The Love Factor
Love is inescapable. No matter how hard one tries to deny love – whether it is in giving or receiving love – it will always be there. As long as one is human, the desire to love and be loved will remain. It is wired into the very essence of human nature; it was the way that God made man to be when He created them male and female, and that is the way it is going to stay. For this very reason, it is not surprising that the universal theme of love has never lost its appeal. From the very beginnings of literature until present day, love has been an important theme that everyone can relate to. Some texts emphasize love alone and little else, while others merely imply it. Nevertheless, it is always there. Even if love is not once mentioned or implied, the very absence of love causes it to adhere to that theme of love. Numerous poems and stories have been written about love. Many try to define it. Some do it well; others do not. In all of literature, there have been hundreds if not thousands of texts written in an attempt to understand love, but not many people have been able to fully grasp the concept. Interestingly enough, Rabindranath Tagore got it. Lodged in possibly one of his most insignificant works, the beauty of true love is successfully portrayed through an insignificant young couple in a tiny, insignificant Indian village with a significantly ironic biblical parallel.
Tagore is a strangely easy yet complex man to analyze. On the one hand, everything seems very clear-cut. He was non-traditional, went against the grain of culture, took interest in western ideologies, did not believe in Hinduism or God yet had his own idea of God, and was considered a romantic who loved nature and put much emphasis on becoming one with nature. On the other hand, he had a fascinating blend of seemingly contradictory ideas. He embraced his Indian culture and wrote with a very authentic Indian identity, somehow managed to merge his western and eastern ideas, and was also considered a humanist, a realist, and a philosopher. His wide range of interests and styles made him, as Joyce Kilmer describes in her article “Rabindranath Tagore,” “the most versatile writer living” (n.pag.) at that time. Tagore’s mishmash of concepts was the very thing that made him the unique and distinct personality that he was.
Tagore’s multiple fields of interests and the depth of knowledge he possessed in each of these areas are evidence of a brilliant mind with exceptional abilities. Authors Gail Mirza and H. A. Mirza recognize in their article “Tagore, (Sir) Rabindranath” that “[w]hile hailed primarily as a poet, Tagore excelled as a dramatist, essayist, novelist, short story writer, … painter, philosopher, educator, musician, social reformer, and ambassador of good will to cultures as diverse as China, the U.S., and Latin America (n.pag.). In yet another article, “A living legacy: the relevance of Tagore in today’s world,” the author, Poonam Surie adds “a composer of dance dramas, a folklorist, a satirist, … [and] a nationalist” (386-7) to the list. From all of these experiences, Tagore gleaned an immense amount of wisdom, and poured them into his writing which he used as a powerful tool of social and political criticism. The vast expanse of his expertise gave his texts a level of credibility that no one could rival.
Despite the overwhelming variety and diversity that is found in this one person, Tagore’s genius allowed him to gather all the strings of his seemingly paradoxical beliefs and formulate a single, surprisingly simple outlook at life: to breach all differences by joining up the differences and creating a diverse yet unified society. Tagore hated the feudal system and “believed in a society where each individual had a right to live as a free person” (Surie 387). His concept of God was not “about a God of human force but about a God of human personality” (Surie 388). As a matter of fact, his way of perceiving God is what makes him a romantic. Edward J. Thompson writes in his article “Excerpt from Rabindranath Tagore: His Life and Work” that “[n]o poet that ever lived … has had a more constant and intimate touch with natural beauty,” (n.pag.) for natural beauty was where he found God. For Tagore, according to Ramin Jahanbegloo in his article “Tagore and the Idea of Civilization,” God was “Truth and Beauty through an ‘accumulated human experience’ and an ‘illumined consciousness’” (66) which was, for the most part, revealed through nature.
