Deepika Pathak
Name of the College: Maharani Shri Nandkunvarba Mahila Arts and Commerce College
Name : Deepika.k.Pathak
Year : T.Y.B.A
Subject: English
Paper name : Major 14
A Study of the Indian Novel and short stories
Professor name : Aamena Ma'am
Class Assignment
[Characters of the Stories]
1.The Night of the Full Moon - Kartar Singh Duggal
About the Author
Kartar Singh Duggal (1 March 1917 – 26 January 2012) was a famous Indian writer. He wrote in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, and English. He is known for writing short stories, novels, dramas, and plays. Many of his writings were translated into other Indian and foreign languages.
He also played an important role in Indian culture and worked as the Director of All India Radio.
Many of his books are taught in universities, especially in postgraduate courses.
For his great contribution to literature, he received many awards. In 1988, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan. In 2007, he received the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, which is the highest honour given by the Sahitya Akademi of India.
Characters of The Night of the Full Moon
Malan :
Malan is Minnie's mother. Even though she is middle-aged, she is still very beautiful and looks young, almost like Minnie's sister. Her husband ignores her and stays busy with work, which makes her feel lonely and unhappy. For many years, a man has loved her silently and waited for her. On a full-moon night, Malan finally gives in to her hidden feelings and goes to meet him. This decision later causes a misunderstanding, and people wrongly blame her daughter Minnie for what happened.
Minnie :
Minnie is Malan's daughter. She is young, beautiful, innocent, and shy. She is about to be married in a week and behaves like a well-mannered and respectful girl. She regularly prays at the temple and follows social rules. Sadly, she becomes a victim of false accusations when villagers think they saw her with a man at night. In reality, it was Malan wearing Minnie's dupatta and bangles, but Minnie has to suffer because of this mistake.
The Lover (Malan's Secret Admirer)
The lover is a man who has deeply loved Malan for more than twenty years. Every full-moon night, he comes quietly, hoping Malan would open the door to him and reciprocate his love. For years, she refused him, but this time, she has decided to meet him near the bo tree on the full-moon night. His meeting with Malan becomes the reason for the later misunderstanding in the village.
Malan’s Husband
Malan's husband is a strict and hardworking moneylender. He is always busy earning money and caring only about work. He does not show emotional support to Malan. Because of his cold behavior, Malan feels neglected. On the important full-moon night, he is away from home, which indirectly allows the misunderstanding to take place.
Lajo (Neighbour Woman)
Lajo is Malan’s neighbour. She is curious, judgmental, and enjoys gossiping about others. She claims that she saw Minnie with a strange man in the fields at night. Instead of checking the truth, she spreads her assumption. Her words play a big role in starting the false rumour and damaging Minnie's reputation.
.Jumma (Village Watchman)
Jumma is the village watchman. He also says that he saw “Minnie” with a man during the night. In truth, he saw Malan, but he could not recognise her because she was wearing Minnie's dupatta. By repeating what he saw without understanding the truth, Jumma adds more strength to the false accusation and scandal.
Ratna (Zamindar/Landlord)
Ratna is the rich and powerful landlord of the village. He becomes angry when he finds a broken red bangle in his field. Since Minnie was seen wearing twelve bangles, he believes the broken one belongs to her. Without listening carefully or thinking deeply, he accuses Minnie in front of everyone. His strong words make the situation worse and increase the public humiliation of an innocent girl.
2.Toba Tek Singh by Saadat Hasan Manto
Characters
Bishen Singh (Toba Tek Singh)
A Sikh inmate who has been in the mental asylum for 15 years. Everyone calls him Toba Tek Singh, the name of his hometown. Speaks in strange, meaningless words. Always stands, rarely sleeps. Very confused about whether his hometown is in India or Pakistan. Represents the pain and confusion of Partition. Dies in no-man's-land, showing that he belongs to neither India nor Pakistan.
Fazal Din
A Muslim friend of Bishen Singh from Toba Tek Singh. Visits him after 15 years. Brings news Bishen Singh's family is safe in India. Kind-hearted and caring. Adds to the confusion when he gives mixed answers about where Toba Tek Singh is.
The 'God' Inmate
A patient who claims he is God. Bishen Singh asks him whether Toba Tek Singh is in India or Pakistan. He answers jokingly, making Bishen Singh angry. Represents how even "God" cannot solve the confusion of Partition.
Muslim League Worker (the Jinnah-claiming patient)
A Muslim patient from Chaniot. Used to be a strong supporter of the Muslim League. Bathes 15-16 times a day, then suddenly stops. Declares that he is Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Shows how political events deeply affected even asylum inmates.
Sikh Patient claiming to be Master Tara Singh
A Sikh inmate who claims he is Master. Tara Singh, a Sikh leader. Created as a mirror to the Muslim patient acting like Jinnah. Both are locked in different cells to prevent communal fights.
