Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

by

Kiran Desai

Hungry Hop Boy Character Analysis

The Hungry Hop boy is a young man who works at the Hungry Hop Ice Cream van in the town of Shahkot. After knowing this boy for years, Pinky suddenly falls in love with him during a visit to town with Ammaji. Pinky and the Hungry Hop boy begin a strange relationship after he helps her fend off the monkey that enjoys terrorizing people outside of the town’s cinema. While he’s sweet and charming, the Hungry Hop boy is also a bit clueless and indecisive. After swearing to elope with Pinky despite his family’s protests, he suddenly finds himself faced with a dilemma when his family finds a beautiful and wealthy young woman he could marry instead. The Hungry Hop boy is mostly a comic relief character, serving as a romantic goal for Pinky while also having troubles of his own.
Get the entire Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard LitChart as a printable PDF.
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard PDF

Hungry Hop Boy Character Timeline in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

The timeline below shows where the character Hungry Hop Boy appears in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Nature vs. Modernity Theme Icon
...Pinky’s shrieks of distress as she’s chased down the street by the Cinema Monkey, the boy working at the Hungry Hop Ice Cream van leaps into action to help. For no... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Pinky, still trying to recover from this ordeal, stares at the Hungry Hop boy and feels her heart drop as he playfully teases her with a good-natured joke. Despite... (full context)
Chapter 12
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
...whenever she lays eyes on the monkeys, as they remind her of the Hungry Hop boy she pines for. Ever since that harrowing day at the cinema, she’s grown more compassionate... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
Since the Cinema Monkey incident, the well-meaning but slow Hungry Hop boy hasn’t thought much about Pinky or the possibility of romance. He simply assumes that a... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Exploitation of Spirituality  Theme Icon
After tending to the wounds of both the spy and the Hungry Hop boy, Dr. Banerjee gives an explanation about human bites to the local newspaper representative outside his... (full context)
Chapter 16
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Nature vs. Modernity Theme Icon
The Hungry Hop boy sits in his family’s house, still reeling from the day Pinky bit his ear. The... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Pinky sits under Sampath’s tree and writes a note to the Hungry Hop boy, still glad to have bitten him but hoping that the event won’t mark the end... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
When Pinky sees the Hungry Hop boy sitting by the open bathroom window above her, she’s once again overwhelmed with emotion. She... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
From this moment on, Pinky and the Hungry Hop boy begin a strange sort of regular correspondence. Pinky continues to visit Hungry Hop during his... (full context)
Chapter 23
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
Meanwhile, the Hungry Hop boy’s family has kept him locked up as they plan an arranged marriage that will make... (full context)
Nature vs. Modernity Theme Icon
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
...night, she excitedly offers to let him come along with her and the Hungry Hop boy, and to leave this place forever. But Sampath only feels more ill when he imagines... (full context)
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
...last day of April, the Hungry Hop Boy’s family introduces him to his bride-to-be. The boy spends most of the day sulking and throwing tantrums, completely refusing to even look at... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
Tossing and turning all night, the Hungry Hop boy turns the options over in his mind. He’s attracted to both Pinky and his bride-to-be,... (full context)
Chapter 24
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
...further. Exhaust from the van puffs into the army men’s faces as the Hungry Hop boy endlessly deliberates between Pinky and his bride-to-be. (full context)
Chapter 25
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
...for so long. At the same time, Pinky waits in town for the Hungry Hop boy, feeling angry and unhappy for reasons she can’t explain. (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Back in Shahkot, the Hungry Hop boy nearly goes mad as his indecision persists. He drives wildly through the narrow streets, still... (full context)
Absurdity and Chaos Theme Icon
Nature vs. Modernity Theme Icon
...the plan, but they quickly hit another snag. The Brigadier had caught the Hungry Hop boy in the monkey nets to prevent him (the boy) from causing any more delays with... (full context)
Nature vs. Modernity Theme Icon
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations Theme Icon
...and is surely a much more ambitious man to aim for than the Hungry Hop boy. The monkeys race deeper into the forest and higher up into the mountains, crashing through... (full context)