Page 192 - DENG503_INDIAN_WRITINGS_IN_LITERATURE

Indian Writings in Literature

Notes Thus ends the tragic tale of the peasant here and this marks the end of the plot centered round the
village. Premchand so deeply identifies himself with rural ethos and depicts the rural life with
such touching poignancy that the novel makes all the villages of north India and their environs
come alive before one’s mind’s eyes.
In the plot set in the urban-life, Premchand has divided his characters into seven broad categories.
Repressed, exploited and aggrieved classes of the society for this purpose.
Godan’s plot is a complex one and its characterisation is comprehensively vivid. The episodes of
the novel are close to reality. Premchand frankly exposes the human fraility of his characters. He
freely expounds the weakness of even his naive protagonist Hori. He makes no effort to mute the
love-affair between Gobar and Jhunia. In fact, he exposes it uninhibitedly, with a sense of subdued
admiration. He delineates the inner conflict of Dr. Malati and Professor Mehta on a rather
psychological plane.
In Short, Godan represents a superb achievement of the Hindi novel. The objective of the novel is
clear. The novelist wants to focus on the orthodox and superstitious ways that throw the Indian
society into their clutches. A society so rigidly stuck in the mire of false prestige and hollow norms
cannot be reformed by superficial reformist approach and slogans. What is needed for a social
transformation is a gigantic movement. Only then can the society be liberated from the deadly
hold of the standard-bearers of feudalism, capitalism and sham religion. Godan offers the formula
of collective awakening of the oppresdied while in service.
22.2 Characterisation of Godan

Hori
Hori is a peasant who is married to Dhania and has two daughters and a son. He is an uprighteous
man and struggles throughout his life to preserve his uprighteousness. He has two younger
brothers and he considers his obligation as the eldest brother to help them and save them from
problems, sacrificing his own family. He bribes the police officers who come to the village enquiring
the death of his cow. Thus, he saves the police from entering his brother, Hira’s house for a search.
He is a man who is bound to the community and considers the verdict of the panchayat as final.
He is penalized for the death of the cow and accepts. He feels orphaned to be out of the community
and hence accepts the penalty levied by the panchayat when Gobar brings home a low caste girl.
Similarly, he allows Bhola to take his oxen away as he is neither able to pay the cost of it nor
willing to send Jhunia away from his house. They have accepted her as their daughter-in-law and
her child as their grandchild. He is kind and generous. He does not hesitate to give shelter to
Seliya, a cobbler’s daughter who is exploited by Matadin, a Brahmin, and is shirked by her own
people.
Dhania
Dhania is Hori’s wife, devoted to him and always supportive to him. She is bold and fiery and
cannot tolerate injustice. She raises her voice against injustice, against the wishes of Hori and
irritates him. She is vexed when Hori puts up with a lot of oppression from the money lenders and
the Brahmin Priest. Hori, though beats at times for disobeying him, knows that her arguments are
correct. She makes him see the truth and the realty of facts. Unlike him, she is not lost in rigmarole
of cliches and ideals. She stands by what she thinks is correct and her dharma, rather than the
traditional principles of the community. She knowingly accepts into her household, a low caste
girl, as her daughter-in-law .She does not blame only Jhunia for placing them in an embarrassing
position. She knows that her son, Gobar, is equally responsible. She is a kind and loving mother
and sacrifices much for the sake of her children. She has a generous heart; she takes care of Hira’s
children when occasion demands, she willingly accommodates and shelters the pregnant Seliya,
the cobbler’s daughter. Dhania has never known a life of peace and comfort, as throughout the
novel we see her struggling along with her husband for a livelihood. She emerges as a powerful
woman, who irrespective of caste or creed helps the needy.

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