Marriage is a Private Affair

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Marriage is a Private Affair

Chinua Achebe

Introduction

Marriage is a Private Affair is an interesting story written by Chinua Achebe, the most

distinguished writer of fiction from Africa. The story is about two young lovers, Nene and Nnaemeka,

belonging to different communities. They get married and break away from social traditions and

pressures. As the title suggests, they marry in the face of strong disapproval from the boy’s –

Nnaemeka’s father. But it is also ironic in the sense that the effects of the marriage are felt in one

way or the other by the Ibo society but chiefly by Okeke, Nnaemeka’s father.

Okeke’s Plan

Though Nnaemeka loved Nene and wanted to marry her and his father, Okeke would never

allow him to do so. Nnaemeka makes this clear to Nene when she urges him to inform his father

about herself. In fact, Okeke has already decided to get Nnaemeka married to Ugoye Nweke, the

eldest daughter of his neighbor. When Nnaemeka receives his father’s letter declaring the plan of his

marriage with Nweke. Nnaemeka visits his father and declares his intention.

Okeke’s concept of a bride

Nnaemeka’s wish to marry Nene shocks Okeke. Okeke’s concept of a bride is traditional and

he believes in an arranged marriage. According to him, the bride should have a Christian upbringing;

she should have received the necessary training to run a household. In complete antithesis to

Okeke’s concept which is fulfilled by Ugoye Nweke. Nene is a teacher, and according to Okeke, Nene

is a wrong choice for Nnaemeka.

Estrangement between Nnaemeka and Okeke

Declaring that he would never see Nene, Okeke almost stops talking to Nnaemeka.

Nnaemeka’s marriage to Nene is a matter of concern and grief to Okeke, as this is the first instance

of an intercaste marriage within the Ibo community, when Nnaemeka sends his wedding

2 photographs to Okeke, Okeke tears it in the middle and sends back the half containing Nnaemeka’s

pictures. Okeke’s estranged relationship with Nnaemeka brings tears to Nene’s eyes. This

estrangement continues for eight years. During this time, Nnaemeka writes to his father thrice

expressing his desire to spend his holidays with him but Okeke rejects his offer.

Reconciliation at last

In Lagos, Nene has to face contempt of the women of Ibo community who reside there. They

isolate her by showing her excessive respect to her, but eventually Nene succeeds in winning their

hearts. Eventually things go well for the couple. People begin to give recognition to the couple’s

marriage, but Okeke is still one of the few people in the village who ignore the couple’s existence.

Okeke receives Nene’s letter that her heart begins to melt. In her letter, she makes a

mention of her two sons and implores Okeke to let them see him. Okeke tries hard not to think of

them, but he thinks of them. The barriers separating Nnaemeka’s family and Okeke are finally

broken.

The story leaves him very eager and wondering whether he would ever meet his grandsons.

XHITESH L. GOSWAMI

Arts College Lavana

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The Gold Frame R. K. Laxman

About Writer

Rasipuram Krishnaswami Laxman (R. K. Laxman) was best known for his creation The

Common Man. He wrote many popular short stories with a moral and The Gold Frame is one of

them.

Moral of the story

We are all hypocrites.

We cannot see ourselves or judge ourselves;

The way we see and judge others.

The story based on hypocrisy of the society. The writer has mildly criticized the hypocrisy of

the society through the description of frame-maker Datta and the customer.

Introduction

The Gold Frame is a satirical story written by a well – known cartoonist R. K. Laxman, the

winner of prestigious Magsaysay Award.

The frame-maker Datta

The owner of The Modern Frame Works shop Datta was silent and hardworking man with

concave figure and dark skinned face. He wore silver rimmed glasses. He spoke very less and dislikes

idle gossip of his friends. He was an experienced frame-maker, and always surrounded by cardboard

pieces bits of wood, glass sheets, boxes of nails, glue bottles, paintings and other things that were

needed to frame the picture.

A Customer at Datta’s shop

Once a customer came to Datta’s shop to get a picture frame. The photograph was sharp

and highly glazed in spite of it being very old. The photograph contained a portrait of an old man.

The customer described the greatness of the old man: his qualities of nobility, compassion and

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charity. Datta remarked that at least half of a dozen people come to him every month, bearing

portraits of an older person to demonstrate their homage in the shape of a glittering frame.

Customer Puzzled

Datta shows the customer a variety of frames. The customer was not sure which kind of

frame would suit best for the portrait. He was puzzled by the varieties of the frames. He only said “I

want the best.” Therefore Datta suggested an imported German gold frame with an oval cut. The

customer was pleased and highly impressed. And Datta promised to deliver the frame portrait after

two weeks.

Datta’s experience as a frame-maker

Datta had learnt from his experience that his customers never came punctually. Therefore

he made frames for those who come to him at least two times before he actually delivered the

frame. Ten days later, the customer went to Datta’s shop again and inquired “Has the picture been

framed?” And Datta promised to give it after four days.

The Portrait spoiled

Next day, Datta started to frame the picture. While doing it, he shook the folds of his dhoti

so violently that he upset a tin containing white enamel paint which fell right on the sacred

photograph of the old man. Datta was extremely frightened to see the disaster. Then to rescue the

picture, he rubbed it so hard with the cloth that he peeled off thin strips of filmy coating from the

surface of the picture.

Datta’s idea to change the portrait

Now Datta thought of replacing a fake portrait with the original one. Thus he took out the

old wooden box in which he had kept all the photographs, unclaimed over the years. Luckily he

found one photograph which had some affinity with the original portrait of the old man. So then

Datta framed the fake portrait in square frame instead of an oval frame.

