How do you understand the title of the story?

In the nineteenth century, there is a connection among subordinates and bosses. Men control
women. Women have to obey men’s orders without resistance. The title of the story Punishment
by Rabindranath Tagore could be explained in more than one manner to my agreement, it is very
much supported in the way that all main characters of the story suffered through some sort of
punishment per se, significantly Radha and Chandara Rui. It is realized that women had no voice
some time ago, and if they talked back to any male, they were either beaten or killed. At first,
Radha was victimized to a merciless murder by her own husband's only for intersecting her
limits while reviling him during a contention. Also, the younger spouse Chandara has to go
through lawful punishment for carrying out a crime she didn't take part in. When Chidam
realizes that he is not doing right to her, he tries to tell the truth to the court but his point does not
matter anymore as there is no evidence to support his claim. After being filled with enormous
guilt, when Dukhiram tries to confess his crime, the court does not consider his opinion valid and
is backed with enough evidence too, eventually resulting in his freedom. It wasn't really freedom
for the two brothers from their sins, decisions, and dehumanizing conduct which won't leave
them throughout their lives. They both lost their wives because of their barbaric behavior and
thinking and their wife’s death is punishment for them.

Feminist view

The unheard voice of women was a wide issue during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Man-centric
social orders authorized the roles of people in the society with men being the suppliers and ladies being
the overseers. Women were relied upon to quiet up maids, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their
families. Rabindranath Tagore utilizes pragmatist writing to show the struggles of invisible women. In
Punishment, Tagore utilizes imagery and exchange to inspect women’s situations in society.

Women are seen as second-class citizens in contrast with men, and this misconception ideal extends into
each part of society. In Rabindranath Tagore's short story Punishment, he investigates the diversity of
gender, equity, its implications through portrayal, and themes. Punishment describes the story of Chidam,
a man who attempts to save his brother Dukhiram after his brother murders his wife, and he accuses his
wife Chandara. To completely confine the story, women's cultural role must be unmistakably
characterized. After coming home from work, Dukhiram promptly tells to serve food to his wife. She
refuses, and this prompts him to kill her. Actually, he kills his wife in a fit of anger. Ramlochan said that
he'd go free if he simply explained he killed his wife because he was angry his food wasn’t ready. Anger
regarding a lost meal was esteemed higher than the death of a woman.

Women were always quieted and considered lesser to men, as Chandara concerning Dukhiram's sins.
However, Chandara hadn't done the murder, but Chidam liked to blame her, expressing that "if I lose my
wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him?". Through this particular
inquiry, readers can understand Chidam’s misconception way of thinking. However, the whole story was
about Chandara being blamed for a murder she hadn't done. Their spouses were presented as always
quarreling and yelling. Tagore represented the invisibility of the women by recognizing the men with
better characters and stronger personalities.
In the novella, there are two shameful acts: the unfairness in the family and the shamefulness of the
crime. Chandara is abused by her husband and remaining with him caused her suffering. At the point, she
converses with the police, she doesn't defend herself and thinks "I will give my childhood to the scaffold
rather than to you". She felt that death was a better arrangement over to keep carrying on with her
existence with her husband. She attempted to leave her husband, she was convinced to remain with him.
In male-centric culture, she feels that she has just two alternatives: her husband and death. She had been
exposed to in the house and the weakening of opportunity had caused her mental death, and accordingly,
the false accusation of her for the murder permitted her to connect her mentality with her body. In the
novel, treachery wins. This treachery set Chandara's dependent situation on her husband and prompted
her death. When Chidam goes to meet with his wife in jail and realizes that he is not doing right to her.
He tries to tell the truth to the court but his point does not matter anymore as there is no evidence to
support his claim. After feeling enormous guilt to his wife death and his brother's wife, Dukhiram tries to
confess his crime, the court does not consider his opinion valid, eventually resulting in his freedom.
Dukhiram's wife gives her life for her husband's anger and Chidam's wife takes all the criminal charges to
her head. They love their husband so much but the male-centric people can't understand their feeling.
In this story, Rabindranath highlights the silent sacrifices of women.

The story's character's decisions and the design of their community set up their character lead to the
different challenges they experience. The contentions they experience impact their society and roles
prompting dehumanization of women as treated more as replaceable as opposed to real individuals.
Tagore accepts the story as a chance explicitly for realism as an approach to writing on the issues in the
society to clear a path towards a difference in the male-centric society many experiences the ill effects of.
Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and
Chidam.  How do they help us understand the events of the story?

