The short story Punishment by Tagore is about two brothers Chidam and Dukhiram who are poor low caste laborers that live with their two wives Chandara and Radha. This story began when Dukhiram came home from work and demanded for food from his wife Radha who responded with sarcasm asking “Where is there food? Did you give me anything to cook? Must I earn money myself to buy it?” (894). Radha’s sarcasm led to Dukhiram erupting in rage and unintentionally killing his wife. What shocked me was that Chidam was considering using his wife as a scapegoat to the murder since he could get another wife, but not another brother. I respect Chandara for not putting up with the humiliation of being viewed so lowly in the eyes of her own husband. She decides to become the scapegoat for Dukhiram, confessing that she killed Radha and basically asks for the death penalty. I especially loved how it ended with Chandara standing her ground and not throwing away her self-respect, by denying seeing her husband and saying, “To hell with him” (899) when the doctor told her that her husband wanted to see her. I feel that this ending left Chidam with a permanent guilt which was the “punishment” for him humiliating and undervaluing his wife’s worth.
Do you guys think that what Chandara did was admirable or worth it to defend her self-respect as a wife? Or could she have handled her being undermined by her own husband without throwing away her life in a different manner?
I think what Chandara did is admirable to defend her self-respect because she couldn’t leave the marriage or if she did, it was frowned upon. It was the only way for her to escape her life as Chidam’s wife. Before the events of the story, Chandara and Chidam fought because of how overbearing he was. There was no autonomy for the wives as they depended on their husbands. Eventually, Radha realized the oppressive suffocation and suddenly defied him, which ultimately lead to her death. I don’t think there is another way for her to undermine Chidam. This was always going to be her choice because she felt there was no hope for a happy marriage when he picked his brother over her. It is a shame but this is her own choice and not Chidam’s.
In response to Chandara’s actions, I think she did what she felt was her only option/necessary in order to free herself and escape from her husband, which in my opinion was admirable. She gained back control of her life and did not let her husband dictate her future. In the past, women were expected to follow their husbands and cater to their needs, but Chandara was able to deviate from that and her husband by taking the blame for Radha’s death. In her circumstances, I believe that was her only option to become free of her husband. Although I would have wanted a better ending for Chandara, ultimately, she was finally able to make her OWN decision, and take back control of her life.
Hi, j.zeng4, I think what Chandara did was very admirable. At some point, I tried to put myself in her situation and think of another way to demonstrate my innocence to everyone. Many ideas came to my mind, but I’d forgotten to consider her situation as a woman in her society. I believe Chandara felt hopeless and overwhelmed by what her husband had done. he had used her to protect his brother which showed her that her husband didn’t love her at all. She wouldn’t have a chance to have a better life if she fought for her innocence. Taking your own life may seem to be an easy way to end your problems for some people. However, exposing yourself and letting society blame you for something you haven’t done must be definitely hard.
“Punishment” by Rabindranath Tagore is a very realistic and entertaining short story. However, if I were to describe the characters in the story with just one word, it would be foolish. When Ramlochan first arrives at the brothers’ house, Chidam’s first reaction about the murder was to blame his wife. What I don’t understand is that he claims to love her, yet, he is willing to blame her to save his brother? Also, I felt really bad for Chandara. The reason she was willing to take the blame was because she really loved Chidam. When Chidam told her to take the blame, she most likely felt so betrayed that she rather choose death instead (which is kind of extreme). Also, I felt that this story was quite ironic yet funny. While trying to cover up one lie, Chidam eventually created a web of lies and when they finally decided to speak the truth, no one believed them.
In a more literary sense, I felt that this story brought light to the injustices/stereotypes to women back in the late 19th century India, as well as gender roles. The women in this novel, Radha and Chandara, are characterized as being extremely noisy, to the extent that the neighbors found it normal. In terms of gender roles, they are stuck at home taking care of the children and are obligated to serve their husbands after a hard day of work. As seen with the story, when Radha refuses to serve her husband food after a long day, he ends up killing her (might have been an accident but he killed her anyways).
Lastly, while reading the story, it reminded me of Stephen King’s novel “1922,” especially with the concept of the “Conniving man.” As Stephan King wrote in his novel, “I believe there is another man inside of every man, a stranger, a Conniving man.” In this story, the characters Dukhiram and Chidam reminds me of this conniving man; the fact that Dukhiram kills his wife on impulse and frustration, and the fact that Chidam was scheming to save his brother by throwing his wife under the bus (idiomatically speaking). Similarly in both stories, covering up for a murder never really works out.
