modernization

modernization

When people talk about modernization, they are generally referring to particular historical trends, including the rise of capitalism, industrialism, bureaucracy, and urban existence, the questioning of old traditions or beliefs, the loss of faith in religion, and the emergence of trans-national or global identities. With modernization, people move from one paradigm of reality to another, where urbanized trends and systems replace traditional systems. This essay draws attention to the aspects of modernization, as captured in Rabindranath Tagore’s story, The Punishment.

The author follows the lives of Chidam and Dukhiram, two brothers who not only share a piece of land for their home; they also plow the fields together. As such, the two have grown into a tight bond as opposed to their wives who quarrel from dawn to dusk. Nonetheless, the two brothers are undisturbed by their wives’ conduct and have ultimately come to accept it as normal behavior so that when they come home to silence, their instinct is to worry.

“In fact, on days when their home was quiet, and a heavy silence hung over it, they were afraid that some unnatural, unforeseen danger was about to happen – they did not know what to expect (P204).” While the brothers accept these issues as being part of marital life, one can tie this position to modernization, as presented by the author. The story is set at a time when India is under British colonial rule, which attempts to model the country into a modern state with formal education, health facilities as well as advanced judicial systems. Coming from a lower caste, their interaction with modernity is limited in that they are reduced to labors, and more often than not, they are cheated out of their wages. As such, modernization presents them with a challenge that goes ahead to inhibit their progress in society so that they accept the situation around them as usual, which is not the case. Instead of working to solve their marital problems, they are not bothered by it or the impact it has on their relationship.

The narration takes a dramatic twist when Durkhiram hits his wife with an axe after a domestic scuffle involving food. After returning home from work, a visibly famished Durkhiram demands food from his wife to which she admonishes him, and later on, he strikes her dead with an axe. The plan is to dump Radha’s body at night and come up with an explanation for her disappearance. However, all of this is cut short by the unexpected visit from their landlord coming to collect rent. On finding the scene of the murder, Chidam takes it upon himself to protect his brother from the judicial system. He explains to the landlord that during one of their routine quarrels, his wife Chandara hit Radha with an axe and she died on the spot. Since their arguments are common and well known within the neighborhood, the landlord buys into the narrative and goes ahead to offer Chidam legal advice on how to approach the matter to save his wife. To this effect, Chidam is caught in between two realities and exclaims that saving his wife would mean losing his wife. “If I lose my wife, I can always get another one, but if my brother hangs, I cannot get another brother (P206).” This puts questions on the role of morality in modernization. While the traditional way of life is built upon honesty at all costs, modernization provides room for compromise, and the author highlights this when Chidam is willing to lie to protect his brother and endanger the life of his wife. While modernization provides progress in other spheres in life, such as industrialization, technology, and bureaucracy, it is also responsible for the erosion of traditional aspects of life, such as religion and morality. In The Punishment, morality is compromised. It forms the basis of the story so that even with the confession of the truth by Chidam and Dukhiram, the court dismisses their confession as false and convicts Chandara for the murder of Radha.

In the passage, modern India is captured as a state that still oppresses the women from the household all through to the public domains. While no one is perfect, the men in modern India regard their women as invalid members of the society who can be disposed of at any moment. Following the murder of his brother’s wife, Chidam takes it upon himself to concoct a lie in a bid to defend his brother, who is guilty of the crime. Not only does he lie, but he also coerces his wife to make a confession and stick by it regardless of the outcomes. Even Radha’s murder is a clear indication that even with modernization, the men of India feel entitled and will do anything to get what they want, even if it means causing harm to those near them. Furthermore, the judicial system compounds the position of the women in society and forms a case against them owing to their conduct at home. While the two wives are quarrelsome, violence is not in their nature. Yet, the court forms a concrete case against them based on the quality of their relationships. Sadly, even the confessions of the two brothers cannot convince the court on who the real perpetrator is, and Chandara stands by her revelation and chooses death over living in oppression. Just before the hanging, the kind-hearted Civil Surgeon asked Chandara, “Do you want to see anybody?”

Chandara said, “I want to see my mother once.”

The doctor said, “Your husband wants to see you. Shall I call him?”

“Ah Death!” she said and said no more. (P212).

The author also highlights the role of modernization concerning humanity. With traditional concepts and beliefs, human life is held in high regard and protected by all means. People are selfless and honest in their dealings. However, in the modern world, the end justifies the means. The boundaries of humanity are stretched to levels where violence, selfishness and cruelty are condoned and widely accepted as societal norms. In The Punishment, the selfish nature of man is highlighted where people are keen or minding their own business and paying lip service to events happening around them. No one is concerned about their neighborhood and it is every man, woman and child for themselves. People are craftier than ever and are full of schemes aimed at protecting themselves even if it means committing acts of violence. After the murder of Radha, her husband and his brother embark on a plan to defend themselves and sacrifice the life of her sister in law. The elaborate scheme by the siblings is supported by the nature of the wives’ relationship, which was quarrelsome. During the course of the trial, the court holds that the confession of the two siblings is also another scheme to salvage the life of Chandara. With this, the judge dismisses the truth owing to the nature of the society, which has taken to scheming to the extent that even the truth is shrouded on suspicion of foul play. “After lengthy interrogation and after listening to the depositions of several witnesses, it was clear to the judge that the confession of the two brothers was an attempt to protect the woman from the shame of hanging (P212).”

In The Punishment, Tagore puts to scale domestic roles in modern India. In the passage, he highlights how such positions have catastrophically fallen short of traditional local roles. Infidelity and betrayal are common in the contemporary marital text, replacing honesty and nobility that was the foundation of marriage in classical India. While majority of marriage is arranged, spouses have a duty to uphold and safeguard their union and keep away from events that will plant seeds of doubt in their marriage. The suspicion within their union causes them to take extreme measures that ultimately affect their marriage. “Chidam thought that a bright, restless woman like Chandara could never be fully trusted, and Chandara thought that her husband whose gaze fell everywhere must be tied down firmly or he would slip through her fingers (P208).” These actions are as a result of modernization eroding through the traditional norms of marriage. In the end, Chandara chooses to die than to live with her husband, who betrayed her in an instance.

Tagore is a critic of modernization and views it with high suspicion. He wrote a majority of his stories during the British colonial rule in India and witnessed the transition of India into a modern society, quickly embracing western culture. In this story, he has laid bare the full effect of this transition in various sectors in the society. From the household all through the judicial system, Tagore reports on everyday norms happening in his country. From marital issues, violence, and murder, the country is making a transition that is eroding the beliefs and teachings that held it together. Even with modernization, people are no better than those living in a lawless society. Astonishingly, people’s attitudes towards one another have deteriorated, and gender roles have grown apart. The society is composed of hearsay, which inhibits the progress and safety of women. The women are viewed with hatred and shame if they are suspected of any wrongdoing while the men are treated typically. To this end, Chandara chooses to die instead of living in a world that has betrayed and put false labels around her based on her gender. Furthermore, Tagore criticizes modernization for promoting universalism where India is fast adopting cultures, beliefs, and concepts of the western world.

Finally, Rabindranath Tagore’s story is a damning representation of how certain conducts in society can be normalized to cause harm to people. From the marital issues, violence, and murder being condoned in society, the author paints modernization as a threat to the well being of society. Nonetheless, modernization presents notable opportunities that are beneficial. It is the responsibility of the people to model it in line with their beliefs then so that they take what is useful and ignore, that which is harmful.