The Adventures of Toto Summary Class 9 English Moments Chapter 2

Key Points of the Story 

• Grandfather's New Pet: The writer’s grandfather, an animal enthusiast, acquired a mischievous monkey named Toto from a Tonga driver for five rupees. Since the grandmother disapproved of animals, Toto was kept hidden.
• Toto's Misbehaviour at Home: Toto was always causing trouble by tearing things apart. Whenever one of the aunts came close, he would grab her dress and rip it, which made Grandfather laugh but upset the rest of the family.
• Toto's Train Journey: On a train journey to Saharanpur, Toto poked his head out of the bag and smiled at the ticket-collector. The surprised man quickly decided to treat Toto as a dog and charged an extra fare.
• Conflict with Other Animals: Even though they tried to make Toto get along with other pets, he often misbehaved, like almost boiling himself in a kettle and stealing food during meals.
• Return to the Tonga Driver: Grandfather realised they couldn't afford the constant damage to dishes, clothes, and curtains. So, he found the Tonga driver and sold Toto back for just three rupees.

Detailed Summary

The narrator’s grandfather loved animals and once bought a red baby monkey, Toto, from a tonga driver for five rupees. The tonga driver kept Toto tied to a feeding trough. Toto had a special tail, which acted like a third hand, allowing him to hang from branches and grab things out of reach. Grandfather wanted to add Toto to his personal zoo, but the narrator’s grandmother, who disliked animals, would not be pleased. They decided to keep Toto a secret from her until she was in a good mood.

Since the grandmother didn’t approve of Toto, they hid him at first. Toto was kept in a small closet in the narrator’s bedroom but soon showed his destructive tendencies by tearing the wallpaper and shredding the narrator’s school blazer. Despite his mischief, Grandfather found Toto's cleverness amusing.

After the closet incident, Toto was moved to a large cage in the servants' quarters, where other pets were kept, including a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a tame squirrel, and occasionally, the narrator's pet goat. However, Toto’s mischievous behaviour disturbed the other animals, preventing them from resting at night. Soon, Grandfather took Toto along on a trip to Saharanpur.

Grandfather put Toto in a black canvas kit bag for the journey to keep him from causing trouble. However, Toto poked his head out, startling the ticket collector, who mistakenly identified Toto as a dog; thus, a fare of three rupees was paid.

After the trip, Toto was placed in the stable with Nana, the family’s female donkey. On the first night, Toto bit Nana’s ears, causing tension between them. Nevertheless, the family accepted Toto’s presence. He even created a bath-time routine, carefully checking the water temperature before jumping in and then rushing to the kitchen fire to dry off.

One day, Toto nearly boiled himself alive by jumping into a kettle of water heating for tea. Fortunately, Grandmother found him just in time. Toto's destructive behaviour continued—he damaged many household items and once threw food and dishes when caught eating the family’s lunch. In one instance, Toto climbed a tree and refused to come down until he finished eating, eventually throwing the empty dish down and chattering with joy when it shattered into pieces.

The family’s patience with Toto’s constant mischief wore thin. Grandfather ultimately decided that keeping Toto was too troublesome and sold him back to the same tonga driver for three rupees, realising that Toto could not be tamed.

Theme/Message

Theme

• The chapter highlights the importance of caring for pets and the effort needed to take care of them. Although the narrator's grandfather tried to include Toto in their family, the naughty monkey had trouble getting along with other animals and caused chaos during their travels.
• Toto's troublesome behaviour resulted in damage to the home, specifically the walls, which had been decorated with special paper chosen by Grandfather, now revealed as bare brick and plaster. This made it hard for the family to maintain discipline. The story also shows the challenges of human-animal relationships, indicating that some wild animals are not easily tamed. Despite the grandfather's patience, Toto's destructive actions ultimately led to his return to the tonga driver, reminding us to respect nature and the natural behaviour of wildlife.

Message

• The story teaches us to love and respect animals. When the grandfather sees the monkey with a tonga driver, he wants to provide it with a comfortable life in his zoo, so he buys it as a pet. 
• However, as a wild animal, the monkey causes trouble, leading the grandfather to realise that it would be happier with the tonga driver. Despite the challenges, the grandfather treats Toto with care and affection, conveying a message about the importance of animal rights and welfare.

Difficult Words

• feeding-trough: a container containing food for the animals
• pickled: preserved in vinegar or brine
• wicked: could create mischief
• scooping: picking
• fussed: feeling concerned
• wrenched: pull out with force
• shreds: pieces torn apart
• tame: not dangerous
• turnstile: exit gate
• poked: stand out and be visible
• taken aback: shocked
• in vain: without success
• quadruped: any four-footed animal
• prodded: push with a finger
• triumphant: successful
• halter: strap or rope for tying the animal
• haunches: one of the back legs of a four-legged animal
• hauled: pull out with force
• to spite grandmother: to intentionally annoy or upset her