Perspectives

Literary perspective

The short story “Chokra” by Numair A. Choudhury is a modernist work of fiction. 

One of the features of modernism in literature is the focus on important social issues. In “Chokra”, the author explores the concept of extreme poverty with the example of two children who are forced to beg to survive. The use of the first-person narrator is another modernist feature. The narrator of “Chokra” is an eight-year-old boy, who is also the main character. Through his perspective, readers have a better understanding of issues related to extreme poverty and the effects it has on people. Modernist fiction also relies on the use of symbols, as seen in “Chokra”. In the story, the kerosene drums, for example, are symbols of torture, while the sun...