But now I am wondering what are the boys a symbol of?
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
The Mark of Vishnu
We were quite in a hurry when finishing the text, however, we did make it clear that the story deals with the conflicting values of the traditional India versus the modern India. Here we also talked about Gunga Ram being a symbol of belief, of acceptance, of the old traditional values existing in India. Whereas the teacher is a symbol of the modern westernised India, which is governed by science and questioning the traditional ways of living. One of the main points of the story is that Kala Nag (nature) cannot be controlled, not by religion, nor by science.
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If you interpret the boys from a religious point of view then they represent Siva, the destroyer. They behave in a very disrespectful way towards the creatures of nature when they with no compassion are killing snakes. One could also look at them as opportunists because they want to please their teacher and impress their schoolmates. In this game they are not concerned about their doings, but they are very concerned about the effects of their doings. A third possibility is to just say boys will be boys, and they are just teasing Gunga Ram for fun, and they are killing snakes for the fun of it, and for the excitement.
ReplyDeleteMartin
Interesting comparison. I agree with you, boys are boys. They are experimenting, teasing and finding their place in life. But basically you are saying that they are just like the teacher- trying to control, or even destroy nature? However, nature prevails, right? Who is narrating the story?
ReplyDeleteI have been pondering this and well, there are a few possibilities. The boys represent a new India, modern and technological but cruel and aetheist, which is not entirely true. There is also another point of view that is a bit out there. Considering India's position in the world and the time at which the story was written, I would propose that the boys represent communists.
ReplyDeleteAfghanistan was invaded a couple of years earlier by the Soviet Union, which borders the disputed area of Kashmir (The Pakistan part). There was a real threat of communist expansion around that time. Kerala, a state in the South of India was controlled by the communists and there was a large communist party in India - The CPI.
India also has a long "undefined" border with Tibet, which is now governed by Communist China. There have been a few skirmishes in and around Ladakh,(Kashmir -a disputed area of India), where China annexed Aksai Chin in the 1960's.
You could compare the old man with the Tibetans and the boys with the communists, as communists dismiss religion in favour of communist ideology.
The main religion in Tibet is buddhism, which has many similarities with Hinduism (the main religion in India), mainly a respect for all forms of life and their views on karma (I mentioned the quotes in class which refer to that - line 6-7 and line 25, pg 84). There is also another quote from line 20-22, pg 85. "They were constantly belittling him with their new fangled ideas. They never read their scriptures". This reflects a strong communist view - a new ideology versus an old one, dismissing their own ancient culture in favour of a new one. The teacher represents Mao Tse Tung and the snake nature/evolution. Also the story ends with the victory of communism over religion (line 18, pg 87)-"With hands folded in prayer he bowed his head to the ground craving forgivness. In a desperate fury, the cobra spat and bit Gunga Ram all over the head". This proves that Gunga Ram was wrong with reference to the quote on page one(line 6-7, pg 84). This shows compassion on his part as well. He is begging for forgiveness for the boys, as it was them who battered the snake. You could compare this to how the Dalai Lama views the Chinese communists, with compassion and forgiveness. It also represents the communist view of natural evolution, where religion will not prevail anymore.
The story is narrated by the youngsters(Line 4- "we youngsters suggested").
The author is in fact a Sikh (Surname Singh which means lion) and not a Hindu. I don't think that he is a communist as he potrays the boys in a cruel way - e.g. battering the snake. With this story he is trying to make the reader aware of a threat to India's ancient way of life.
Maybe my view is abit out there?! Comments please!!
I like your way to read a text Dave. I aggre with you on the boys represent new India.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elsebeth and Dave. :)
ReplyDeleteI was sick this tuersday when you dissued this text, but i have read it, and i think that the boys, the snake and Gunga Ram are symbols of something.
This is what I call a brilliant interpretation Dave, and a much thorough background check;) I completely buy the whole package and as long as you have text evidence, you can just about get away with murder;)
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you then take your interpretation and think in terms of an unreliable narrator meaning that the boys in the story are acting our of ridicule and mockery because they are merely children, not actually knowing what they are doing, which they probably come to regret later on in life as Gunga Ram dies. When being young, you blindly follow the role-models society lays out for you, and the boys are most likely representatives of the new generations of Indians. In the story they unquestionable adapt this empirical notion of the world and reject religion and tradition as this is what they are taught in school. Therefore I very much agree that this could be a mere concealment of the true meaning to the story in which the author actually projects the tale beyond the familiar symbolic meaning into a highly political instigation in which the teacher and boys are presenting the communists and Gunga Ram the Tibetans. India may be retaining a secular façade, but Singh has said that despite this "the spirit within will be that of a militant Hinduism of which fundamentalism is on the rise". By putting into perspective to the story itself we could conclude that India – as many other countries- is a grouping of states, of people, history, religion, culture and language brought together, and by denying others would be to deny our sole existence and the vital role of nature. We cannot deny the opinions others behold. This is just Western arrogance that in itself illustrates clash of cultures. I guess this is what the boys and we as readers come to learn.
Hope I made myself clear. If not, please ask;)