The Hindu Lawyer
A young Hindu man who became insane after a failed love story. His beloved lives in Amritsar. Gets depressed when told Amritsar will be in India. When he learns he will be sent to India, he refuses, saying his law practice won't succeed there. Shows how Partition separated lovers and destroyed lives.
3.THE NIGHT TRAIN AT DEOLI BY RUSKIN
BOND
The main characters in Ruskin Bond's "The Night Train at Deoli" are the Narrator (a young man), who falls for a girl at the station, and the unnamed Basket-Selling Girl, symbolizing innocent beauty and poverty, with the Deoli station itself serving as a key setting for their fleeting, unfulfilled connection.
The Narrator:
A young, observant traveler on his way to his grandmother's.
He develops a deep, silent affection and longing for the basket girl during brief train stops.
Represents universal themes of first love, memory, and missed chances, as he never truly connects with her.
The Basket-Selling Girl:
A poor, shy, hardworking village girl selling hand-woven baskets.
Her eyes hold a sense of longing for a better life.
She becomes a symbol of the narrator's fleeting encounter and unresolved emotions.
3.The Deoli Station itself is a significant element, representing a brief, isolated point in time and the setting for their chance meetings.
4.HOW I TAUGHT My GRANDMOTHER TO READ By SUDHA MURTY
In Sudha Murty's story, "How I Taught My Grandmother to Read," the main characters are the young narrator, Sudha, and her illiterate grandmother, Krishtakka (or Avva), a deeply religious woman who, at 62, decides to learn the Kannada alphabet to read her favorite novel, Kashi Yatre, inspired by Sudha's passion for reading, showing themes of intergenerational bond, perseverance, and education's lifelong value.
Key Characters:
Sudha (Narrator/Granddaughter): A 12-year-old girl, she's patient, supportive, and becomes her grandmother's teacher, highlighting the mutual respect and love between them.
Krishtakka (Grandmother/Avva): An elderly, illiterate woman with a strong desire for independence and knowledge; she diligently learns Kannada despite her age, showing determination and intelligence.
5.Lihaaf by Ismat chughtai
Characters
Narrator (unnamed young girl)
The story is narrated by an unnamed young girl who recalls a strange experience from her childhood. During a visit to her aunt Begum Jaan, she witnesses unusual occurrences involving Begum Jaan and her masseuse, Rabbu.
Begum Jaan
Begum Jaan, the narrator's aunt, is portrayed as a beautiful but isolated woman. Her marriage to a nawab is marked by neglect, as her husband shows no interest in her and spends time with young men. Begum Jaan finds companionship and physical comfort in Rabbu, her masseuse, in a relationship kept hidden.
Nawab Sahib
Nawab Sahib, Begum Jaan's husband, is the respected head of the household. While publicly seen as dignified, the story suggests he is involved with young male students. His neglect of Begum Jaan contributes to her loneliness.
Rabbu
Rabbu, the masseuse, is a constant presence in Begum Jaan's life, providing physical care and companionship. Their intimate relationship is central to the story.
Amma
Amma, the narrator's mother, sends her daughter to stay with Begum Jaan.
Characters:
Sir Mohan Lal : He was a middle-aged man who worked in the British Raj.
He was ashamed to be an Indian and hence he tried to speak in English or in Anglicized Hindustani and to dress as if a high-ranked British official.
He used to fill the crossword puzzles of newspapers, which he did to show his immense knowledge in English.
His wife Lachmi was a traditional Indian woman and due to this difference they were not having a sweet married life.
Lady Lachmi:
She was Sir Mohan's wife .She was short,
fat and in her forties.She liked chewing betel leaves.She used to wear a dirty white saree with a red border,a diamond nose -ring and gold bangles.Sir Mohan rarely spent time with her and gave her no real connection.
Bill and Jim
Bill and Jim were two English soldiers,they wanted to use the first class compartment even though they were second class passengers.They shouted at Sir Mohan , hit him,threw his luggage out onto the platform and forced him out of the train.
The coolie
The coolie carried Lady Lachmi's trunk and also helped her to reach the women's compartment.
HOME ASSIGNMENT
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read by Sudha Murthy
Introduction of the Author
Sudha Murty (née Kulkarni) was born on 19 August 1950. She is a well-known Indian educator, author, and philanthropist. She is the Founder and Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, a non-profit charitable organisation that works in the areas of education, health care, rural development, and social welfare. She is married to N. R. Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys.
Sudha Murty is widely respected for her simple writing style and meaningful stories written in Kannada and English. Some of her notable literary works are:
Mahashweta (2000)
Dollar Bahu (2003)
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read (2004)
Summary
The story How I Taught My Grandmother to Read is a touching real-life account of the author's childhood and her special relationship with her grandmother.
When the author was about twelve years old, she lived in a village in north Karnataka with her grandparents.
