CBSE Class 10 Answered

The story 'The letter' shows Coachman Ali in two different characters. He was a different person when he was young and healthy. he used to be an expert hunter. he did not think twice before killing a mother bird and only laughed at the confusion and sorrow of her little ones. he could spot a hare or partridge however well they were hidden from sight. he was better than a fox in this. Fishing was another pastime he was engaged in.

But it all changed when his daughter Fathima got married and left him with her husband to Punjab. Ali was a changed man. He pined for the news of his daughter. He went to the post office every day expecting her letter. but even after five years, he did not get a letter from her. Now he began to understand certain home truths about life. He realized the importance of love in life. He also realized that separation is inevitable in life. He left hunting altogether. Instead, he sat near the corn fields and admired its beauty.

He was a man of immense faith and love. When his daughter's letter did not reach him even after five years, he did not discontinue his visit to the post office. He bore all the teasing and abuses of the postal staff with patience. he went early in the morning to the post office come rain or shine. At last, his old age and ill-health began to affect him. But even then he did not lose faith. That was why he gave five gold coins to the clerk, instructing him to redirect the letter to his grave.