Mulk Raj Anand The Cobbler and the Machine Summary

The narrator and Saudagar, a cobbler in the village, share a passion for machines. Saudagar is fascinated by a small sewing machine owned by the village tailor. The narrator is interested in various machines in the town, including a railway engine, phonograph, motor car, and power house.

The narrator suggests to Saudagar that he should get a sewing machine like the one owned by the tailor. Saudagar is intrigued by the idea but has never seen such a machine and is too poor to buy one. The narrator believes that modern machines are superior to traditional methods and wishes for the wonders of science to come to his village.

Saudagar is hesitant to adopt modern ways due to his social status and fears of divine punishment. The narrator offers to show Saudagar a picture of a sewing machine and brings up the idea of converting objects into furniture.

Saudagar indulges the narrator but doubts the usefulness of a picture. The narrator is excited by the possibility of introducing a new machine to the village and imagines a future filled with technological wonders.

The narrator persuaded his classmates to steal a poster of a sewing machine and showed it to Saudagar, an old cobbler. Saudagar was fascinated by the sewing machine and asked the narrator to leave the stolen steel plate in his shop as decoration.

Saudagar expressed his desire to own a similar machine for sewing leather, but he didn’t have the money to buy one. The narrator suggested that the machine could be obtained from England or through a commission agent in Lahore or Bombay.

Saudagar believed that he would never be able to afford the machine and dismissed the idea of traveling to Vilayat or other cities. The topic of the sewing machine was seldom mentioned during subsequent visits to Saudagar’s shop.

One day, Saudagar revealed that a notary and cotton dealer named Lalla Sain Das had gone to Vilayat and agreed to bring back a sewing machine for Saudagar. Lalla Sain Das offered to buy the machine and let Saudagar use it, paying for it gradually like a loan. Saudagar received a letter confirming that the sewing machine was in the railway godown and would soon be in his possession.

The narrator was overjoyed and danced in their mind, imagining the workings and possibilities of the machine. Saudagar promised to make the narrator a pair of Angrezi boots as a token of gratitude. Saudagar planned to go to town the next day to retrieve the sewing machine and seek advice from the cobbler in the Bhalla shoe shop.

The narrator is excited about a new sewing machine that he inspired an old cobbler named Saudagar to acquire. Saudagar promises to make the narrator a pair of shoes using the sewing machine. The narrator frequently visits Saudagar’s shop to check on the progress of his shoes.

Saudagar is unable to complete the shoes due to financial difficulties and illness. The narrator’s parents offer to buy him a new pair of shoes, but he insists on waiting for the ones promised by Saudagar. Saudagar eventually dies before completing the shoes, leaving the narrator feeling guilty for his role in the situation.

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