Characters of The Tiger in The Tunnel:
Baldeo is the main character of the story, a middle-aged man. He lives with his wife and children. He has a small farm. He doesn’t make much through farming and thus to aid his family he tries to get a job in Indian Railways. He is given the job of a watchman. He is very happy. He immediately takes up the job. He considers it to be a blessing. His main job is to keep track of a tunnel and give signals to trains before they pass through it. The train has to slow near a turning and then enter a tunnel. Baldeo has to make sure that this tunnel is free from any obstacles. Baldeo is very sincere and he enjoys his job. Tembu is the other important character of the story. He is a twelve-year-old teenage son of Baldeo who lives with his parents and a younger sister. Tembu is a curious and courageous boy who likes to accompany and help his father at his job.
Summary of The Tiger in The Tunnel:
The story revolves around a twelve-year-old boy named Tembu who lives with his father Baldeo, mother, and younger sister in a tribal village on the outskirts of a jungle forest in India. His father is a poor farmer who owns a small rice field. However, Baldeo fails to earn enough through farming, and as his children are growing old and hence, he joins Indian Railways as a watchman at a nearby railway station to aid his family with extra income. In the jungle near the railway station, there is a long dark tunnel cut into the rock through which trains pass through. The train has to slow near a turning and then enter a tunnel. Baldeo’s duty is to make sure that this tunnel is free from any obstacles. He is provided a bare hut near the tunnel where he stays at night. His duty is to keep the signal lamp burning and make sure that the tunnel is clear of obstruction so that the overland mail can pass through safely. His son Tembu is a curious growing kid who likes to watch trains as they pass through. Often Tembu would accompany his father to his job at the railroad, sleeping with him in the hut.
In the village, rumors of a wild man-eating tiger are making rounds. Some people have seen the tiger attacking the cattle and they say that the tiger has attacked some lonely persons too. Winter is coming and the nights are beginning to be cold. One night, Baldeo goes to the hut in the jungle to perform his duty and as usual, Tembu accompanies him. Tembu awakens close to midnight and sees that his father is preparing to leave to check the signal lamp and the tunnel. Tembu asks if he should go with Baldeo.
Baldeo is worried as he has heard tales of the famous man-eating tiger who is known to frequent the area, but he has neither seen nor heard it so far during his nightly treks. Yet he decides to keep Tembu away from any probable danger in the safety of the hut. Thus, when Tembu asks him if he could go with him to the tunnel, he responds that it is cold outside and that the boy should stay in the shelter of the hut.
Baldeo is aware of the possible danger but he confidently goes out alone through the darkness. He is used to the ways of the jungle and for his safety, he has taken a small axe that was given to him by his father. He is confident in his ability to face any danger. The axe is small and ‘fragile to look at but deadly when in use.’The axe, which his father made for him, is an extension of himself, and he is capable of wielding it with great skill against wild animals.
Soon Baldeo reaches the tunnel and finds that the signal light is out. He takes down the lantern, reignites it, and then puts it back in the position where it could signal clearance to the upcoming train. At the hut, Tembu listens to some low-distant rumbles. He is excited about the train and wakes up as he waits for the train to pass and for Baldeo to return.
Before going back, Baldeo enters the tunnel to check if there is any obstacle. As he returns to the entrance, he feels the ground is trembling and he realizes that the train is about to come. As Baldeo is about to exit the tunnel, a tiger suddenly appears at the entrance of the tunnel and approaches toward Baldeo. He knows that the tiger is a man-eater. He cannot run away because the tiger can run very fast. Undeterred, Baldeo stands firmly with his back to the signal post and braces to use his ax. When the tiger attacks he evades to a side and digs his ax in the tiger’s shoulder.
The unexpected attack rattles the tiger and it gets enraged and attacks Baldeo again. Baldeo dodges again and drives his axe through the tiger’s shoulder, almost severing the leg. This time, though, the axe remains embedded in the bone, and Baldeo is left without a weapon.
The tiger is in great agony as he roars in pain and jumps on Baldeo again who is now weaponless. This time, Baldeo fails to dodge the tiger who tears Baldeo apart with his paws. The tiger too is very tired and lethally wounded. The tiger sits down to lick his wounded leg and in its pain, the tiger fails to realize that the train is about to enter the tunnel. The tiger tries to come out through the entrance but there is no space left as the train enters the tunnel. Trapped, the tiger runs into the tunnel as fast as its wounded leg will carry it. The noise is deafening as the train follows, but when the train exits on the other side, there is only silence. The train driver notices the headlamps of the train at the next stop and finds a large portion of the tiger’s body cut in half by the engine, trapped just above the train's cowcatcher.
Meanwhile, Tembu realizes that the train has passed for a long but his father has not returned yet so he decides to go to the tunnel where he finds the dead body of his father, ripped apart by the tiger. The crying child remains with his father’s corpse all night to protect it from scavenging animals like hyenas. The next morning, when Baldeo and Tembu do not return to the village, Tembu’s mother and younger sister visit the hut in the jungle and when they check the tunnel, they come to know about the demise of Baldeo. The family grieves his death for a few days but life is to go on. Now when Baldeo is no more, the financial responsibilities must be taken over by Tembu and his mother. The next week, Tembu is given the same job given to his father. Tembu returns to the tunnel and continues in his father’s shoes. Devoted to his father’s legacy, he ensures that the signal light is always lit and clears all the obstructions in the tunnel. He also wields the same ax, a tribute to his late father and the commitment to protect his family. Tembu, unafraid and determined, becomes the new protector of his family.
Analysis of The Tiger in The Tunnel:
One of the main themes of the story is the protection of the family. Baldeo realizes the dangers at night in the jungle when the rumors about the man-eating tiger are ripe and thus he ensures that Tembu remains in the safety of the hut. After his father’s death, Tembu suddenly finds himself in the shoes of his father, the protector of the family, and decides to take on his job as the watchman. Another important theme is courage. Baldeo realizes that trying to run away from the tiger will be futile as he cannot outrun the tiger and he courageously encounters the tiger had he not lost his axe, he might have come out of the tunnel alive. After Baldeo’s death, Tembu is aware of all the possible dangers associated with the job of watching the tunnel, yet he accepts the job courageously and proudly performs the same duties that his father used to perform.
Tembu and his family appear to be living in a male-dominated society. Though Tembu is just twelve years old, he is still a male and thus, after the death of his father, he is expected to take responsibility as the provider of the family.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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