–How does justice work in the world of “Punishment”? What happens when one tells the truth? What happens when one lies?
–What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law? Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?
–Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam. How do they help us understand the events of the story?
–How do you understand the title of the story?
–As she approaches death, Chandara both says, “to hell with him,” and maintains that she loves her husband. How do you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?
Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam. How do they help us understand the events of the story?
Chandara and Chidam’s marriage is somewhat unconventional. Chandara challenges Chidam’s authority. When she feels like Chidam is seeing someone else when he goes on business trips, she goes down to the river and would flirt with men that are there. When Chidam tries to lock her up, she runs away and doesn’t come back home till he begs her. This helps us understand the events that unfold later on in the story because we know how both characters are thinking and feeling. When Chidam says his wife killed Rahda, it was his subconscious that did it. However, Chidam meant what he said and it was his subconsciousness that sort of gave him the courage.
How do you understand the title of the story?
Punishment is penalizing someone for their wrongdoing. All four characters in Tagore’s “Punishment” face their own type of punishment. It is known that women had no say or voice back in the day, and if they spoke back to any male, they were either beaten or killed. Dukhiram’s wife faced her own type of punishment, death, for speaking up and talking back to Dukhiram. Having to obey orders set by men, Chandara is forced to follow a set plan of how she would come before the judge and community admitting to a crime she did not commit. Chandara willingly admits to killing her sister-in-law even though she knows she did not. She does this in order to punish Chidam for telling her to lie and cover for his brother’s crime. Both Chidam and Dukhiram are left without a wife and the punishment of having to live the rest of their lives knowing that they both lied. Even when they admit to the truth, no one believed them, and so, in their own way are left to face their punishment.
–Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam. How do they help us understand the events of the story?
Tagore offers us a backstory about Chandara and Chidam’s marriage so we can understand the choices they both make throughout the story. In showing that both Chandara and Chidam are good looking folks, who are both jealous of the other, Tagore sets up the foundation of their marriage. Chandara wanted to be on the same standards as Chidam which is why she flirted at the ghat because she figured her husband was doing it also. When Chandara ran away to her uncle’s house and Chidam had to beg, to some extent, for her to return with him, it made her the “man” of the relationship. It was then they both knew Chandara had power and control in the relationship. Chidam hated Chandara because of the fact that he wasn’t the one controlling her and because he was never at ease, constantly worrying about his wife’s actions. He therefore wanted her dead and that is why he blurted out she killed her sister-in-law when in fact she didn’t. Chandara, wanting to be able to make her own decisions and have control over her own life, said that she did indeed kill her sister-in-law, even though she didn’t, because she didn’t want to what her husband said. She wanted to be in control of her own destiny and she also wanted to punish him for betraying her. In the previous quarrel between Chandara and Chidam, Chandara ran away to her uncle. In this betrayal, she ran away to the noose because she couldn’t live with a husband who betrayed her.
–What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law? Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?
I view Chandara’s choice of taking responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law as a heroic one. By taking responsibility, she has the power to control her own life rather than taking orders from her husband. In the past, she was consistently badgered and abused by her husband when her decisions did not please him. Now, when her husband accuses her of the crime and pleads her to not take responsibility, she takes a heroic choice for herself by not listening to her husband and standing firm with her decision.
–How do you understand the title of the story?
In 19th Century, especially in Bengali working class, there is the relationship between subordinates and superiors. Of course, men controls over women. Women have to obey men’s order without resistance. Dukhiram just kills his wife because she put herself against him. In this savage life, there is no rational solution. For superiors, the most cruel punishment is that they have to live without subordinates. Dukhiram and Chidam, they both lost their wife’s because of their barbaric behavior and thinking. I think their wive’s death is punishment for them.
–Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam. How do they help us understand the events of the story?
The details that Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam helps us understand the type of relationship they have. The backstory also gives us an insight on their personalities. Chandara goes against stereotypical gender roles. She is attractive and flirtatious. She stands up for herself and makes her own choices even if they might go against traditional values. Chidam who is also very attractive, is constantly chasing after Chandara, trying to “discipline” her to be the wife that he wants. However, she is constantly slipping through his fingers. This information shows us that Chandara will continue to make her own decisions even if it means risking her life and Chidam will always feel inferior to her.
–As she approaches death, Chandara both says, “to hell with him,” and maintains that she loves her husband. How do you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?
In the end of the story, Chandara says “to hell with him,” directed towards her husband. However, on trial during the story, Chandara makes known that she loves her husband and has a very loving relationship with him. These two statements are very contradictory but can be understood since Chandara has to conform to society and make known that she is a good wife and pleases her husband well and loves him without a doubt. Since her husband chooses his brother over her, she says “to hell with him” meaning that he does not deserve a strong woman like her and that what he did was wrong and selfish.
As she approaches death, Chandara both says, “to hell with him,” and maintains that she loves her husband. How do you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?
Chandara’s contradictory statements makes it seems as if the man she married and the man who let her die for a murder she did not commit are two different people. Chidam blames the murder of his sister in law on his wife, Chandara, and because of this she wants nothing to do with him. By the time Chidam and his brother decide to take the blame for the murder it is too late, no one believes them, and Chandara continues to stick to her story. Chandara loved her husband so much that she took on the blame of murder for him, but she feels he betrayed her, and choose to help his brother instead of her. This is why when she is asked if she wants to see her husband before her death says “to hell with him,” Chandara wants to punish the man that betrayed her.
–What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law? Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?
Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in law as a risky and dangerous choice. I see her as a victim because she has been convainced by her to take the responsibility because she will not be punish as if her brother-in law take the responsibility so once her husband and his brother realized that she is going to be punished for a crime she didn’t commit they didn’t do anything about it. Her betrayed her and pushed her to death. also I see her as a victim because back in day in India and all over the world women were objectified and mistreated because of their inferiority.
–How does justice work in the world of “Punishment”? What happens when one tells the truth? What happens when one lies?
In the world of justice in “Punishment” we see that the truth is only discovered by who are witnesses, what everyone agrees too in accordance to what the person in trial admits too. Chandara continued lying and thus her lie became the truth that her husband had to conform too despite he came out and told the truth, the real truth about the incident. For lying and acting unfairly to his wife Chandara, Chidam in turn got punished.
What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law? Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?
Chandara does not want to listen to her husband and be controlled by him. She is a hero. Because at that time, females are always under males. Females need to one hundred percent listen to and follow males’ requirements. For this instance, Chandara decides to make a decision by her own, in order to control her own destiny.
How do you understand the title of the story?
There are two punishments that happen in the story and out of the story. Obviously, Chandara gets the punishment at the end but when she says “to hell with him” towards her husband, her husband will forever have to live with the guilt of killing two women.
Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam. How do they help us understand the events of the story?
Tagore tells us how Chandara would assume Chidam is cheating as he would come from working for more than two days with no extra earnings. So she would begin hanging out and talking about other men in town. This lead to Chidam locking her in her room but Chandara escapes and goes villages aways to her uncle’s house. This shows her independence and how she does not let no men control her actions. This helps us understand why she decides not to listen to her husband’s plan.