, is punished for attempting to do a good

deed. One instance of irony in the story is that Raju’s wife and family lead a
comfortable life on the money that Raju steals and when Raju is sentenced to 18
months in prison, his wife says that he has shamed them. Another example of irony
is Raju is successful in robbing Green Blazer, but is caught while trying to do
something good: putting back the wallet into Green Blazer’s pocket.

III. Appreciating the Text

1. Sketch the character of Raju from the story Trail of the Green Blazer.

Ans .Raju, a central character of the story ‘Trail of the Green Blazer’ written by
the Indian Author R K Narayan, was a pick pocket who loved nice, bulging purses.
He was an idler who just had the energy to watch in a crowd and put his hands into
another person’s pocket. He was very fond of his family and with the money he
looted he would buy sweets, books and slates for his children and also buy a blouse
piece for his wife and made life comfortable for his family.
Raju being a seasoned thief, never thought of the emotions he played with while
picking pockets of many victims. His sole concentration was to pick a bulging
purse with his deft hands. He was patient like a hunter.Raju was deceitful not only
towards the people but also towards his wife as he never made it clear how he
earned the money. However, the compassionate nature could be seen when he was
prepared to take the risk of putting the purse back in the pocket of the man in the
Green Blazer on realizing it was meant for a motherless child. He was caught red-
handed by the man when he tried to do so. Raju tried to explain saying that he was
only keeping the purse back. The whole crowd roared with laughter on hearing
that. A thief giving back a purse to the rightful owner was something that was
never heard of and the crowd found that the most hilarious excuse.

Raju can be considered as a round character which enabled the readers to know all
sides of this character. His background, attitude, deeds can be easily understood.
The days he spent inside the jail didn’t bring any change in him. However, he
would have decided never to return anything stolen. For him pick pocketing was
merely a job that supported his family.

2. Write a short note on the themes used in the story.

Ans. The writer has used numerous themes in the story- pity, guilt, identity,
appearance, struggle, trust, commitment and so on. In the story, Raju is a pick
pocket who struggles to earn a living for his family. For him pick pocketing is a
profession, so he never thinks about others. He is very committed towards his
profession and can’t ignore any one even in a crowd. He appears to be a
responsible and loving father when he brings sweets and slates for his children. He
never reveals his true identity in front of his wife and doesn’t want to shatter her
belief that he has reformed. However, he feels guilty when he finds the balloon
from the Green Blazer’s purse. He feels pity for the motherless boy. Usually
people never trust a man like Raju though he tells the truth. He is caught at last
when he tries to put back the purse into Green Blazer’s pocket. He realises his
mistakes and decides to not to return anything stolen in the future.

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