Jiban's Heroism In 'Things Fall Apart'

As Jiban continues on his journey to rescue Mahendra’s daughter who had lived surviving the poison, fulfilling Mahatma’s order, he ignores the women, thinking her to be dead, lying in the rich, beautiful forest that surrounds him and takes the child to his house in the village, where his young sister Nimi is still overcoming the loss of her infant child. Domestic motherhood, even under the distressed circumstances of deadly famine- destroying all economy and familial ties, is never threatened or absconded. It seems that the husband/father- figure is much more compromised- for example Mahendra and Jiban who cannot meet their wives or daughter, Jiban is full of remorse and ashamed at himself for killing too many human beings. Jiban’s wife is …show more content…
Our fight is on- our fight is on! So sing victory to Mother India, Victory, victory to Mother India. So I sing Bande Mataram Bande Mataram Bande Matram.” When Satyananda adopts Shanti in this order, even after knowing she’s a woman, this is done because of the fact that Shanti “observe strictest continence. And I mean to remain a brahmacharini though living near my husband. I am here to perform the duties of the children; and not to perform my duties of wifehood.” Even though ascetics are control of their senses but one such Sanyasi of the Order of Children, who is also a teacher to Shanti, gets attracted to her. Shanti had to save her honour by knocking him unconscious in self-defense. The physical senses takes over the duty of the children from time to time in the novel, even Jiban and Shanti’s desire for each other interferes with the revolutionary’s ideals. Shanti transforms herself throughout the novel, as per the need arises- she goes back to being a domestic, patient wife to a revolutionary and back again to her spiritual domestic but pure sphere at the end of the novel. Domestic life had not interfered with her will or inhibited any of the training that she had received in the past. Even though, her participation and initiation into the Order makes many question the decision …show more content…
Satyananda informs Bhavan and Jiban of his plan to initiate Mahendra into the Order so that his ancestral riches and property could be used in the manufacturing of modern weapons. This task of establishing a factory has to be done at Mahendra’s house in Padachina. When Jiban asks Satyananda, how can this be executed, Satyananda replies: “Why do you think I have been entreating Mahendra Singh to take the vow?” Satyananda or his children showcase no remorse at using a person for a just cause. There are also examples of caste identity in the novel, when Jiban gives Mahindra’s daughter to her sister, he remarks: “All right, you may have her. Once in a while, I shall come down to see her. She belongs to the Kshatriya caste. Now I must go.” The Hindu-Bengali philosophy of numerous deities, makes the order more pan-Indian, seen as Nationalist-Universalist, this remains as a central issue to Nationalism for later decades as well. When Satyananda initiates Mahendra and Shanti disguised as a male, he asks: “What of your caste? What caste do you belong to? I know Mahendra is a Kshatriya.” The young man replies: “I am a Brahmin boy,” “Do you both renounce your castes? For all children belong to the same caste. In our work we do not differentiate between Hindu or Muslim, Buddist or Sikh, Parsee or Pariah. We are all brothers here- all Children of the same Mother India.” The Order doesn’t recognize any caste,