Character Analysis

Novel: Tiger Boy by Mitali Perkins

In the beginning of the novel, Neil’s father was a sincere man. He didn’t like to cut trees in Sundarbans around his village, yet he needed to do that to earn some money. His heart was not into it, but he had to take care of his son’s education. Then the whole village began whispering that a tiger cub had escaped from its mother and was lurking in their village. Gupta, a wealthy man with a desire to sell the cub on the black market, pressured Neil’s father to track it down. Neil’s father agreed because it would bring a lot of money, and he could send his son to Kolkata for better education.

Neil didn’t like leaving the village he loved a lot. Neil’s father went in search of the tiger cub, but Neil and his sister found the cub first. When his father spotted Neil holding the cub, his gang offered money to hand over the cub to Gupta. But Neil argued with his father and convinced him to switch sides. The father-son duo finally united the cub with her mother, and Neil’s father became a good and sincere man again.

by

Hemanth Veeragandham

Class VIII

Written in August 2023