Tagore offers us a backstory about Chandara and Chidam’s marriage so we can understand the
choices they both make throughout the story. In showing that both Chandara and Chidam are
good looking folks, who are both jealous of the other, Tagore sets up the foundation of their
marriage. Chandara wanted to be on the same standards as Chidam which is why she flirted at
the ghat because she figured her husband was doing it also. When Chandara ran away to her
uncle’s house and Chidam had to beg, to some extent, for her to return with him, it made her the
“man” of the relationship. It was then they both knew Chandara had power and control in the
relationship. Chidam hated Chandara because of the fact that he wasn’t the one controlling her
and because he was never at ease, constantly worrying about his wife’s actions. He therefore
wanted her dead and that is why he blurted out she killed her sister-in-law when in fact she
didn’t. Chandara, wanting to be able to make her own decisions and have control over her own
life, said that she did indeed kill her sister-in-law, even though she didn’t, because she didn’t
want to what her husband said. She wanted to be in control of her own destiny and she also
wanted to punish him for betraying her. In the previous quarrel between Chandara and Chidam,
Chandara ran away to her uncle. In this betrayal, she ran away to the noose because she couldn’t
live with a husband who betrayed her.

Explain the significance of the details Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and
Chidam. How do they help us understand the events of the story?

The details that Tagore offers about the marriage between Chandara and Chidam helps us
understand the type of relationship they have. The backstory also gives us an insight on their
personalities. Chandara goes against stereotypical gender roles. She is attractive and flirtatious.
She stands up for herself and makes her own choices even if they might go against traditional
values. Chidam who is also very attractive, is constantly chasing after Chandara, trying to
“discipline” her to be the wife that he wants. However, she is constantly slipping through his
fingers. This information shows us that Chandara will continue to make her own decisions even
if it means risking her life and Chidam will always feel inferior to her.
As she approaches death, Chandara both says, “to hell with him,” and maintains that she loves
her husband. How do you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?

In the end of the story, Chandara says “to hell with him,” directed towards her husband.
However, on trial during the story, Chandara makes known that she loves her husband and has a
very loving relationship with him. These two statements are very contradictory but can be
understood since Chandara has to conform to society and make known that she is a good wife
and pleases her husband well and loves him without a doubt. Since her husband chooses his
brother over her, she says “to hell with him” meaning that he does not deserve a strong woman
like her and that what he did was wrong and selfish.

As she approaches death, Chandara both says, “to hell with him,” and maintains that she loves
her husband.  How do you reconcile these two apparently contradictory statements?
Chandara’s contradictory statements makes it seems as if the man she married and the man who
let her die for a murder she did not commit are two different people. Chidam blames the murder
of his sister in law on his wife, Chandara, and because of this she wants nothing to do with him.
By the time Chidam and his brother decide to take the blame for the murder it is too late, no one
believes them, and Chandara continues to stick to her story. Chandara loved her husband so
much that she took on the blame of murder for him, but she feels he betrayed her, and choose to
help his brother instead of her. This is why when she is asked if she wants to see her husband
before her death says “to hell with him,” Chandara wants to punish the man that betrayed her.

How does justice work in the world of “Punishment”? What happens when one tells the truth?
What happens when one lies?

In the world of justice in “Punishment” we see that the truth is only discovered by who are
witnesses, what everyone agrees too in accordance to what the person in trial admits too.
Chandara continued lying and thus her lie became the truth that her husband had to conform too
despite he came out and told the truth, the real truth about the incident. For lying and acting
unfairly to his wife Chandara, Chidam in turn got punished.
What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law?
Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?

Chandra at this point in the story, decided that death would be better than staying married to a
husband who is willing to cast blame on her in the name of saving his brother who he describes
as being irreplaceable, while he is able to find a new wife. As the text said, chandra’s heart and
soul turned from her husband when he asked her to say she had gotten into a quarrel with her
elder sister in law and accidentally plunged the farm knife into her head. She was more hurt by
the fact that her husband would put her life at risk instead of simply telling the truth and turning
his brother over to the law. Towards the end of the story when Chandra said “To hell with him”
when told that her husband wished to see her, displays her I’ll feelings towards her husband. In
this case, she was the victim of a disloyal and cruel marriage that lead to her demise.

What do we make of Chandara’s choice to take responsibility for the death of her sister-in-law?
Do you see her as a hero or as a victim?

Chandara chose her own death which is a theme we now see in both Hedda Gabler and in
Punishment. Chandara didn’t get to choose her husband as her father had made that choice for
her. Nor did she have a choice in having the murder placed on her by her husband. I think she
knew that the courts would believe her Dukhiram and Chidam over her anyway. Even when the
brothers do try to take the blame on themselves the judge decides she’s guilty.

The bird out of the courtroom window has “no courts or cases in his world” and in many ways is
more free then she ever was and would be. I can’t imagine it an easy thing to face death as
Chandara did and I see her as a hero.