Absence and Presence
One very powerful bit of imagery is the presence looming over the entire proceedings: the presence of a person who is never seen or heard. Professor Damle is Benare’s partner in the production of an illegitimate child which makes her a threat to the status quo of patriarchal society—but for reasons not directly explained, he did not show up on this particular night for this particular performance of the mock trial of LBJ. His absence that actually feels like a substantive presence in the story is a powerful example of the creative use of imagery. He is not equally attacked, prosecuted, persecuted, and punished, despite sharing equal guilt for any perceived transgressions.
The Sparrow Song
Two different times during the play, Benare sings a song that tells a story about a sparrow having a conversation with a parrot. The sparrow tells a story filled with grief about how her nest has been stolen, relating how she asked a neighboring crow if he had witnessed anything. The crow responds that he didn’t see—and, anyway, “what are your troubles to do with me?” The song transforms the story of what is happening to Benare in the mock trial into metaphorical imagery.
The Unseen and Unheard Rebuttal
Judge Kashikar gives Benare a whole ten seconds to respond to the prosecutor’s closing arguments, exemplifying the satirical undermining of the fairness of the judicial system. At that point, everyone else in the play freezes in place and Benare gives a long, moving, confessional monologue that pulls out the few skeletons remaining in her closet and puts them on full display. It is always one of the highlights of any performance of the play, profoundly moving the audience; within the reality of the play, however, it is incapable of touching any of the other characters because it only takes place in Benare’s mind. That the others do not hear it and so cannot be moved by it becomes another piece of powerful imagery speaking to the capacity for society to remain deaf and blind to evidence of its own failures in an effort to maintain the status quo.
The End
The play ends with Benare lying on the floor following her collapse upon hearing that the sentence for her “crime” is court-ordered abortion. Shortly thereafter, the sound of the doors being opened to let in the audience that has arrived to watch the scheduled mock trial begins. The performers make an empty attempt to try to revive Benare, mostly by telling her it was all just a game. Then, in response to the arriving crowd, they head offstage to begin preparing for their roles in the scheduled mock trial, leaving Benare completely alone as the sparrow song plays over speakers. This is imagery composed of various levels that speak to the hypocrisy of the prime objective of this group being to "raise social awareness" among the community, as well as the more obvious interpretations of a woman’s place in India’s patriarchal system.
