great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

In Tagore’s short story Punishment, Tagore explores the idea of ethical issues related to justice. Chidam tries to save Dukhiram from a crime he committed, by blaming it on his wife Chandara, devising a plan so that she would not be charged as guilty, but ultimately leads to her tragic death. One instance where we see that an ethical issue is about to arise is when Chidam asks Ramlochan to help him lie about his brother’s crime. “Thakur, if I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?” (895). This quote proves that Chidam was ready to give up his wife’s life, so that his brother who committed the crime, would not be sentenced to death. Ethically, this is completely wrong. To blame an injustice on someone who is completely innocent is a crime in itself. More so, it is ethically wrong to lie in court, and so he is causing a group of people to be accessories to the crime. Ramlochan learned the real truth, but to no avail, when Chandara came to testify in court, she lied and said that she committed the crime and it was not self-defense. Chandara was so hurt that her husband was ready to give her up in an instance, that she would have rather died than spend another minute with him during her lifetime.