Analysis

This analysis of “English Babu” by Vijay Medtia will pay special attention to the focus areas of the exam question, but also give you a few extra points to enhance your analysis.

In the next few pages, we will discuss the structure of the short story, looking at the symbolism of the title, the elements of the plot, and the use of flashback and backstory.

We will give you a characterisation of the most important characters, Ramesh, Prakash, and Sanjay, focusing especially on Ramesh’s development.

We will explore the setting of  India and England in both the 1960s and 1990s, looking at social aspects like immigration, cultural differences, interracial marriage, and family relationships.

We will focus on narration and point of view, looking at how the first-person narrator presents the event from a limited-knowledge perspective.

We will also examine the language used by the writer, from choice of words to language devices like allusions, imagery, metaphors, repetition, and symbols.

You can read our full analysis of the short story in what follows.