Social Norms: Similarities and Differences
Similarities:
Both Novella’s Broken Ties and Bondage have very similar social norms. In Broken Ties you see a young girl Nonibala. She was at that time a prostitute and she was raped by Purandar, Satish’s brother. Purandar was really worried that if Nonibala had the baby then that would ruin his reputation. Therefore he decided to go and try to kill Nonibala. He failed and Nonibala gave birth to a dead child due to the stress and fear. “[Jagamohan] found out that Satish had been aware that Purandar had seduced Noni; but, fearing an angry brawl, he had not informed Jagamohan of the fact” (1262). In that situation Purandar’s world would have been destroyed if people found out what he had done, so therefore he decided to attempt murder. Satish being the innocent person that he is proposed to Jagamohan that he should marry Noni because according to civil marriage rites Noni’s status of prostitute will be cleared because the wife is what her husband’s status is. However, this suppose happy event was foiled because Noni took her life because she was not able to move on from what Purandar did to her. “[Noni] could not do what you wanted. I tried my best, but I could never forget him” (1264). Purandar left a lasting impression on Noni so much that she died because of it. Noni’s life was determined by Purander’s actions, for which he did not feel any repercussions. India’s social norms at the time were that the men were superior and they were therefore treated much better than the women. Similarly in Bondage, the reporter’s husband grew tired of “playing second fiddle to her career” (116) and because the events that followed, stated above in the summary, the woman killed herself because she did not like the feeling of giving full control of her body to her husband. Due to the idea that men are superior that society has ingrained in the husband’s mind, the husband cannot feel as if his wife is more successful than him and can survive without him. The role playing was his way of taking control of his wife, so that he would feel dominant and they would have the traditional Indian relationship.
DIFFERENCES:
There are a few differences throughout the storyline of the two novellas. In Broken Ties, Nonibala was not accepted back into society, whereas the daughter of Mr. Gupta was eventually accepted. Another minor difference was that one girl was an outcast because she was raped, but the other girl was an outcast because she chose to leave her family for a boy. There are also differences in the societal norms conveyed throughout the two stories. In Broken Ties, Noni’s life is determined by the steadfast social constructs and beliefs of her community. She is not able to live her life the way she wants to due to the community’s terrible treatment of her since she is in a lower caste than many. The community values their religion and caste system more than they value her life and her decisions, which consequently forces her to feel desperate enough to escape that suicide was her best option. However in “Bondage”, the surrounding community does not play any direct role in either of the women’s suicides. The community doesn’t outcast them, so their suicides can be blamed directly onto their husband or brother and the societal norm that the men must be the more successful and dominant person in the relationship and/or family.