Structure

The short story “Chokra” by Numair A. Choudhury has a chronological structure and can be separated into two parts. The first part of the story describes events that happen when the narrator is six years old, while the second part of the story presents events that take place two years later. The first part is narrated in the past tense, while in the second, the narrator switches to the present tense.

The narrative captures the readers’ interest from the beginning: “My sister was born in a kerosene drum” (p. 304, l. 1). This makes readers want to find out more and foreshadows Munmun’s transformation. The first part of the story is a flashback, which reveals how the narrator and his mother came to collect Munmun after she was given away to be d...