It was a Saturday and I was in my room, with nothing to do (even though there is much I should be doing; assignments and of course, choosing a text and coming up with a thesis statement for my position paper). So, I try to go online and this time luck was on my side (the wi-fi connection at my hostel block is as inconstant as the petrol price in Malaysia; sometimes I can get online, sometimes I want to smash my laptop and you know why).
I did the usual, responding to forums and writing my blogs. Then I visited Dr Edwin’s blog and I just finished reading two short stories by Dr Edwin; The Kiss and Husband Material. Although I know these two short stories got nothing to do with the prescribed texts for EDU 3234 Readings and Project Work for Teaching Literature in ESL Contexts (which I should be blogging about), but still I would like to blog about the short story Husband Material as I find it interesting.
I try putting myself in Shanti’s shoes; how she is torn apart between social obligations to get married and her own feelings of love towards Indran. In fact, I pity Ravimama too, as he is in the same situation like Shanti, I think Ravimama is in love with Anand but coming from a traditional society, love like that is unheard of and frowned upon.
The situation in the story is complex. Living a life; even your own life in complicated when your life is not your own to live and enjoy. When every decision you make has to be referred to and approved by those people that you respected and called family. Look at Indran for instance, he loves Shanti but in the end since he is indebted to his relatives, he has to oblige and marry their daughter.
One lesson that can be learned from all this is, when you have no career and have to depend on others to make a living, that is when you have to submit to their whims and fancies. If only Indran were a professional with his own career and money, things might have been different for him and Shanti.
I pity Shanti, not only because my feminine side relates to her feelings of rejection by Indran but because I have heard and read many stories like hers before. Trust and love hurt when it is not repaid. Worse, when those trust and love went down the drain, unappreciated and thrown away like a withered rose that won’t bloom anymore.
I wonder whether what Shanti and Ravimama did is what you call love or sacrifice? Is it sacrifice when Shanti still waits and loves Indran even when he is already married and going to America with his wife to further his studies? Is it sacrifice when Indran pretends to be happy with his wife when his heart always belongs to Shanti? Is it sacrifice when Ravimama remains a bachelor even when he knows there is no way for him and Anand to be together?
Marriage and love, rejection and acceptance, social acceptability and individual choices; those are intriguing concepts that bug my mind. I wonder how are we, as future teachers going to teach all these in our literature class…
P/S: If you want to read the short story, please follow this link http://edwinvethamani.com/modules/tinycontent/index.php?id=27
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