Ruskin Bond Character Analysis

Environmental Influence on the Childhood Development of Ruskin Bond’s Rusty
Indu Rani
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Central University of Haryana

ABSTRACT

Ruskin Bond, an Indian author of British descent, has now been writing for more than five decades and has written around three hundred short stories, essays, and novellas. He is one of India’s most prolific writers, and whois a pioneer in the field of children’s literature. In 1992, he received the SahityaAkademi award and in 1999, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his immense contribution to children’s literature.Despite Bond’s British background, he knows India as an insider. Just as a flower exhales fragrance, his writings and stories exude deep love for nature and people. The characters depicted

One of the most important traits of Rusty’s personality is his strong attraction towards nature, which definitely has a very strong influence on his overall personality.Since childhood, we have found him in the lap of nature. His grandfather was influential in instilling environmental awareness in his mind.Rusty’s grandfather was perhaps the first person in his life to introduce him to the world of nature.The reinforcement Rusty receives for his pro-animal behavior and for his love for nature is the outcome of the environment in which he lives.Even though Rusty’s grandfather played an important and significant role in his personality development, he was not the only one who influenced the personality of this maturing individual. Rusty’s father played an equally important role in his son’s personality

He has none of the prejudices against the Indians, or the Indian ways of life.His extreme sensitive nature is another defining characteristic. He is also an introvert with a deep understanding of other people.Emotionally, Rusty is a very stable person. Rusty is an eternal optimist who never loses hope in his life.
Environment plays a big role and has a huge impact on the behavior of an individual. The human mindis greatly influenced by the different situations and circumstances that the individual might find itself in. The upbringing of an individual through his childhood, adolescence and formative years immensely influences individual’s present personality. Such portrayal is seen in Ruskin Bond’s stories and novellas too. As remarked by him: “We are creatures of circumstance. If our genes have shaped our biological make-up, our environment has shaped the development of our natures.”