Not just her parents-in-law that are mean, even the maids in the house look down on her and all of these happen only because Nirupama’s father who cannot pay the full dowry. It is indeed a sad situation because nobody should ever be treated in such a disrespectful way. Of course, marriage life has its ups and downs, bittersweet moments in it, but Nirupama has never gotten the chance to taste the sweetness of her marriage until her last day on earth because of the unjust and unreasonable dowry system. However, Nirupama can be seen as a realistic person when she tells her father to stop paying them the money as she is willing to follow her father to go back home and she also refuses to have her dignity be measured according to the amount of the
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When one looks at this story in the eyes of a feminist, it would be heartbreaking to see a woman mistreating another woman when she is supposed to be empowering her. In a patriarchal society, it is normal to see men treat women in a poor manner because in their minds, they have this mentality that women are born weaker and inferior than them, hence giving them the right to treat women in whatever way they feel like treating. However, Nirupama’s mother-in-law can be seen as the antagonist of the story because of so many reasons. She not only treats Nirupama like a stranger in the house, but she also does not let Nirupama meet her father and when Nirupama falls ill, she refuses to believe her and says, “It’s all a sham.” and “It’s only a ploy to go back to her father’s house.” (p. 64). The character of the mother-in-law is a manifestation of how even one’s own gender can oppress the person more than the opposite gender. Nirupama stays a good daughter-in-law throughout the story despite the ill-treatments she has been getting. She perseveres and remains kind in the toughest of time until the end of her life. As a woman herself, the mother-in-law should have empathized with Nirupama’s unfortunate situation and respected her as a fellow human being with a heart and
When one looks at this story in the eyes of a feminist, it would be heartbreaking to see a woman mistreating another woman when she is supposed to be empowering her. In a patriarchal society, it is normal to see men treat women in a poor manner because in their minds, they have this mentality that women are born weaker and inferior than them, hence giving them the right to treat women in whatever way they feel like treating. However, Nirupama’s mother-in-law can be seen as the antagonist of the story because of so many reasons. She not only treats Nirupama like a stranger in the house, but she also does not let Nirupama meet her father and when Nirupama falls ill, she refuses to believe her and says, “It’s all a sham.” and “It’s only a ploy to go back to her father’s house.” (p. 64). The character of the mother-in-law is a manifestation of how even one’s own gender can oppress the person more than the opposite gender. Nirupama stays a good daughter-in-law throughout the story despite the ill-treatments she has been getting. She perseveres and remains kind in the toughest of time until the end of her life. As a woman herself, the mother-in-law should have empathized with Nirupama’s unfortunate situation and respected her as a fellow human being with a heart and