Tagore’s “Punishment” seeks to explore the ethical concerns in the Bengal countryside during the late nineteenth century. Chidam asks Chandara to take the blame for the murdering of Radha and rationalizes this act by stating, “Don’t worry- if you do what I tell you, you’ll be quite safe,” (895). The ethical problem that Tagore is illustrating here is the excessive amount of power a husband had over his wife during the time. Furthermore, this matter impacts the conclusion of the story as Chandara chooses to liberate herself from the cruelty and injustice that surrounds her, however at the expense of her life. Had Chandara actually “did what Chidam told her”, and claimed that “the murder” was an accident, she may have been able to live. The fact that she was more determined to lie against herself, then to potentially speak up and tell the truth, truly shows the degree of anger which had developed inside of Chandara as a result of the acts of her husband. How would the story have ended if Chandara decided to say what actually had happened? Maybe her perspective may not have even been considered by the judge because of the power men had over women. In the end, the power Chidam exerted over Chandara came to haunt him, as it led to the unwarranted loss of his wife.
Assignment 7
October 30, 2015 Written by j.kohan | 2 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
2 responses so far ↓
mf152788 // Oct 30th 2015 at 11:39 pm
I really liked the way you analyzed the quote, especially with regards to how Chandara reacted to the implied meanings from the quote. I wholeheartedly agree that Chandara was liberating herself from the cruelty and injustice that surrounded her, specifically by her own husband. The quote very much demonstrated this awful treatment she received. The questions you ask later on reinforce this line of thinking, as you question what would have happened if Chandara would not liberate herself. By looking at this plotline from another perspective, it emphasizes how the story turned out the way it did. Overall a great way to look at this specific part of the story!
JMERLE // Oct 31st 2015 at 12:46 pm
Josh,
This is a very nicely constructed response. You do a very good job explaining how your quotation brings out an important issue, a husband’s seeming “all powerful” role over his wife. You also do a nice job connecting this to the ending, when, yes, for better or for worse, Chandara has finally released herself from this power.
Great!
10/10