Room On The Roof Analysis

‘The Room on The Roof’ by Ruskin Bond is one of his wonderful novels which describes the story of an orphan sixteen-year-old boy named Rusty who lived with his guardian Mr. John Harrison in Dehradun and reflects that despite of being lived in an isolated area under British Empire the boy had an great interest in Indian people and traditions and wanted to break-free from the strict rules of his guardian to keep away from the Indians and also shows that how some strangers become a part of one’s life by showing little warmth. The Novel was published in 1956. This novel revolves around Rusty, who is also the Protagonist of the novel. Ruskin Bond shows that life is not that easy and full of challenges as his first literary venture this novel captivated the readers from the first page till the last one through the simplicity in his writing. He well represented every detail which he wants the readers to read in his novel.

The novel was written in Post-war period which explores different issues like Alienation, Identity crisis, friendship, homelessness etc. This novel throws light on the post colonial era when no one is feeling secure, colonies were declared

British and India. He just describes the passiveness of two cultures and how it affects on the identity of the people because on one hand when the colonies were declared Independent the colonizers who lived in the cities assumed them as their own home and on the other hand as shown by the writer in the novel by the character of Mr. John Harrison who doesn’t like Indian people and their cultures although he lived in India so what is their actual identity; as an Indian or as an European? The Room on The Roof attacks the persisting racial and colonial rules and attitudes of the Europe through sixteen-year-old boy Rusty and his search for his own ‘Identity’, ‘Home’ and ‘Belonging’ in the new