Summary - Engine Trouble

The chapter "Engine Trouble" is a story from R.K. Narayan's collection of short stories, Malgudi Days. The protagonist, an unnamed man, won a road engine as a prize in a sideshow booth at the Gaiety Land, a traveling fairground that came to his town. Initially, he was excited about the possibility of making a fortune from the engine, but soon realizes that he has no idea how to move it, let alone sell it. The showman, who ran the booth, refused to help him transport it and insisted that the engine had to be removed from the fairgrounds immediately after the fair ended.

After the Gaiety Land left town, the engine was left behind and the municipality gave the protagonist a notice to remove it. He paid rent of ten rupees a month to keep it in the Gymkhana Ground, which was financially difficult for him as he was a poor man. After three months, he decided to move the engine to a friend's field and hire an elephant and fifty coolies to push it there. He also hired Joseph, a dismissed bus-driver who claimed he could steer the engine.

The procession of the temple elephant, coolies, and Joseph pushing the engine drew a huge crowd. However, the engine began to behave strangely and went zigzag instead of straight. It crashed into a compound wall, destroyed a good length of it, and the elephant snapped its ropes and kicked down more of the wall. The crowd panicked and the police arrested the protagonist.

As a result of the incident, the protagonist was forced to pay for the damages to the wall and was left with the engine, which was now even more of a burden to him. In the end, he decided to sell it for scrap metal and got a meager sum for it. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of pursuing something without a clear plan and the consequences of being caught up in the moment without thinking things through.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Engine Trouble" is a story that reflects the challenges that can come with unexpected rewards. The protagonist, excited by the possibility of making money from the road engine he won, finds himself burdened with the responsibility of removing it from the Gymkhana Ground, paying rent to the municipality, and maintaining it until he finds a buyer. Despite his best efforts, things do not go as planned and he ends up damaging someone's wall and getting in trouble with the police. This story reminds us that sometimes, what seems like a reward can turn out to be a burden, and we need to be prepared for the consequences of our actions.

Important words to Know