In response to Chandara’s actions, I think she did what she felt was her only option/necessary in order to free herself and escape from her husband, which in my opinion was admirable. She gained back control of her life and did not let her husband dictate her future. In the past, women were expected to follow their husbands and cater to their needs, but Chandara was able to deviate from that and her husband by taking the blame for Radha’s death. In her circumstances, I believe that was her only option to become free of her husband. Although I would have wanted a better ending for Chandara, ultimately, she was finally able to make her OWN decision, and take back control of her life.
Hello m.chou, I agree with you when you say Chandara gained back control of her life. At the end of the story, she was the only one who decided for her life. She demonstrated Chidam that she was brave enough to assume her husband’s accusations.
Punishment is a very dramatic story. It made me reflect on women in society and Tagore’s purpose on writing this kind of stories.
M. Chou, I completely agree with your feeling about Chandara. Freedom sometimes comes in the form of death. It is quite similar to someone who is currently in pain and one life support but asked to be taken off. Sometimes the pain which someone feels makes them want to escape at any means necessary and in her culture, I believe it is frown upon to leave one’s husband and as such she chose death.
Chandara’s husband obviously did not value her and was willing to let her take the blame for a crime she did not commit. A husband is suppose to cherish and love his wife and show her utmost respect and care. Chandara knee this and knew she would not get this from her husband. It is quite sad. I too wished that this story had a better ending in which she was found innocent and given the opportunity to have a better life. However, life is like that sometimes. Freedom sometimes comes at a cost.
Tagore’s character Chandara, she is described as “buxom, well-rounded, compact, and sturdy”, in addition she is “amused and intrigued” (Tagore 1695) by everything, and is depicted as an aware person. Chandara is falsely accused of murdering Radha, her brother-in-law’s wife, by her beloved husband Chidam. His brother, Dukhiram, was the one responsible for her death, however Chidam reasons that “if I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?” (Tagore 1695) This statement clearly depicts how important woman were to the society, it shows that his wife the one who he loved and swore allegiance to is an object and can easily be replaced.
The short story Punishment by Tagore is about two brothers Chidam and Dukhiram who are poor low caste laborers that live with their two wives Chandara and Radha. This story began when Dukhiram came home from work and demanded for food from his wife Radha who responded with sarcasm asking “Where is there food? Did you give me anything to cook? Must I earn money myself to buy it?” (894). Radha’s sarcasm led to Dukhiram erupting in rage and unintentionally killing his wife. What shocked me was that Chidam was considering using his wife as a scapegoat to the murder since he could get another wife, but not another brother. I respect Chandara for not putting up with the humiliation of being viewed so lowly in the eyes of her own husband. She decides to become the scapegoat for Dukhiram, confessing that she killed Radha and basically asks for the death penalty. I especially loved how it ended with Chandara standing her ground and not throwing away her self-respect, by denying seeing her husband and saying, “To hell with him” (899) when the doctor told her that her husband wanted to see her. I feel that this ending left Chidam with a permanent guilt which was the “punishment” for him humiliating and undervaluing his wife’s worth.
Do you guys think that what Chandara did was admirable or worth it to defend her self-respect as a wife? Or could she have handled her being undermined by her own husband without throwing away her life in a different manner?
I think what Chandara did is admirable to defend her self-respect because she couldn’t leave the marriage or if she did, it was frowned upon. It was the only way for her to escape her life as Chidam’s wife. Before the events of the story, Chandara and Chidam fought because of how overbearing he was. There was no autonomy for the wives as they depended on their husbands. Eventually, Radha realized the oppressive suffocation and suddenly defied him, which ultimately lead to her death. I don’t think there is another way for her to undermine Chidam. This was always going to be her choice because she felt there was no hope for a happy marriage when he picked his brother over her. It is a shame but this is her own choice and not Chidam’s.
In response to Chandara’s actions, I think she did what she felt was her only option/necessary in order to free herself and escape from her husband, which in my opinion was admirable. She gained back control of her life and did not let her husband dictate her future. In the past, women were expected to follow their husbands and cater to their needs, but Chandara was able to deviate from that and her husband by taking the blame for Radha’s death. In her circumstances, I believe that was her only option to become free of her husband. Although I would have wanted a better ending for Chandara, ultimately, she was finally able to make her OWN decision, and take back control of her life.