Life in the village was simple but transport facilities were poor.
Newspapers arrived only in the afternoon and weekly magazines came a day late.
At that time, Triveni was a very famous writer in the Kannada language. One of her novels, Kashi Yatre, was being published as a serial in the weekly magazine Karmveera.
The author's grandmother was named Krishtakka, and the author affectionately called her 'Avva'.
Avva was sixty-two years old and had never been to school, so she was illiterate. Even though she could not read, she had a sharp memory and a deep interest in stories.
Every Wednesday, when the magazine arrived, the author would read the new episode aloud to Avva.
Avva listened with full concentration, forgetting all her household work, and later could repeat the story word for word.
She identified strongly with the old woman in Kashi Yatre because she herself had never gone to Kashi.
Once, the author went to a neighbouring village for a wedding and stayed away for about a week.
During that time, the magazine arrived, but Avva could not read it. This made her feel helpless, dependent, and embarrassed. Although she was financially well-off, she realized that money without education cannot give independence.
She waited eagerly for her granddaughter to return and felt deeply hurt by her inability to read.
One night, under the full moon, Avva shared her life story with her granddaughter.
That night, she firmly decided to learn the Kannada alphabet, despite being sixty-two years old.
She set a goal to read a novel independently by Saraswati Pooja during the Dassara festival
From the next day, the granddaughter began teaching her. Avva proved to be a disciplined and hardworking student, practising reading, writing, and reciting daily.
The granddaughter became her first teacher, and Avva became her first student.
On Dassara day, Avva performed the pooja and then surprised her granddaughter. She gifted her a frock material and then touched her feet as a mark of respect.
In return, the granddaughter gifted Avva a copy of Kashi Yatre in book form.
Avva immediately read the title, author's name and publisher on her own, proving that she had successfully learned to read.
The story beautifully conveys that education brings independence, learning has no age limit and teachers deserve the highest respect.It also highlights the bond between a Grandmother and her granddaughter.
ESSAY
Feminism and Feminist Criticism
The 'women's movement' of the 1960s was not the start of feminism.
Rather, it was a renewal of an old tradition of thought and action already possessing its classic books which had diagnosed the problem of women's inequality in society.
These books include :
Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792),
Olive Schreiner's Women and Labour (1911);
Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own (1929),
which vividly portrays the unequal treatment given to women seeking education and alternatives to marriage and motherhood .
Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex (1949), which has an important section on the portrayal of women in the novels of D. H. Lawrence.
Male contributions to this tradition of feminist writing include :
John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Woman (1869)
The Origin of the Family (1884) by Friedrich Engels.
The feminist literary criticism of today is the direct product of the 'women's movement' of the 1960s.
This movement was, in important ways, literary from the start, in the sense that it realised the significance of the images of women.
Feminist criticism challenges portrayals of women in literature and is seen as integral to the movement's goals .
A core concept, defined by Toril Moi, distinguishes "feminist" as a political stance, "female" as a biological fact, and "feminine" as cultural traits .
Early criticism aimed to expose patriarchal mechanisms and how male writers depicted women, while later approaches became more eclectic and focused on the female experience.
Feminist criticism is deeply intertwined with the women's movement, viewing literature as a crucial battleground against societal conditioning and traditional gender roles .
It's seen not as a side-project but as a practical way to influence attitudes and behavior .
A key concept is the distinction between "feminist" (a political stance), "female" (biological), and "feminine" (culturally defined characteristics), a distinction highlighted by Toril Moi .
The representation of women in literature is considered a significant form of socialization, providing role models that define acceptable "feminine" behavior and aspirations .
Nineteenth-century fiction, for example, often focused on a heroine's marriage choice as the determinant of her happiness, with work only appearing out of necessity .
In the 1970s, feminist criticism primarily focused on exposing the mechanisms of patriarchy, analyzing how male writers constructed influential images of women and perpetuated sexual inequality .
This approach was often combative .
The 1980s saw a shift, with feminist criticism becoming more eclectic, incorporating ideas from other critical approaches like Marxism, structuralism, and linguistics. The focus also moved from critiquing male perspectives to exploring the female experience and uncovering neglected women writers .Elaine Showalter noted this change as a move away from "andro-texts"
Core Principles & Goals :
Critique Patriarchy: Analyzes how literature reflects and perpetuates male dominance in social, economic, and political spheres.
Examine Gender Roles: Investigates stereotypical portrayals of women and the construction of masculinity and femininity.
Discover Female Tradition: Seeks to uncover and validate women's writing and experiences, often overlooked in the traditional literary canon.
Contextualize Texts: Understands that literature is not neutral but shaped by the cultural and social context of its creations .
Thus, Feminist criticism is the practical tool used to deconstruct cultural products (like books, films) and reveal the ideologies of feminism in action, challenging the status quo and advocating for a more equitable representation of women and gender.
