Alec Schonfeld
“Punishment” written by Rabindaranath Tagore is an exciting short story enlightening the reader on the hardships of women. After reading this short story the first connection I made was to a short story we read earlier in the year, Feng Menglong’s “Du Tenth Sinks The Jewel Box in Anger”. In both stories we see a central theme taking place revolving around the women dynamic characters and their behavior, oppose to that of the men in these stories which happen to be their husbands. “Punishment” gives us the point of view of a young wife named Chandara living in Bengladesh. Through her view we are described the patriarchal society Bangladesh is, and how Chandara is constantly being influenced and even controlled by her husband. According to “Punishment”, “If I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?” (895 Tagore). This quote perfectly embodies the society which Chandara lived in and the type of man her husband is. In this story Chidam asked Chandara a seemingly ludicrous question, If she would take the blame of a murder in which she wasn’t even associated with? After a little convincing Chandara agrees to do this for her husband. Similarly, in “Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger” we see women portrayed and treated in an unfair manner. Du tenth is a prostitute with low status in the society, even she is a courtesan with a heavenly beautiful face. But she was straight, brave, intelligent and had an undoubtedly sensation for love. When her husband was asked about her services from another man for a thousand “taels” we see just what her husband thinks of her. If Du Tenth’s husband was willing to entertain an offer for her for monetary value, we as readers understand that she was more property to him than his wife. “In my jewel case there is true jade; I regret that you lack eyes in your head to see it” (Menglong 516). Both these short stories show similarities in the setting and society in which they took place. Women were thought of and treated as second class citizens.
Alec, You are right to point out that both “Punishment” and “Du Tenth” explore the ways in which women are treated in patriarchal societies. Yes, both Du Tenth and Chandara are asked to subjugate their own will and their own independence to suit the needs of their male partners. One thing that you haven’t addressed here is the fact that both women end up choosing death. What does this tell us about their situations?