Hi, j.zeng4, I think what Chandara did was very admirable. At some point, I tried to put myself in her situation and think of another way to demonstrate my innocence to everyone. Many ideas came to my mind, but I’d forgotten to consider her situation as a woman in her society. I believe Chandara felt hopeless and overwhelmed by what her husband had done. he had used her to protect his brother which showed her that her husband didn’t love her at all. She wouldn’t have a chance to have a better life if she fought for her innocence. Taking your own life may seem to be an easy way to end your problems for some people. However, exposing yourself and letting society blame you for something you haven’t done must be definitely hard.
“Punishment” by Rabindranath Tagore is a very realistic and entertaining short story. However, if I were to describe the characters in the story with just one word, it would be foolish. When Ramlochan first arrives at the brothers’ house, Chidam’s first reaction about the murder was to blame his wife. What I don’t understand is that he claims to love her, yet, he is willing to blame her to save his brother? Also, I felt really bad for Chandara. The reason she was willing to take the blame was because she really loved Chidam. When Chidam told her to take the blame, she most likely felt so betrayed that she rather choose death instead (which is kind of extreme). Also, I felt that this story was quite ironic yet funny. While trying to cover up one lie, Chidam eventually created a web of lies and when they finally decided to speak the truth, no one believed them.
In a more literary sense, I felt that this story brought light to the injustices/stereotypes to women back in the late 19th century India, as well as gender roles. The women in this novel, Radha and Chandara, are characterized as being extremely noisy, to the extent that the neighbors found it normal. In terms of gender roles, they are stuck at home taking care of the children and are obligated to serve their husbands after a hard day of work. As seen with the story, when Radha refuses to serve her husband food after a long day, he ends up killing her (might have been an accident but he killed her anyways).
Lastly, while reading the story, it reminded me of Stephen King’s novel “1922,” especially with the concept of the “Conniving man.” As Stephan King wrote in his novel, “I believe there is another man inside of every man, a stranger, a Conniving man.” In this story, the characters Dukhiram and Chidam reminds me of this conniving man; the fact that Dukhiram kills his wife on impulse and frustration, and the fact that Chidam was scheming to save his brother by throwing his wife under the bus (idiomatically speaking). Similarly in both stories, covering up for a murder never really works out.
In response to Chandara’s actions, I think she did what she felt was her only option/necessary in order to free herself and escape from her husband, which in my opinion was admirable. She gained back control of her life and did not let her husband dictate her future. In the past, women were expected to follow their husbands and cater to their needs, but Chandara was able to deviate from that and her husband by taking the blame for Radha’s death. In her circumstances, I believe that was her only option to become free of her husband. Although I would have wanted a better ending for Chandara, ultimately, she was finally able to make her OWN decision, and take back control of her life.
Hello m.chou, I agree with you when you say Chandara gained back control of her life. At the end of the story, she was the only one who decided for her life. She demonstrated Chidam that she was brave enough to assume her husband’s accusations.
Punishment is a very dramatic story. It made me reflect on women in society and Tagore’s purpose on writing this kind of stories.
M. Chou, I completely agree with your feeling about Chandara. Freedom sometimes comes in the form of death. It is quite similar to someone who is currently in pain and one life support but asked to be taken off. Sometimes the pain which someone feels makes them want to escape at any means necessary and in her culture, I believe it is frown upon to leave one’s husband and as such she chose death.
Chandara’s husband obviously did not value her and was willing to let her take the blame for a crime she did not commit. A husband is suppose to cherish and love his wife and show her utmost respect and care. Chandara knee this and knew she would not get this from her husband. It is quite sad. I too wished that this story had a better ending in which she was found innocent and given the opportunity to have a better life. However, life is like that sometimes. Freedom sometimes comes at a cost.
Tagore’s character Chandara, she is described as “buxom, well-rounded, compact, and sturdy”, in addition she is “amused and intrigued” (Tagore 1695) by everything, and is depicted as an aware person. Chandara is falsely accused of murdering Radha, her brother-in-law’s wife, by her beloved husband Chidam. His brother, Dukhiram, was the one responsible for her death, however Chidam reasons that “if I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?” (Tagore 1695) This statement clearly depicts how important woman were to the society, it shows that his wife the one who he loved and swore allegiance to is an object and can easily be replaced.