John Dolittle

We enter the village of Hampden where our hero, John Dolittle lives. His is a very humble abode and we now watch him as he trudges along the hilltop. 

As he passes by the shops, we hear him greeting people like “Howdy do?” and “Great evening, isn't it Mr. beckham?” He worked in a fairly respectable merchandise shop.

Today as he is polishing some stuff in the shop, by the window, he sees a flower-seller’s basket being flung away by a speeding motorcycle (must be one of the Dickens boys). The flower seller was blind and she had difficulty picking up all the flowers and arranging them in the basket. John rushes to help and when the blind seller goes home, what does she find but a few pounds lurking inside her basket!

Such was the heart of John Dolittle - vey generous and golden. He was no burden to the world, he was kindness personified.

All this said, he had one worry in this world. He had lost his daughter a few years back, on the banks of the Hugli river. The police had dismissed it as a hopeless case. 

We now find him in a genuflect position in front of a portrait of his long gone daughter. This was his everyday ritual. Just as he finished this, he hears a knock at the door. He smiles and goes to open the door. We find Ms. Gentwall standing there.

Now Ms. Gentwall is a very poor woman. People of the town dismissed her as dirty, arrogant and vain. She found solace in her only friend John for John did not see her as an arrogant woman but a strong woman devoid of friendship. 

Ms. Gentwall and John would talk for hours and hours about everything under the sun. She worked as a labourer for a wealthy landowner and it is after her working hours that she spends time with John.

Today as she spoke John notices her hand going to her neck trying to cover something.”What is it?” he asks.

“Oh nothing, just some insect bite” she replies.

But John sensed it was not that, these were bruises from the merciless lashing of the landowner. “Why do you go to work if you are getting beaten by him everyday?” he angrily asks

At this , Ms. Gentwall breaks down crying “ Oh John you know my penury. If i don't go to work who will take care of my Mary!”

Mary was her daughter and her other solace and happiness. John knew that Ms. Gentwall lived only for her daughter. In such chill tides of poverty, one’s child was the only ray of hope and life. 

He silently retreats to his bedroom and brings a few loaves of bread and says, “ Here, you must be starving.” Yes, she was but instead of gobbling up the food, she eats a bite of the first piece and rolls the rest of it in her cloth to take it home for Mary.

A few days later, Ms. Gentwall marches up to John’s house eagerly and tells him in suppressed excitement that she just got a raise in her salary and she desperately wants him to join her little feast at home today. John wishes her good health and happiness and agrees to come to her home. John had never been to her home because he had to cross the Hugli river and that was a painful reminder of his daughter.

In the evening, John enters Ms. Gentwall’s home and is surprised to see a modest but delicious dinner awaiting him. Ms. Gentwall is so happy and she calls out to her daughter to meet John for they had never met each other before and Ms. Gentwall was eager to introduce her daughter to her best friend.

John waits eagerly to see Mary and when she appears, he gasps. For coming forth was not Ms. Gentwall’s daughter Mary but his own lost daughter! 

He, however, does not let this out and ponders all the way through dinner. Sensing something off, Ms. Gentwall confronts him and confesses something. She says, “ I know what you are thinking. There is no resemblance between Mary and me. Here’s why - I found Mary on the banks of the Hugli river. I didn't have anyone at that time, neither did she…” she sniffs “…that was all it took to love each other” Saying so, she left him tears streaming down her eyes.

John does not know what to say and he looks the other way although he sees nothing as tears blind his eyes. 

After a while, he decides something and turns around. What he sees is a mother embracing her daughter as she lulls her to sleep while the daughter tightly holds on to her mother with a contented look. He knew they existed because of the other and by telling the truth he will only be creating a void that he can never hope to refill.

Thinking so he leaves Ms. Gentwall’s home.

Thus wise John became our hero, John who knew to sacrifice his happiness for a greater good.