Genre
Anthology, drama, feminist
Setting and Context
Post-independence period of India, mostly rural Bengal
Narrator and Point of View
Omnipresent narrator, multiple POV
Tone and Mood
Tone is usually comic; mood changes from light to grim with every story.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Protagonists are usually women, antagonists are the family members who don't treat them well
Major Conflict
Major conflict in all the stories is lack of identity and independence, which leads to all women reacting in different ways. Mayadevi turns foreboding to preserve her dominion over her family after her husband's death in 'Mayadevi's London Yatra', while Gita becomes submissive in 'Life in a Palace'.
Climax
Climax is usually at a point when the protagonist has completed her journey
Foreshadowing
N/A
Understatement
Gita's will to live independently after her husband deserts her is not taken seriously by her family.
Allusions
Allusions are made to the Indian Freedom Struggle as Gita learns to live independently with Rani Ma.
Imagery
Mayadevi is mesmerized by the luxurious shopping complex his son takes her to. She thinks the place to be a heaven and is in disbelief that dirty British could have made something so regal.
Paradox
Gajanan is angry at Roopbala for being tall despite her nice nature. He marries for second time to a very short woman only to find her very disagreeable.
Parallelism
There is a parallelism in Gita and Rani Ma's stories in 'Life in a Palace'. Both of them are coming to terms to live life independently, Gita without her husband and Rani Ma without her authority after the end of colonial rule.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
Mini's dowry in 'A Child Bride' is hyped to a point where it appears as if her husband, Arjun, married the dowry and not her.
