As quite an unorthodox choice in this case, I would say that another work we’ve read this semester that is comparable to Rabindranath Tagore’s Punishment, in my opinion, is Moliere’s Tartuffe. These literary texts are similar in how their female characters are downplayed in their roles, and their themes of betrayal.
Female characters, such as Tartuffe’s Dorine and Punishment’s Chandara and Radha, are downplayed and are only expected to do what they are told to do. In the 17th century literary piece Tartuffe, Dorine is expected only to be the household’s servant and not to be outspoken and clear with her opinions. As Madame Pernelle puts it, Dorine should not be “[a] servant with an opinion.” Another character in this text is Orgon’s second wife, Elmire. In Moliere’s piece, a wife is only expected to serve her husband and seen only as an object. In Act 3 Scene 7 of the play, Orgon, objectifying his wife, allows Tartuffe to be with Elmire and tells him that “[he] can spend every hour with her if [he] wants, and be seen with her.” Furthermore, as the play progressed, specifically in Act 4 Scene 5, Orgon reluctantly allows Elmire, out of her own free will, to offer her body as a way to catch the Tartuffe’s evil intentions in action, but stops him only at the last minute when damage has already been done. While the it is not between a husband and his wife, betrayal still plays a major theme in the play as Tartuffe deceives Orgon. Conversely, in Tagore’s Punishment, the wives of Dukhiram and Chidam Rui, namely Radha and Chandara, respectively, are expected only to serve their husbands by preparing food for them after their long day at work and following whatever they say. For instance, Dukhiram, expecting to have food on the table for him “after a whole day of toil and humiliation [only] to return to a dark, joyless, foodless house,” lashes out at his wife, Radha, for not preparing food for him and his brother, which eventually led him to kill her with a knife to the head. Meanwhile, Chidam, on the other hand, expects his wife, Chandara, to do what he tells her to do, such as to stay home, and betrays her by asking her to take the blame for the murder.
Armand, You are right to imagine that this is an unexpected comparison! While the texts are so different, I do see some validity in what you are pointing out. It certainly seems that in both texts, the female characters (or at least Chandara, Dorine, and Elmire) are clearly equal to the men in terms of their strength of character, intelligence, and determination, despite the patriarchal norms of their societies.