Ezra Pound writes in his article “Rabindranath Tagore” about how one can tell through Tagore’s poetry that “in the stillness of nature, … [h]e is at one with nature, and finds no contradictions” (n.pag). Jahanbegloo writes that “Tagore saw every individual quest for self affirmation and self-respect as a quest for the basis of unity with the world,” and therefore, “mankind is united by spiritual unity” (69). In the article “Reason in Hindu Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary,” author S. K Maitra writes about how in his book The Religion of Man, Tagore repeats the sayings of “some village bards to the effect that we know God when we unlock our own self and meet in a true love with all others” (134). Therefore , “Truth and Beauty through an ‘accumulated human experience’ and an ‘illumined consciousness’” can also be achieved through human relationships, or more specifically, through love. Similar to how balance and harmony can be found between the individual and nature, unity can likewise be achieved between eastern and western cultures.
Here, realism comes into play, wherein realism is not to be interpreted the way it is commonly understood, but as a way of looking at the realities of life and facing them realistically. Because of his variety of talents and experiences, one can say that Tagore is a person of overlaps. Not only does he merge himself with nature and his multiple talents to work together, he believes that cultures can also merge. “Tagore's individual is deeply enmeshed in multiple networks and there are no dichotomies between self-interest and duty towards others. He draws from multiple planes in keeping with the realistic world in which we live” (Surie 390). “From the height of his vision on unity of mankind, Tagore was not the least hesitant in pointing out to the peoples of the East and the West ‘the great menace of nationalism’. It is obvious that the India of Tagore’s dream could not possibly be a chauvinistic nationalist India” (Jahanbegloo, 67). Out of his distaste for the feudal system, Tagore uses his romantic ideals of spiritual unity and envisions a system in which east and west can peacefully meet in the middle with a nice balance between science and spirituality. Interestingly enough, although only briefly mentioned, the binding factor that holds it all together is love.
This theme of love follows through with Tagore’s love for his country. Although Tagore wholeheartedly advocated adopting some western concepts and dropping the traditions that kept India from progressing, he remained dedicated to his country and was not ashamed of his heritage. Most of his writings are found in distinctly Indian settings, although he also incorporated other Asian and some Western countries (Surie 387). Nevertheless, his identity as an Indian writer is yet another factor that makes him distinct and unique. Joyce Kilmer writes that “[t]here is a quaint exotic aroma about his poems” (n.pag.), while Ezra Pound writes that Tagore “has given us a beauty that is distinctly Oriental, and yet it is almost severe, it is free from that lusciousness, that overprofusion which, in so much South-Oriental work, repels us” (n.pag.). Evidenced by his work, Tagore’s problem with nationalism was not nationalism in itself, for indeed, he was a nationalist, but the stubborn nationalistic characteristics of the individual countries that put up walls between the varying cultures thus making it difficult to reach a compromise.
In all of Tagore’s works, there are several common themes which are often brought up. In Mary M. Lago’s article, “Tagore’s Short Fiction,” She mentions the following themes: “Rural versus urban, education as wealth, nationalism and politics, and women and the community” (n. pag.). All of these are familiar themes in Tagore’s works; however, she misses out the most important theme of all: love. In the article “Tagore as Novelist” by Bhabani Bhattacharya, the author makes the bold but true statement that “love is the all-powerful theme in every Tagore novel” (n.pag). Nevertheless, even though love plays such a big role in each of these works, it is not usually the main theme. One common trend that is found in Tagore’s works is that he is constantly criticizing the feudal system, particularly when it comes to the treatment of women. In Sankar Basu’s article, “Tagore: Ideas and Themes,” he points out a number of stories which address the problem of the Indian society. In each of these stories, the women are portrayed to be devoted, loving and dutiful, only to end up getting exploited. Because of their roles as women and their conformity to their social limitations, they get seduced, betrayed, hurt, or even killed (n.pag.). They have absolutely no control over their own situations unless they outwardly defy those over them, and most women would probably rather die than disobey. This concept goes against Tagore’s very foundational philosophy that every individual is entitled to freedom.
