Summary - The Adventures of Toto

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 Misbehavior at Home: Toto's mischievous nature quickly caused chaos in the household, damaging walls, breaking hooks, and tearing clothes, much to the amusement of the grandfather but to the dismay of the family.

• Toto's Saharanpur Adventure: During a train trip to Saharanpur, Toto created more trouble by poking his head out of a bag, alarming passengers. The ticket collector, thinking he was a dog, charged an extra fare for Toto.
• Conflict with Other Animals: Despite attempts to integrate Toto with other household pets, he often misbehaved, including nearly boiling himself in a water kettle and stealing food during family meals.
• Return to the Tonga Driver: Recognizing the uncontrollable behaviour and the financial strain caused by Toto's antics, the grandfather reluctantly returned him to the tonga driver, receiving only three rupees in return.

Detailed Summary

Grandfather's Love for Animals

The narrator's grandfather had a deep fondness for animals and once bought a red baby monkey, Toto, from a tonga driver for five rupees. Toto had a unique feature-his tail, which served as his third hand. He used it to hang from branches and grab objects beyond his reach. Grandfather sells Toto back to the tonga driver for three rupees, accepting that Toto is too troublesome and expensive to keep

Toto's Arrival and Mischief

Since the grandmother did not approve of keeping Toto, his presence had to be kept a secret. Toto was initially confined to a small closet in the narrator's bedroom, but he quickly displayed his destructive tendencies by tearing the decorative paper off the walls and shredding the narrator's school blazer. Despite these acts of mischief, the grandfather was amused by Toto's cleverness.

Toto's Troubles with Other Pets

After the closet incident, Toto was moved to a large cage in the servant's quarters, where he shared space with other animals such as a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, a domesticated squirrel, and a pet goat. However, Toto's mischievous behaviour disrupted the peace, preventing the other animals from resting at night. Soon after, the grandfather took Toto along on a trip to Saharanpur.

Journey to Saharanpur

Grandfather placed Toto in a black canvas kit bag for the journey, believing this would prevent any mischief. However, Toto managed to poke his head out of the bag, startling the ticket collector. The collector classified Toto as a dog and charged grandfather three rupees for carrying him.

More Mischief at Home

After the trip, Toto was moved into the stable with a donkey named Nana. On the very first night, Toto bit Nana's ears, sparking tension between them. Despite this, the family continued to accommodate Toto. He tested the water carefully before immersing, then sat near the kitchen fire to dry. One day, Toto almost boiled himself alive by jumping into a kettle of water that was being heated for tea. Luckily, grandmother found him before any harm was done.

Near Disaster and Family Frustration

 Toto's destructive behaviour escalated-he ruined household items and once threw food and dishes when caught eating lunch meant for the family. In one notable instance, Toto climbed a tree and refused to come down until he had finished eating, eventually throwing the empty dish down and breaking it.

Return to the Tonga Driver

The family's patience wore thin due to Toto's constant mischief, which was causing financial losses. Grandfather finally decided that keeping Toto was too troublesome and sold him back to the same tonga driver for three rupees, accepting the inevitable conclusion that Toto could not be tamed.

Theme/Message

Theme

• The chapter emphasises the importance of caring for pets, highlighting the effort required to accommodate them. Despite the narrator's grandfather's attempts to integrate Toto into their home, the mischievous monkey struggled to get along with other animals and even caused trouble during a trip. 
• Toto's unruly behaviour led to damage to property and made discipline challenging for the family. The narrative also touches on the complexity of man-animal interaction, demonstrating that some wild animals cannot be easily tamed. Despite the grandfather's patience, Toto's destructive tendencies ultimately led to his return to the tonga driver, illustrating the importance of respecting nature and wildlife's natural behaviour.

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 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 for holding food for animals
• pickled: preserved by soaking in vinegar or brine.
• wicked: capable of causing mischief or harm
• scooping: picking up or gathering
• fussed: showed concern or worry
• wrenched: pulled or twisted with force
• shreds: pieces torn into small parts
• tame: not wild; trained to be gentle and obedient
• poked: protruded or stood out visibly
• taken aback: surprised or shocked
• in vain: without success or result
• quadruped: an animal that walks on four legs
• prodded: pushed with a finger or pointed object
• triumphant: successful or victorious
• halter: a strap or rope used for leading or tying an animal
• haunches: the hindquarters or back legs of a four-legged animal
• hauled: pulled out with force
• to spite grandmother: to deliberately annoy or upset grandmother