The Second Wife
‘No, my dear, I can’t speak to any man except my husband. Who knows what sort of person this fellow is?’
‘He surely isn’t a bad person, and you don’t have to marry him. What’s the harm in just a little conversation? If Doctor Sahib were here I’d ask him to order you’
‘Are people with generous hearts automatically of good characters too? Certain men feel no hesitation about ogling at someone else’s wife.’ (pg.138)
In this excerpt from The Second Wife, Nirmala’s friend, Sudha, reproaches Nirmala for wanting to talk to a man who’s not her husband because certain men won’t hesitate to flirt with Nirmala even though she’s married. According to Sudha, Nirmala is the one who must limit herself even though she’s not the one doing anything wrong. This gives us a glimpse at the patriarchal system in place in the text’s society. Even though the man would be the guilty one in such situation, the woman is the one facing the consequences. There’s no one condemning the man for “ogling at someone else’s wife,” but rather the woman for interacting with him in the first place. Moreover, the fact that Sudha “can’t speak to any man except her husband,” and the fact that she believes Nirmala shouldn’t either demonstrates that society as a whole tends to punish women instead of men. They are not teaching men to not check out women but instead taking freedom away from women. When Sudha says that men feel no “hesitation” it implies that it’s practically a natural thing for men to do even though it’s disrespectful. This shows the effects of the patriarchal system that has been in place for centuries.
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