The Subordinate
This short story presents the tragic story of a young woman from childhood to adulthood while also painting a grim and painful picture of the family life many young girls had to go through.
The main character is a young woman named Paru. She was the daughter of a doctor and thus one may think she had an easy life. This was not the case unfortunately because Paru's mother died while she was young and her father remarried a woman who was not fond of her step-daughter. The father is described as being absent, someone who did not take too much of an interest in his family. He was the provider and nothing more while the mother took care of the household. Paru found no type of support in her own family and as such sought comfort in another family which eventually proved catastrophic for her.
Paru falls in love with the oldest son of the family and the two start an illicit relationship. The problem with the relationship is that the boy is already engaged to another woman and that the family from which he came from was richer than hers was. This meant that Paru's family was unable to pay the dowry the boy's family may have asked and this made Paru an unsuitable match for their son. Money and social status plays an important role here and can influence a person's life drastically.
Paru is eventually abandoned by her lover and she finds employment working in a temple. It is unclear if her family disowned her for the relationship she had or if she simply ran away but Paru remained on her own. While at the temple, Paru gives birth to a daughter, and the two live together there, in complete misery and poverty.
This status of complete poverty was caused most likely by Paru's status as an unwed mother. This made her an unacceptable match for any men who may come from a decent family and brand her as an outcast.
Paru's story ends in a tragic way because as her child grown, she attracts the attention of many men, including the Commissioner who even sends after the young girl to be brought to his house one day. Paru knows that if she allows her child to be sent there, she will become a mistress and her future will be destroyed in the same way hers was. At the same time, Paru knows she has no power to stop the Commissioner since she has no influence and no power whatsoever. This pushes Paru to take the only route she sees available to her, meaning killing her child and then committing suicide.
Paru's actions are shocking for the reader but they reveal an important idea: death is more acceptable in some cases, especially when it is put face to face with a life lived in shame and poverty.
Marriages are made in heaven
This story, as the name suggests, is about marriage. The main character is a young woman named Madhavi who comes from an extremely poor family. Her parents are trying to secure for her a good match but unfortunately are unable to because they are really poor. Because of this, Madhavi is still unmarried even though she is 23. This age is a critical one for Madhavi because according to the society in which she lives, she is way too old to secure a good match. Other young women are mentioned and in comparison with Madhavi, many of them married as early as they turned 14. This shows just how important marriage is in the society described in the story and also how Madhavi's situation is a dire one.
Madhavi's life changes when a marriage broker contacts her family in regard to a possible match. The two involved families agree to the proposal and to the fixed dowry and Madhavi gets married. Soon after the marriage ceremony took place, Madhavi's mother told her daughter that she has to get back the jewelry given as dowry since they were borrowed from their neighbors. This causes a tense situation while also highlighting the importance of a good dowry.
The mother in law is also extremely uspset with the situation and makes plans to marry her son to another woman, a wealthier girl. This puts Madhavi is a strange situation because if she were to separate from her husband, she would find herself with no financial support and with no hope of getting married to another man. This makes Madhavi think about possible ways in which she could save the marriage in a peaceful and intelligent manner. Madhavi is successful and the story ends with Madhavi moving back in with her husband.
Madhavi reacted in a completely different way when compared to Paru. Madhavi did not use violence and did not behave in an unbecoming way. Instead, she used her own intellect to make sure her future will be secure.
