Isolation and Orphan-hood in Ruskin Bond’s Story The Funeral and Kelwin Sio’s Let’s Go Home
Abstract
Ruskin Bond and Kelwin Sio both are the writers who have written the stories on theme of death. Both the writers have explained the dark and terror of death in the simple way. In both the stories, the small innocent children of early age think about the death. They learn the lesson and tried to adjust in the life without the morale support of parents. This paper also presents the description of the children’s pleasant memories with their parents.
Key Words:death, funeral, grief, pain, tears, mourners, grave, cemetery
Let’s Go Home: Kelwin Sio is the significant writer of Indo English Literature. He has written story collection named, A Small Word. He has got tremendous success in recreating a little boy’s vision without sentiments or condescension. Let’s Go Home is brief but beautiful story about a small boy who has lost his parents. The fear of death has been explained by the writer very sharply. The writer describes the world of small child which is built up with very small things and pleasures. He refuses to comment on the child’s grief when he realizes that the foundation of his world has collapsed. The story opens with the innocent world of a child. He was nervous but he forgot his pain when the students started about the conversations about marbles. All children were happy in the school because the next day was Saturday and in the weekends they all make routine plans. He remembers how he spent his weekends with her mother.
For him, it was mainly the evening and fun at home with his mother – he had lost his father. On other day there was always homework to do and dinner to prepare. But on Saturday they both were free; he did only a little of the homework; and his mother finished cooking early. Saturday evening meant on Sunday, about the only excitement of a rather quiet day (Mukherjee:1977, 23).
The boy was not scolded by the teacher even though he was sleeping in the class that day because the teacher know that he was very sensitive. All children made plans for Saturday and Sunday because it was the time for fun. The boy remembered lemon pie. His mother always made lemon tea for him. He used to tell what he read in the class. Both of them used to gardening in the evening. He used to water in the plants. But on that day he could not remember whether he watered in the garden or not. He was happy because it was Saturday. He did not wait for school bus so he started walking. Children giggled at him .Someone commented also that he was not staying there. But when he came to the house, he saw that the roof of the house was very bright in the rays of sunny light. He saw that the curtains were welcoming him. He felt that the mother was waiting and welcoming him. But when the boy went to the house his speed became slow, he felt that something was wrong. When he came near ,there was no curtains calling, windows were closed ,flowers were dropping .he suddenly realized that he was no longer stayed there because the house was closed and his mother died one week ago. He had to go to his aunt’s home. He could not walk .He just stood; he was confused , did not know what to do. At last the tears came from his eyes .He could cry quietly.
The funeral is remarkable story written by Ruskin Bond. The story is written in narrative style. The description in the story is funeral of a child’s father, whose child is alone and who remembers many things which the father had spent with him. The story opens with a dark description and continuous thought process of a small child of four years. No relatives came to the funerals, no uncles, no aunts, nor were grandparents living with the child even the mother also left him when he was and stayed with another husband since his childhood. Only father was emotional attach with the child. Apart from a child, the father had a hobby of collecting the stamps, flowers, etc. Everybody from the neighborhood began to make conversations about the loneliness and the destiny of the child. The dead body was taken to the graveyard, the boy also started journey with the others people. The dead body was drawn by the pony. The boy slipped out of the house by a back door and from a distance he saw people mourning. He wondered. Wondered throughout the process of funeral .He thought in the Himalayas eternal snow, where the sun covered the picks of the mountains .He began to think:
Why people had not made it easier for the death to rise ? ( Bond:1989,13)
He wondered about his father’s coffin was lowered deep down and the boy surprised how far the coffin would go down .He also wondered that there would not other better world down the earth .He also thought that his father was so gentle soul that he would not fight like a superman of comic books .The boy began to think
If I am put away like this, I will get into the root of a plant and then I will become a flower and then may be a bird will come and carry my seeds away…..I will get out somehow (Bond:1989,13).
The boy noticed that the gardener and other people would fill the grave. The people started for moving, he realized now that he was alone. He remembered what was told by his father .His father said:
The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone (Bond:1989,13).
He realized that he was alone, lonely but at that moment he did not feel strong. While walking towards the hills ,he realized that his father was beside him .He was thinking that father was walking with him together and he put out his hand to have father’s warmth and touch but there was nothing ,no one was there. It was an illusion. He put back his hand in his pocket and he lowered his head so that people could not see his fear. He did not want to show his tears to others. At last he spoke loudly that he would get out somehow, he would find the way out. While going to the graveyard, the boy remembered how he spent days with his father .On the each step of hills, the boy would know the name of almost every plants and wild flowers that grew on the hill side. He remembered various birds and insects had been described by the father .The boy is very emotional .He knew that he became orphan .He did not have dare to meet people who buried his father, but he was firm. He boldly decided that one day he would come out of the shadow. The shadow of loneliness, the shadow of dependency, shadow of fear, shadow of attachment. The writer wants to give the message to the readers that any circumstances happen in the life ,man can have to adjust in even the worst situation .The person should have to fight with any circumstances.
The Concept of Death
In both the stories, we find that both the characters are full of positive and both have lots of affection for their parents. One is craving the love for the mother the other is craving love for father. In both the stories, we find loneliness of characters. Bond and Soi both the writers have keenly described the sensibility of innocence of children. The boy of kelwin Sio is unaware about the death. He is innocent, childish. He doesn’t know the ugliness and reality of death. He remembers his mesmerized memories about his mother. While the boy in the story, The Funeral is full of grief. He moves with the dead body of his father. He wonders about the death. Many questions arise in his mind. He remembers that his father showed him many places, gave guidance about flowers, mountains, surrounding of mountains etc. He realizes that his father is not with him but he has a hope that he will meet him one day. He realizes that he has no options in the life. He is now cleared that his father will find the way out somehow. On the other side kelwin Sio’s boy is not hopeful for the situation. He doesn’t know what to do in the present situation. He cannot cry. He realizes that he has lost his mother. He remembers lemon pie made by his mother, the time he spent in the garden with his mother, the stories he told his mother etc. In both the stories, we find the sensibility of innocent children who are lonely, orphan and aimless.
Conclusion
In both the stories of Bond and Sio, we find the sense of loneliness and isolation. Both the children are orphan but both are very strong. They both realizes the reality of death.
Work Cited:
- Sio, Kelwin – “Let’s Go Home and Other Stories”: An Anthology of Indian Short Stories in English. Edt. Mukhrjee Meenakshi, Delhi: Orient Longman, 1977, Print.
- Bond Ruskin – “Time Stops At Shamli and Other Stories”: New Delhi; Penguin Books, 1989, Print.