Hello and welcome to the Discourse. “ It Was Dark” is a short story by Shashi Deshpande that was first published in 1986. The story explores the theme of child sexual abuse and the related fears, uncertainties, hopes, and human connections. The story is written in first person narrative while the narrator remains unnamed and so do the other characters. Shashi Deshpande used some significant symbolism in this story that explains the fear and uncertainty within the story.
Characters of It Was Dark:
The narrator is a married woman, the mother of a teenage school-going girl. She is going through a rough patch of time. Her husband is equally concerned and worried about the situation. While none of them are aware of the possible damage that has been done, they fear the worst. The narrator’s daughter is a school-going girl who is seriously injured and is unable to move or speak. She appears to be in a coma as she continues to look at a fixed spot on the ceiling, without saying anything. She appears to be unaware of her whereabouts. The narrator’s neighbor knocks at the door to pry upon what has happened and it disturbs the narrator and her husband.
Summary of It Was Dark:
The story begins as the unnamed narrator is woken up from a dream. It appears as if it was a dreadful nightmare. She explains to her husband that in her dream she was searching for something and she appears very afraid. The dream suggests her current situation. The narrator and her husband are trying to ascertain what has happened to their daughter who is there with them in the house but appears seriously ill. The daughter is unresponsive to anything. She doesn’t move, nor does she speak anything.
The discussion of the narrator and her husband reveals to the reader that their daughter was kidnapped by someone and though they have recovered their daughter, they are not aware of what happened to their daughter when she was away, forcibly taken by her abductor. However, nothing is certain and the narrator and her husband appear to be in utter confusion. The husband suggests that this may have happened to her and that is why she is unresponsive. The narrator and her husband are unsure if they should discuss this with others or if should they try to hide what had happened to their daughter. This is why they have closed all the doors and windows of the house, trying to avoid the prying eyes of the neighbors. The room is almost dark.
Nothing is certain but the narrator’s husband and the narrator fear this may have been what happened to their daughter. The narrator’s daughter is a teenage girl who has reached puberty and the narrator suggests to her husband that things may become clearer in a week when their daughter’s due date is expected. If she misses her period, it will suggest that she has been raped.
It appears as if their daughter is aware of her situation and is worried about this as she is fixated on a dark spot on the ceiling that she continues to look at. The dark spot on the ceiling suggests a point in time when the daughter had clarity and certainty and after that, everything became confusing and dark for her. Up to this point in time, she was safe, healthy, unafraid, and full of life but after that, she now appears listless, lifeless, paralyzed on her bed. She is uncertain of what is to come. Her surroundings are dark and gloomy, and the situation of her parents, their uncertainty, and indecisiveness about how to handle the situation further increase the tension.
Each character of the story is literally and figuratively in the dark as they are unaware of what had happened to the daughter and what will be her future.
The narrator looks at her daughter’s school dress which is black and white. It again is a symbolism that the writer used. The school uniform is black and white which is easier to understand but what is not black or white is the current situation of her daughter as she is unaware of what happened to her or how she is feeling. The uncertainty of the situation haunts the narrator, her husband, and their daughter.
The narrator and her husband hear the knock on the door. The neighbor continues to knock on the door and the narrator is disturbed by the neighbor’s nosiness and presumptuous inquiry. The narrator and her husband are trying to keep their secret intact and the knock on the door appears to be a direct attack on their privacy. The neighbors could be enquiring out of compassion or goodwill, but they represent the outside world to the narrator and her husband while the narrator and her husband are too busy with their inner turmoil and fears. The narrator only wants to see inside her daughter’s world which is unclear, and uncertain. She desperately wants to know what happened with her daughter and how can she soothe her. She is failing to feel the connection with her daughter that she wishes to regain as soon as possible.
Suddenly, the narrator gets up and goes to the window and pulls down the blinds curtain from the window. The rays of sunlight begin to enter the room. The brightness attracts her daughter who changes her attention from the dark spot on the ceiling to another brighter spot. The writer thus suggests there is some hope for the narrator’s daughter and that she will overcome the fears and pain that she is going through. The rays of light begin to defeat the darkness of the inside house and this suggests that the narrator will eventually learn fully what has happened to her daughter and will manage the situation. She will come to know whether or not her daughter was raped by the man who abducted her. This sense of hope is vital for the narrator as she struggles against confusion and indecisiveness while trying to know what has happened to her daughter.
The narrator knows that she cannot change the past, she can do nothing but reclaim her daughter and soothe her, help her. However, she knows that it would be much more difficult if the assault on her daughter had been sexual. The narrator knows that she will be able to revitalize her daughter and make her forget all the bad memories of the assault if it isn’t sexual, but if it is of a sexual nature, it will be difficult for her daughter to overcome. An assault of such a nature would leave a permanent scar on the narrator’s daughter and on the narrator.
Things remain uncertain at the end though there is hope that situations will improve and the narrator will be able to reclaim her daughter.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English Literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
No comments:
Post a Comment