Entry (Short Stories): “Punishment” and “The Ruined Nest” by Rabrindranath Tagore

Entry (Short Stories): “Punishment” and “The Ruined Nest” by Rabrindranath Tagore

Analysis on the women’s characters through Feminism Lens

By: Shakirah Binti Mohammad (1514964)

Tagore is one of the prominent writers in India, he gains respect from people all over the world with how he had a mind beyond culture and time. He did not write the normal, submissive female characters in all his works, but strong-willed women that have a great determination in their heart and life. This can be seen from the short story “Punishment”, where Chandara is defined as “… a headstrong girl was hard to find.” (Tagore, 2014). Even though she is being a goat-scape for her own husband, but she doesn’t submit to him blindly. She stands for himself for a determination to get out from the bad life she’s having that time, by admitting all the accusations even her husband tries to plead to her, shows how great women’s power that Tagore wrote in his story.

Other than that, Charulata in “The Ruined Nest” is also written in a great light by Tagore. She is treated as a beautiful doll by her husband inside of their house, does not have any function and personalities, like a beautiful bird in a cage. This is what the reality always portrays, however, throughout the story, Charulata is an intelligent woman, she produces several works and always has great thinking skills. This can be interpreted that woman is not just a possession that man can show like an artwork, but they are more than that, they are not empty in their heart, nor in their head. Even till the end of the story, even after her husband thinks that he should take his wife heart back, Charulata is not easy being persuaded, she decides to stand on her own viewpoint strongly.

References:

Tagore, R. (2014). Punishment. In M. A. Quayum (Ed.), The Ruined Nest and Other Stories (1^st ed.). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.: Silverfish Books.

Tagore, R. (2014). The Ruined Nest. In M. A. Quayum (Ed.), The Ruined Nest and Other Stories (1^st ed.). Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.: Silverfish Books.