Punishment by Tagore explores the ethical problems of how much a man’s life is worth compare to a woman. Chidam, is one of the brothers and is put in a position where he does not know what to value more. He says, “Thakur, if I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?” (895). Just from the words “I can get another” shows the problem of how much that culture during that time, valued their women compare to men. It is as if she is just a piece of object that can be easily replaced because she is a woman, while his brother who is a man cannot be replaced at all. There is a sense of an unequal balance of value of the two genders. The author clearly shows that when it comes to choice between what is more important to save, a man’s life will be valued more. It’s an ethical problem that is explored throughout the story with the character not knowing if he should fully commit to saving his wife, which at the end he does not manage to do. If he actually truly appreciated his wife, and loved her maybe he would have been able to save her. Maybe, if a woman’s life was more important to that culture at the time his wife could have been saved from hanging. Since, she already said she committed the crime there was no way of taking it back, but if her husband would have told the truth in the first place, his word would have been taken seriously. The ending could have been different if a woman’s life would have been valued more during that time
Assignment 7
October 30, 2015 Written by s.kazinets | 3 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
3 responses so far ↓
e.volynsky // Oct 30th 2015 at 12:25 pm
Great response. I think you picked a solid quote that sums up the ethical issues in Tagore’s, “Punishment”. It is imperative to take the setting of the story into consideration, which you did. Obviously, there is a huge gap in the equality of the two genders. There is a much higher value placed on men than women. We do not know if Chidam did not love his wife or care for her based on his decision; his actions are most likely a result of the times and culture of the time. Great analysis!
r.joy // Oct 31st 2015 at 12:43 am
Awesome job. I completely agree with the way you interpreted this quote and the ethical problem that occurs between men and women. I really like the quote you used to support your train of thought on this issue. I wrote something similar about who she might feel “disposable” because she is asked to take the blame for his brothers actions. Great response !!
JMERLE // Oct 31st 2015 at 12:38 pm
Yes, Simona, you do a very nice job discussing this issue, and you use a solid quotation. You also connect it firmly to the ending.
You mention a few times that Chidam is confused, and I think this confusion is quite meaningful here. His first response is to lie and sacrifice his brother, but then he rethinks this somewhat. I wonder if this shows a shifting in value systems in this culture, or at least a tendency towards that shift? We’ll talk more about this in class.
Well done, but there are a great many errors. Make sure you proofread before you post.
9/10