10. Summary

The story "A Tiger in the House", by Ruskin Bond, revolves around a bond between a human and animal, tracing from the times when a tiger was a cub to the times when he grew apart because of his inborn nature. The tiger is found by the grandfather of the narrator when he goes hunting. He is named Timothy, by the grandmother. Although he is given meat and is tamed, he becomes wild when he grows up. It goes to the extent of the tiger following the cook around with an evil intent.

 

Upon recognizing the danger of the situation, the tiger is handed over to the zoo. When grandfather visits the zoo after six months, he finds Timothy next to a leopard's cage. As soon as he finds grandfather, he starts licking his hands. The leopard from the next cage roars and scares him. Grandfather wants to change his cage because he was protective of Timothy, and did not want him to be scared of the leopard. But when he talks to the keeper, he is shocked to find that Timothy had died of pneumonia and it was a different violent tiger that he was stroking.

 

Although he is told the truth, grandfather cannot afford to face reality and convinces his mind that it was Timothy in the cage and bids goodbye to him.