Character Sketches - The Adventures of Toto | English Class 9 PDF Download

Introduction

The writer's grandfather, who kept a small zoo at home, bought a naughty monkey named Toto from a tonga driver for five rupees. Since the grandmother didn't like animals, they hid Toto, but he created chaos by breaking things and bothering other animals. When the grandfather took Toto on a trip to Saharanpur, he put him in a canvas bag, and passengers were amused when Toto peeked out. At the station, a ticket collector charged the grandfather for Toto, thinking he was a dog. Despite trying to make Toto comfortable, including putting him with a donkey named Nana, Toto kept causing trouble, like almost getting himself boiled in hot water and ruining a family meal. In the end, the grandfather sold Toto back to the tonga driver for three rupees.

Character Sketches

1. Toto

• Toto is a baby monkey who is bought for five rupees from a tonga-driver by the narrator’s Grandfather. 
• Toto is pretty to look at. He has bright eyes that sparkle with mischief. His eyebrows are deep-set. His pearly white teeth frighten the elderly Anglo-Indian ladies when he smiles. His hands are dried up as if they have been pickled under the sun. 
• He is quick with his fingers and lifts things in a wicked manner. His tail adds to his beauty and acts as his third hand. He hangs from trees and scoops out goodies with his tail. 
• He is playful and restless, that is why he cannot be kept under hiding for long. He is destructive too as he tears away the narrator’s blazer and wallpaper of the bedroom. 
• He is a total misfit with other animals and does not let them sleep. He bites Nana, the donkey, and never becomes friends with him.
• Toto is keenly observant as he imitates the narrator’s manner of taking bath. 
• He loves warm baths in cold winters but is very sensitive if anyone laughs at his act of drying himself after a bath. 
• He is curious by nature and lands in trouble because of this. The episode when he almost boils himself alive is an example. 
• His mischievousness is the prime trait that makes it difficult to keep him as a pet. He causes a lot of damage by destroying or spoiling things. Still, his adventures are funny and make the reader laugh every time.

2. Grandfather

• Grandfather is a lover of animals. So much so that he has his own private zoo. 
• He does not mind spending money in order to get animals and birds even though this practice involves the risk of annoying his wife. He already has a tortoise, a pair of rabbits, and a squirrel when he spends five rupees to buy a baby monkey. 
• He has an appreciative eye for animals, that is why he believes that a tail adds to anyone’s good looks. He finds a valid reason to continue keeping pets even if that leads to material loss. 
• He does not mind when Toto destroys the wallpaper and the narrator’s school blazer. Instead, he finds it as an act of cleverness. He is a smart man, for he devises various ways of hiding Toto.
• Foolish behaviour annoys Grandfather; like that of the ticket-collector who calls Toto a dog and charges fare for it

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• Grandfather is both witty and sarcastic because he asks the ticket-collector to charge him even for a tortoise that he had carried in his pocket.
• Grandfather may be a staunch animal-lover but he is also wise. He accepts that it is not possible to keep a destructive animal like Toto as a pet for long, so he sells the monkey back to the tonga-driver even if that incurred him a loss of two rupees. His childlike nature endears him both to the narrator and the reader.

3. Grandmother

• Grandmother appeared to be a tough woman. 
• She always fussed when Grandfather brought home some new bird or animal but this fuss would disappear as soon as she would get into a good mood. That is why she accepted Toto as the new pet after a few days. 
• When Toto tore the narrator’s school-blazer to shreds, the narrator’s first worry was what Grandmother would say. He thought so because she gave the impression of being a strict disciplinarian. 
• However, her soft heart had compassion for all. Toto was mischievous and destructive since day one; still, Grandmother would overlook everything and give him a bowl of warm water to bathe. Again, it was the Grandmother who rescued Toto from getting boiled in the kettle. 
• Thus it can be clearly seen that Grandmother had a kind heart, although she appeared to be tough outwardly.

4. Tonga-driver

His brief role at the beginning of the story provides a contrast to Grandfather. Where the tonga-driver sees Toto as just another animal to be tied up and controlled, Grandfather sees a creature worthy of care and freedom. This contrast sets up the thematic element of treating animals with kindness and understanding.

5. The Ticket-collector

This character introduces a humorous conflict during the train journey. His literal interpretation of the rules—he insists on charging a fare for Toto as if he were a dog—brings a bureaucratic absurdity to the story. His interaction with Grandfather over the tortoise adds a touch of humor and cleverness, showcasing how humans often apply arbitrary rules in varying situations.

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