THE OVERCOAT
By Ruskin Bond
Group Members
-Aditya panchal
-Raman
-Faiz
-Anurag Prajapati
-Sagar Gangwal
Author
Description
Ruskin Bond is a renowned Indian author of British
descent,known for his captivating storytelling and vivid
descriptions of nature. He is considered an icon among
Indian writers and children’s authors,and has won numerous
award for his work. Bond’s writing often features the beauty
and mystery of the natural world,which is evident in his
short story “The Overcoat”.
Story Overview
“The Overcoat” is a horror-themed short story in a hill
station,where the narrator encounters a mysterious and
beautiful girl names julie. The story revolves around their
chance meeting,during which the narrator lends his overcoat
to julie to keep her warm. The next day,he retrieves his
coat from the location Julie specified,only to discover a
shocking truth about her past
Vocabulary
1.Simple and concise language: Bond’s writing style is
characterized by simplicity,clarity,and brevity,making the
story accessible to a wide range of readers.
2.Hill station setting: The story is a set in a hill
station,which is vividly described using words like “frosty
evening”,”peak”,and “deodar” trees,evoking a sense of
tranquility and isolation.
3.Colloquialisms: Bond’s use of colloquial expressions,such
as khidki(window),creates a sense of informality and
conversational tone,drawing the reader into the negative.
questions
1. Define the following words from the story in your own words
a. escort b. propelled c. deodars d. Glimpse
2. Read the statement from the story and choose the correct meanings of the emboldened words.
You could see the eternal snows of the Himalayas standing out against the pristine blue of the
sky. a. Which of the following best describes the word ‘eternal’?
i. ending soon ii. continuing till a certain point iii. lasting forever
b. Which of the following best describes the word ‘pristine’?
i. clear ii. pure iii. Innocent
3. What was the overall tone and mood of the story?
4. What is one major text-to-text connection that you can make between the stories ‘The Overcoat’
and ‘An Arrest’?
Questions
5. What happens at the end of the story?
6. What do you think was the author’s purpose for writing this story?
7. Which one the following options best represent the climax of the story?
a. The narrator met julie standing in the middle of a road.
b. The narrator headed to the kapadia’s house with julie.
c. The narrator escorted julie back to her home and offered her his coat.
d. The narrator walked up to wolfsburn that day.
8. Which among the following options best describes the overall themes of the story?
a. Love,happiness,and despair.
b. freedom,patience,and wisdom.
c. Kindness,mystery,and loss.
d. Dreams.nightmare,and reality.
ANswers
1. a. escort - security
b. propelled - To drive forward
c. deodars - Himalayan cedar woods
d. Glimpse - To see something
2A. 1) Ending soon.
2B. 2)Pure.
3. The overall tone is light and mood of the story is engrossing.
4.
answers
5. At the end of the story the girl whom the narrator was not human. She came
from the cemetery.
6. The author shares his first to last expression with cemetery girl.
7. The narrator escorted julie back to her home and offered her his coat. (C)
8. Dreams.nightmare,and reality. (D)
