"in any case, we couldn't have kept a criminal like him in the house"what message is conveyed by this sentence ?
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a playmate, Sidda gave Leela an extreme happiness. In return Leela wanted her mate to be educated a little. So at day’s end Leela played as teacher to Sidda. Leela tried to teach Sidda with her little knowledge of drawing, and writing two or three letters of the alphabets. She asked Sidda to copy those. But despite having magical imagination, Sidda was a very poor performer as a student. Examining his effort, Leela scolded him like a real teacher and pitying on him she redoubled her efforts. She did not allow him to leave his task until Sidda relieved himself by telling falsely her about her mother’s call.
Sidda, the servant, is the title character of the story. He was simple, tidy and honest. He had a dark history. He was illiterate but had a great magical imagination. Leela liked him from first meeting. Being a lower class, he was treated like an animal by the adults. He had to do a laborious list of works for his livelihood. But he was a faithful playmate of Leela and dropped any work to her call. Since Leela’s parents had no time and attention, Sidda became her source of joy with telling stories, playing and moreover answering her questions, though incorrectly. In the end, he became a victim of society’s cruelty.
Leela, a five year old girl, was one of the main characters of the story. She was bossy and careless about her things. She chose Sidda as a servant as well as her playmate since her parents had no time. She liked to play with Sidda and listen to stories. She had many questions in her mind which Sidda had to deliver, though incorrectly. She, only, defended Sidda by disapproving all the accusation of the adults on Sidda. She was an innocent and had no class prejudice. She came extremely close to Sidda and his presence made her supremely happy. Only she was hopeful and honest about Sidda and questioned at Sidda’s arrest and removal These last words of Mr Sivasanker expose the class division of the society and the utter indifference of the higher class towards the feelings and sufferings of the poor people. Though it was proved that Sidda did not steal Leela's gold chain, Mr. Sivasanker did not repent Sidda's police custody and whatever information the inspector provided him about Sidda's past became the basis of the understanding of Mr. Sivasanker. He was eloquent in saying that a criminal like Sidda could not be kept in the house. The poor, thus, are not given a chance to live properly and honourably by the rich who always tend to pronounce judgment on them. The end of the story "Leela's Friend" is really tragic. The story is the story of friendship between Leela and Sidda. Sidda has been described as a constant companion on whom the little Leela depended for all her needs. In the course of the story Sidda makes no mistake and does not steal the gold chain. He makes an error of judgment by running away from the household and is thus branded a thief by Mr. and Mrs. Sivasanker. This brings about his downfall and he again becomes a "nobody" with no one to love and nowhere to find shelter. He, in this way, becomes a real tragic character.
When Sidda escaped from the house, Leela's parents thought that Sidda had stolen the chain which Leela wore. They felt that it was the guilt of Sidda which made him run away. Leela knew that Sidda had not taken the chain. Her mother scolded Sidda and threatened police action against him and Sidda ran away as a consequence.
Leela made her mother responsible for this. She told her mother that she was unnecessarily rude towards Sidda and that Sidda was angry because he was not allowed to dine with them and was made to sleep outside. Leela made her mother responsible for creating a division between
The relationship between Mr. Sivasnker and Sidda is master-servant. He had no other sympathy towards Sidda.
At the beginning Sidda, for him, was just a servant – who did not seem to be of a “bad sort” and he could not even make his mind to recruit him. As Sidda did all the house-hold works and take care of Leela, Mr. Sivasnker was satisfied. But at the end of the story, he concluded Sidda as a thief – a criminal. The loss of Leela’s chain turned him to a cared father and went to the police despite any hesitation. The finding of the chain did not change his view of Sidda as well. In the end Mr. Sivasanker did not allow Sidda in their house knowing his past criminal records. Actually he was relieved to know Sidda’s past.