Perspectives

Literary movement

The short story “The Grass-Eaters” by Krishnan Varma can be analyzed as part of the realism movement.

One characteristic about the text that stands out is the descriptions of the mundane life in Calcutta, with a focus on the working class. Ajit Babu and his wife, Swapna are two ordinary p…

...

Historical perspective

From the first paragraphs, the narrator, Ajit Babu, mentions that he and his wife “arrived in Calcutta from East Bengal where Hindus and Muslims were killing each other”. This is a very important piece of information since it highlights the state of the country. The reason for this fight is, of course, for religious reasons, between Hindus pr…

...

Works with the same theme

The short story “Chokra” by Numair A. Choudhury also touches on the issue of extreme poverty. In the story, the narrator, a child, travels with his younger sister who was purposefully disabled so they would get more money while begging. When comparing the two short stories, you could dis…