Page 191 - DENG503_INDIAN_WRITINGS_IN_LITERATURE

Unit 22: Premchand: Godan—Plot Construction and Characterisation

Premchand's last and greatest novel, Godan, and his most famous story, Kafan (The Shroud), both Notes
deal with village life. However, whatever the setting, his late work shows a new mastery. The
characters appear to have taken over their own world. The claims of social, moral, and political
tenets are secondary to the claims of artistry. Premchand died from a gastric ulcer. One son,
Amrtrai, was a noted Hindi writer, and the other, Sripatrai, a talented painter.
22.1 Plot Construction of Godan

Godan has been described as an epic novel on the peasant life. Almost all classes of people and all
aspects of peasant life have been vividly depicted in Godan. Contemporary urban life also finds
vivid and detailed delineation through a parallel plot based on urban milieu. Thus Godan involves
intertwining of two distinct threads into one whole. The plot based on rural life is the more
prominent of the two while that based on urban life is secondary. To put the whole perspective in
just one sentence, Godan represents a vibrant and lively portrayal of contemporary Indian life
which reflected the true faces of India’s rural and urban milieu. Premchand’s art of novel writing
touches its acme in this novel.
The main plot of Godan (gifting a cow) is centred in a village ‘Belari’ in Avadh. Hori, a poor peasant
of the village leads a quiet life with his wife Dhania, their son Gobar and their two daughters Sona
and Rupa. He has two brothers Shobha and Hira, who are not only lethargic by nature but are also
jealous by temperament. Hori entertains no hostility towards anybody, nor is he jealous of any one.
He toils hard to earn his meagre living from his land and cares a lot to maintain and enhance his
family prestige. Despite the partition of the family property among the three brothers, he still fondly
cares for the well-being of his brothers. Sometimes Hori would go to Kusumadeva wrote his
Drishtantashataka (or Drishtantakalika), a collection of hundred proverbs in which certain wisdom
is stated in the first line and then illustrated with an example in the second line.

Godan (Hindi), is the most outstanding of Premchand’s pay his regards to Amarpal
Singh, the zamindar of his village.

Once while coming back to the village, he happens to see the beautiful cow of Bhola. Seeing the
cow, his heart yearns to possess it. He contacts Bhola and through clever persuasion manages to
get the cow. While bringing the cow, his sone Gobar falls in live with Bhola’s daughter Jhunia. The
ownership of the cow sends Hori, Gobar and Dhania into ecstatic joy. The whole village gathers
there to have a look at the cow and to congratulate him. His brother Hira and his spouse Punia,
however, turn green with jealousy continues to grow in Hira’s heart, so much so that one day he
seizes an opportunity to poison the cow. Dhania raises hue and cry but Hori sides with his brother
during the police enquiry and manages to save his skin. The geniality, simplicity and large-
heartedeness of Hori are fully reflected in this incident.
Although Hori’s financial condition continues to deteriorate day by day, he does not waver from
his righteous path. From his righteous path. From a farmer he turns into a labourer and joins the
menial service of Datadin to eke out an existence by toiling relentlessly on the latter’s farm along
with his family. His son, Gobar, escapes to Lucknow with Bhola’s daughter Jhunia. The debts on
Hori Continue to mount and he gets fully entangled in the clutches of the money-lenders. Even
when pushed into such a tight spot, he does not abandon his large heartedness and geniality. The
entire family, his son, his brother, his sister-in-law and his daughter-in-law grows sore and unhappy
with his behaviour. Once while toiling on the far in scorching heat, he gets a heat-stroke and falls
seriously ill. Owing to his utter indigence, however, he gets no medical treatment. Perceiving
Hori’s approaching end, his brother, Hira tells Dhania; “Bhabhi, steel you heart and arrange for
Godan, for Dada (Hori) is about to depart’’. But Dhania has no money to arrange for a cow and she
tells Datadin “Maharaj, I have neither a cow, nor a calf, nor money! I have only twenty annas
(Rs.1.25) received from the sale of cord. That is all I have and that is the Godan for my husband!”

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