The Captive: ASSEB (AHSEC) Class 11 Alternative English notes
Where is the place which is described at the beginning of the story?
The place which is described at the beginning of the story is near the Highlands
Who took a dip in the water?
The youth took a dip in the water.
What were they travelling by?
They were travelling by Bicycle
In whose house was the captive kept?
The captive was kept in the village headman's house
Which bird does the captive think of?
The captive thinks of the Kingfisher
What is referred to as the 'object' by the captive?
The gun was referred to as "the object" by the captive.
What is the food offered to the captive in the headman's house? The captive was offered parboiled rice and chicken curry at the headman's house. How did Captain Batra offer his respects to the boy?
Captain Batra offered his respects to the boy by touching the cap on his lifeless body with his hand.
What did the boy say he would do if the circumstances changed? The boy said that if circumstances changed he would have to execute the captive.
How did the captive know that the boy was highly educated?
The captive realised that the boy was well-educated from their conversations about famous authors and their works.
What is the nature of the relationship between the captive and the young man?
The relationship between the captive and the young man was a relationship of captivity and possible violence, there appeared to be a strong, untold connection between them. The story shows the arising of a natural relationship in an unnatural circumstance. A weird kind of bond that develops between a kidnapped senior official and a young insurgent who is in charge of him, the captor and the captive.
How does the captive come to understand the meaning of 'Freedom Fighters ?
The captive comes to know about the meaning of "Freedom Fighters" when the youth had let him know that many of their freedom fighters would stand protect over him. Freedom Fighters here referred to the warriors of the outfit, who were fighting for freedom against the nation, state of India.
How did the captive record his movement in captivity?
The captive recorded his movement in captivity in a diary which he kept. Out of the seven months of his captivity, he had figured out how to record in detail the activities of the last three months. This diary was brought to him by the youth when he had requested for one.
How did his abductors treat the captive?
The abductors at first treated him a little cruelly yet once the youth was in charge of him, their treatment of him changed. Towards the later part, their treatment of him was kind, considerate and maybe even friendly.
Why does the captive feel that his abductor is also not free?
The captive feels that his abductor is also not free on the grounds that he understood that freedom meant different things to individuals. The way that he didn't feel like a free citizen of a free country yet rather he fought for his freedom and the freedom of his community against the imperialist nation-state that had tried to hold them under their control.
Comment on the significance of the title of the story. Does it refer only to the abducted?
The title of the story is extremely well-suited as it deals with the theme of captivity. But it doesn't only refer to the actual capture of the boy but instead, it also refers to the captivity that the captor himself feels in a nation state that has attempted to make these people their subjects by use of power. The captive is a high official who has been kidnapped by a militant outfit and the captor is a young boy, a member from the outfit who had been assigned the task of hiding him from the eyes of the police and armed force who were combing the area looking for him. The captive starts to think of the new circumstances, a life which he had never lived, a life of hardships. Inspite of being so used to the comforts of life the prisoner deals with the changes so adroitly, particularly as they are compelled to change their hideouts so frequently. He realises that questions of identity vary from people to people. The captor and his outfit also struggle with questions of freedom and identity. What might be freedom for some might be prohibitive for other people. The captor and his outfit likewise want to be "free". Since the story is one of violence and capture yet an unknown bond creates between the captor and the captive. Towards the end of the story, the army surrounds them and kills the captor releasing the man. Seeing the demise of the young man with whom he spent some time turns into an unforgettable experience for him.
Write about the journey undertaken by the captive and the young man.
There are two sides in the story. One is of the current portrayal and some of it was from the diary that the captive had saved throughout the previous three months of his captivity. From the diary that he kept, we understand that the man was caught from his vehicle by four armed youths and he was dragged into their vehicle. He was at first treated with a sense of cruelty however soon things changed. The young man was incharge of him and they travelled all over the place hidding from the army and their soldiers. Their journey had started much before the story starts and we understand that they had been travelling for quite a while, normally under the cover of darkness to escape captivity. Afterward, when we encounter them in the starting of the story, we see them going in bicycles. Everyday they needed to change shelters, they had no settled place to stay at. They would wander through the fields at night and walk through thick forests to reach at the next shelter. Towards the ending of the story, the captive is brought to a village and he has kept the captive at the headman's house.
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