Expression of the Customer

When the customer came, Datta revealed the glittering frame and held it towards him. The

customer was wonder by the magnificence of the portrait. But suddenly the expression of the

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customer has changed. He said “what have you done? I clearly remember asking for a cut mount

with an oval shape. This is square. Look!”

Conclusion

R. K. Laxman clearly depicts the customer as a big fool. In the end of the story, the customer

instead of detecting a fake portrait, talks about the wrong shape of the frame. Datta worrying about

the detection of fake portrait and the customer bothered about the wrong frame is the greatest

satire in the story The Gold Frame…

XHITESH L. GOSWAMI

Arts College Lavana

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The Man who Liked Dickens

Evelyn Waugh

Introduction The story is written by one of the most famous English writers of this century, Evelyn Waugh. The

story concentrates on the theme of enslavement. It stimulates the reader’s feelings and thoughts

through the attitude of Mr. McMaster who practically imprisons Henty. So that Henty endlessly

reads the novels of Dickens for him.

McMaster’s Personal Background Mr. McMaster had lived in Amazonas for nearly sixty years. But only a few Shiriana Indian knew this

fact: his house was surrounded on all sides by forest. He owned a small herd of cattle, a plantation of

cassava and some mango and banana trees. His mother was an Indian. She had taught him that

there was a medicine for everything in the forest. His father was a Barbadian. He was a man of

education. He died twenty years back.

McMaster’s love for Dickens’ novels McMaster was a great lover of Dickens’ novels. He had many books of Dickens. But he could not

read them because he was uneducated. Five years ago, there was an Englishman who used to read

to him the novels every day until he died. Once again McMaster wanted someone who would read

to him the novels of Dickens.

Arrival of Henty Once a man called Henty happened to come to the forest where McMaster lived. He was sick and

tired. His eyes were wild with fever. McMaster took a great care of Henty and dosed him regularly

with herbal medicines. After a week, when Henty got better, McMaster requested him to read the

books of Dickens. Henty started doing it regularly. But now Henty wanted to go back. But McMaster

would not let him go on one pretext. He even denied him saying that Indian can build a boat for him

but he will have to wait for the rains. There is not enough water in the river now.

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By the time rains arrived, Henty had finished Bleak House and was on the verge of finishing another

novel Dombey and Sons; once again he requested McMaster to let him go back. But now McMaster

told Henty that “The Indians will not make a boat during the rainy season – it is one of their

superstitions.” Couple of weeks had passed. Now they had completed Nocholus Nickleby, Little

Dorrit and Oliver Twist.

Celebrating in Indian’s hut One evening McMaster arranged a celebration in an Indian’s hut. He told Henty that it was a local

feast. But the real reason was that Henty should not meet people who had come there searching for

him. So he made him drink something made up of honey and brown bread that made him

unconscious for two days during which the guests came and went away.

Guests’ Mislead The guests were given the impression that Henty had died. They were shown the cross of which they

took the photos as a proof. They were also given Henty’s wrist as a souvenir. Thus, McMaster settled

the matter for ever. He arranged things in such a fashion that Henty stays with him and read the

novels of the Dickens for him for a long time.

Conclusion The story reveals that McMaster is a very deceptive character. He does not let his real intention

reveal to Henty that he wants him there to read the novels of the Dickens for him. Therefore the

enslavement is the main theme of the story.

XHITESH L. GOSWAMI

Arts College Lavana

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The Verger

Somerset Maugham

Introduction

The Verger written by W. Somerset Maugham, establishes the supremacy of the common sense

over literary as well as scholarship. It describes the rise of an illiterate verger to wealthy heights.

The Verger and the New Vicar

The Verger in the story, Albert Edward Foreman, is an illiterate person. He bars himself with dignity,

takes pride in his profession and considers his gown “a symbol of his office.” He has been the verger

at St. Peter’s, Neville Square for the past sixteen years. His attachment to his office is manifested

through the fact that he has carefully preserved all his worn out gowns, a verger’s uniform.

Everything changes for Albert Foreman when a new vicar is appointed to the church. The verger

dislikes the new vicar and his pedantic approach. He also observes that the new vicar’s behavior is

not in tune with what the parishioners expect.

Albert’s dismissal from the church

It is perhaps at the instigation of the new vicar that the verger is sacked from the parish, on the

grounds that he cannot read and write. Albert Foreman is puzzled by this decision of the church

wardens. He is given a period of time to learn to read and write, but he thinks that he is too old now

to learn how to read and write. His steely resolve to remain illiterate makes his character endearing.

The Verger’s initiative

When the verger walks out of his church, he strolls across a street. He wants a cigarette and finds

out there was no shop selling cigarettes in the street. He thinks that he would do well to start a shop

at there selling tobacco and cigarettes and so he does. It becomes a huge success. In the following

ten years, he steps up ten shops in different streets and becomes very wealthy.

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The Irony

When Albert deposits huge sums of money in the bank account, he is advised by the bank manager

to invest his money in “gilt edged securities.” The manager further tells him that he himself will do

everything to invest Albert’s money. All that the retired verger needed to do was sign the papers. To

this Albert replies that he cannot read those papers, as he is an illiterate man. The manager is

astonished on hearing this. Aloud he wonders what Albert Edward would earn, only if he knew how

to read and write. Albert Edward plainly tells the manager that he would have remained merely a

verger if he were a literate person. This mild satire in the end moves the reader.

XHITESH L. GOSWAMI

Arts College Lavana