When was a stench of kerosene written

I think this story very well illustrates the complexity of a family life, love and guilt. Manak feels guilty for having a baby with the new woman because he loves Guleri immensely. I think, sadly, that this story is a great story, it enlightens us, some people are in fact being treated with these dilemmas and harsh conditions, which we, in the West, think of as unthinkable — they happen every day — every single hour. Stench of Kerosene by Amrita Pritam. Accessed November 12, Download paper.

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Email Invalid email. Cite this page Stench of Kerosene by Amrita Pritam. Related Essays. Two of her friends too, who were also married to boys outside Chamba, came home at the same time of the year. The girls looked forward to this annual meeting, when they spent many hours every day talking about their experiences, their joys and sorrows. They went about the streets together. Then there was the harvest festival.

The girls would have new dresses made for occasion. They would have their duppattas dyed, starched and sprinkled with mica. They would buy glass bangles and silver ear-rings. Guleri always counted the days to the harvest.

When autumn breezes cleared the skies of the monsoon clouds she thought of little besides her home in Chamba. And now, once again, it was time for her annual visit. Guleri did not have to put her excitement into words: The expression on her face was enough.

Her husband, Manak pulled at his hookah and closed his eyes. It seemed like either as if he did not like the tobacco, or that he could not bear to face his wife. Why do you stand in my way? On the long awaited morning, Guleri was ready long before dawn. She had no children and therefore no problem of either having to leave them with her husband parents or taking them with her. They patted her head and blessed her.

Guleri was happy as they set out. After the village of Khajiar, the road descended steeply to Chamba. There Guleri took out the flute from beneath her duppatta and gave it to Manak. Manak looked at her sadly, then, putting the flute to his lips, he blew a strange anguished wail of sound. He handed her back the flute, unable to continue. They stopped by the road-side. Natu took the mare a few paces ahead to leave the couple alone.

And it was at this fair that Manak had first seen Guleri and they had bartered their hearts to each other. He had sworn that he would not take money for his daughter, but would give her to a worthy young man of a good family. Comment on what view of Indian culture is portrayed in A Stench of Kerosene giving your own personal response.

The author tries to relate the life of a young Indian wife to the reader in such a way that it leaves them feeling pity and remorse for her. Within it there are elements of superstition, superiority, sexism and ancient traditions. Evidently the portrayal of Indian culture is not one that may be easily accepted by most western societies as it reveals the actuality of Hindu culture in its extreme.

It illustrates how harsh it can be, especially towards the gentler sex. The story opens with …show more content… The happiness Guleri feels in anticipation of the event is in marked contrast to her normal life and to the extreme sorrow she is about to suffer.

For most of the year life was not like this. When it came to the actual life of this typical rural sub-continent house wife it was dreary and tiresome, full of chores and hard work ' she went about her daily chores- fed the cattle, cooked food for her parents-in-law'.

It is apparent from this that after a woman is married into a family she completes her destiny by slaving away for them, as if it were the norm. This is another aspect of Indian culture that lowers the prominence and rights of a woman far below what we would expect in the west and far below that of men.