Tagore’s The Home and the World is a masterful novel that is rich with thematic density and interesting character dynamics. I was intrigued with our short conversation in class about the relations between the three main characters and their individual idiosyncrasies. In particular, I found it interesting that each of these main characters (Bimala, Nikhil, and Sandip) is flawed in a specific way. For example, Bimala is perhaps too impressionable and lacks any ideas of her own. For this reason she is swept away by Nikhil’s passion, the passion that she has never before seen out of Nikhil. Bimala is a blank slate and can be easily swayed, her name in Bengali means “without mal or blemish”. Although Bimala is unblemished, this is merely because she has little worldly experience.
Sandip is flawed due to his worldly and personal desires. Though passionate and well-spoken, his imperialistic view for the Swadeshi movement is narrow-minded. His interests are in worldly material gain, “True patriotism will never be roused in our countrymen unless they can visualize the motherland,” (120). Sandip cannot feel or sense anything he cannot see; this is his most inherent flaw. Lastly, Nikhil is flawed in that he is too passive to accomplish or communicate his thoughts. He lacks the passion that flows through Sandip. Although Nikhil may know the problems with the Swadeshi Movement, he is incapable of communicating these thoughts with the passion that Sandip can convey. Bimala is temporarily turned off by Nikhil’s sense of passivity during such a trying time, questioning his sense of masculinity.
Thus, the innate flaws of each of these characters suggest that each character exudes very different, and almost polar, personalities. Bimala, Sandip, and Nikhil, seem to represent a single balanced personality that is divided into three parts as Bimala portrays innocence, Sandip portrays fiery passion, and Nikhil portrays wise cowardice.
I completely agree with you that Bimila is easily swayed, and lacks any original thought. Her name means pure, and I can't help but think taht this is because she is as blank as a clean slate, not because she is so innocent. While her relative innocence definitely plays a part in the novel, I think it is her transgressions that brings it together. By the end she is not so innocent as she would have liked. I almost wonder if her character's name is a joke Tagore played, seeing as she is very blemished in the end.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of the main characters is very good. You express exactly what I thought about Sandip and Nikhil in particularly. Sandip and Nikhil are very much opposites. Sandip is too narrow-minded to see past his own passions and Nikhil lacks the passion but, is very knowledgeable about the things that are going on.
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