Moral value of the chapter The Letter
Class 10th
Answers
Great Question! ♥ It's generally repeatedly asked for CBSE Examination.
Since you've asked for the lesson's moral, I'll directly move on to the values exhibited in the lesson rather than giving a lesson summary as such.
Here we go... adding a long value based answer which highlights the lesson's morals.
Moral Value #1 : Believe in Karma Theory
There is no denying that life is often a reflection of one's own deeds. We ought to believe in the Karma theory.'The Letter' is a good example of this theory. Ali, a skillful hunter didn't know the meaning of grief and separation until his beloved daughter Miriam left him after marriage. This was in fact a result of his ill deeds of killing animals which suffered the same pain.
Earlier, he had no time to spend with his daughter as he was busy with poaching.But when Miriam left, he gave up hunting realising his sins & spend each day of five years waiting for Miriam's letter at the post office. He never received it. This is where his karma repay him with pain of separation which he once instilled in the minds of innocent preys of his hunting passion.
Moral Value #2 : One's Grief is One's Own
It's very true to say "Only the bearer knows where the shoe hurts". Symbolically, this statement refers to human life. Just like what the statement literally mean, only the person suffering from a grief knows its intensity. Though others shower kind words when we are sad, it doesn't mean that they really understand what hurts our heart (exception is our beloved ones like Mom, Dad, Sibling, True Friends, etc.). They do show such concerns & laugh at our sorrow in mind.
In the lesson "The Letter", Ali faces a similar situation. It was due to Ali's sincere love for Miriam, he visited the post office for five years. But the postmen there was unaware of the roaring sea of sorrow in his heart.
They considered Ali to be insane & played mischief with the old man each time he visited. They found immense joy in fake-calling Ali's name just to see the anxious man rush into the office hoping for the letter. The new Postmaster once called him a 'pest'. Actually, Ali wasn't a pest. Ali's love for his daughter made him visit post office for such a long time. The pain of a father's heart deserves respect.
Just like a person other than the shoe bearer can understand where it hurts by getting into the shoe, one will understand other's pain only when he/she gets into the same situation. This is evident when the Postmaster finally realises the mourning heart of Ali.
Postmaster himself is a father. When his daughter fell ill in his hometown, Postmaster got into 'Ali's shoes'. He was desperately waiting for a letter from his family with news about his daughter. His heart broke as the letter delayed. He spent many days without peace. Then, his heart matched with that of Ali. Both of them then had a common mind; a father's heart! But it was a late realisation as Ali was no more. This embedded the Postmaster with remorse forever.
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We must take home these two moral values from this lesson & cherish them till the end of our life. ☺
Hope my answer proved helpful to you... ♥♥♥
"The story in the chapter –‘The Letter’ gives and reflects on some conclusions and morals.
The major one’s are that One shall reap as one shall sow and has to suffer the results of his misdeeds and it truly reflects own how only the sufferer can understand and feel his pain in the true sense.
In this story Ali who used to enjoy hunting and killing animals for leisure gets to taste the pain of separation in his human life after his daughter Miriam goes. The story portrays how Ali deeply feels and suffers from the pain of separation from his daughter, whom he loved the most and he waits for her letter for five years. He would keenly and desperately wait for a letter from her side and for that he would daily visit the post office in hope and would inquire about the letter in his name, if any.
The people at the post office laughed at him and for a few he was a reason of constant irritation, due to his regular inquiry. No one could understand his pain, sufferings or the reason of utter desperation.
Though soon the new postmaster who used to laugh at him and feel irritated feels the same pain and then feels connected to his sorrow as his daughter back at his hometown, away from him- fell ill and he desperately waited and wished to hear of her health and news. It is then that the postmaster realizes the meaning of Ali’s pain…being on the same page."