Childhood and Bildungsroman: A Critical Study of Young Protagonists in Ruskin Bond’s Selected Fiction

Abstract

This study offers a comparative analysis of childhood and coming-of-age themes in Ruskin Bond’s selected works—The Room on the Roof, Rusty, the Boy from the Hills, and The Blue Umbrella. Drawing on the Bildungsroman tradition, Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, and postcolonial childhood studies, it examines how Bond’s young protagonists negotiate identity, morality, and cultural belonging. In The Room on the Roof, sixteen-year-old Rusty’s flight from colonial guardianship and immersion in Dehra Bazaar illustrate an adolescent identity crisis resolved through peer bonds and cultural assimilation. Rusty, the Boy from the Hills chronicles Rusty’s earlier adventures in the Garhwal hills, emphasizing industry, competence, and moral growth within an ecological setting. In The Blue Umbrella, ten-year-old Binya’s altruistic choice to relinquish her prized umbrella reveals an ethical coming-of-age rooted in community harmony rather than physical journeying. Comparative findings highlight convergences—resilience, empathy, and the primacy of relationships—and contrasts in narrative trajectory, cultural context, and agency. This interdisciplinary approach demonstrates Bond’s nuanced portrayal of childhood as an active site of psychological development and cultural negotiation in postcolonial India. The study contributes to Bond criticism by synthesizing literary and developmental frameworks and underscores the enduring relevance of his child protagonists in understanding childhood across diverse sociohistorical landscapes.