One can almost feel Tagore’s frustration with the feudal system as story after story, he writes about women who are badly treated while the men do absolutely nothing about protecting their women. Instead, they control them and mistreat them, all because of a missing element, and that missing element is love. These men do not love their women, and because of that, their women have no free will. In instances when Tagore actually writes about a couple who is in love with one another, both the man and woman will then become the victims of society. Something will happen which will tear them apart. The point that Tagore really seems to be drawing attention to through all of these stories is that the feudal system destroys love. This pattern may be difficult to miss if one looks only at these stories; however, lost in Tagore’s myriad of written works is a short and unpopular story called “The Conclusion” which is seldom ever if not never ever mentioned that will make the message behind all of Tagore’s other short stories glaringly clear.
This story not only points out the overarching problem of the other stories, but also presents a whole other idea of love that is not found in Tagore’s other stories; an idea of love which, can be found in the Bible. It is incredibly fascinating how the variety of views and reactions that a person like Tagore has towards his surroundings is able to twist and combine in a way that finally results in an understanding of the kind of love that Christ demonstrates. In this story, Apurba, a young man who has just finished an examination in the city, returns to his village only to find out that his mother had arranged for him to get married. This story, like Tagore’s other stories, encompasses other themes like education, change, duty, and societal expectations. Nevertheless, the love theme plainly abounds. Apurba crosses his first boundary when he argues with his mother about choosing a bride for him, and insists that he meets her before the wedding. He also meets Mrinmayi who is the complete opposite of what a good, Indian young lady should be. Her behavior and unruly ways have caused her to go past the ordinary marriageable age, causing most people to doubt that she will ever get married.
Apurba makes the visit to his bride-to-be and finds himself face to face with a nervous girl covered in veils and ornaments. He cannot even see her face and the more he thinks about her, the more the cringes at the idea of marrying a woman with absolutely no will of her own. To make matters worse, Mrinmayi barges into the room during the visit chasing after the bride’s little brother without care for the formalities going on. She causes quite an uproar and then leaves, taking Apurba’s shoes with her. Apurba leaves without his shoes and on his way home, encounters Mrinmayi. She returns his shoes and he goes home rather enamored by the girl who had just stolen his shoes. Apurba then crosses another boundary when he makes the decision not to marry the bride his mother chose for him. Instead, he makes a rather strange request to marry Mrinmayi – much to his mother’s shock and dismay.
Mrinmayi is equally shocked and vows that she will never marry him, but ends up as his wife anyway. In this instance, Mrinmayi most probably did not have a choice and was most likely forced to marry him. Whether it was her parents who made her marry him or Apurba himself, Tagore does not reveal. Nevertheless, the following days after their marriage are miserable for Mrinmayi. Her mother-in-law has high expectations of her, and having not been trained to be a wife and mother the way other girls were, Mrinmayi finds herself failing and suffering the condescension of her husband’s mother.
Apurba himself however, makes a very important decision and this is where the remarkable love theme comes into play. Apurba chooses not to force his wife to love him. Instead, he allows her to have her space and decides that he will pursue her and cause her to fall in love with him. He treats her with gentleness and respect, and, unlike his mother, allows Mrinmayi to be who she is. Mrinmayi decides that she wants to visit her father in Kushiganj. Despite his mother’s objections, Apurba decides to go along. He recognizes how important it is to his wife, and instead of prohibiting her, he does it with her. They go and have a good time, and when it was time for them to return to the village, Mrinmayi was sad, but went willingly.
The time comes for Apurba to return to the city. He does not want to bring his wife with him for fear that she will be bored. However, Mrinmayi refuses to stay with his mother. On unsettled terms with his mother, Apurba breaches yet another social boundary and brings her back to her mother’s house. Before he leaves, Apurba takes the chance and asks his wife for a kiss. Mrinmayi tries to oblige but finds that she cannot stop laughing. Playing the gentleman, Apurba makes a deal with her to not write to her until she writes to him. It isn’t too long before Mrinmayi begins to miss her husband, and so she writes him a letter. Nevertheless, he never receives it and she is left wondering why he does not respond. Mrinmayi begins to realize that she is no longer the little girl her husband married. Out of her own free will, she returns to her mother-in-law. They make a trip to visit Apurba and it the darkness of their bedroom, Mrinmayi surprises her husband in a sweet reunion. (The Longman Anthology of World Literature: The Nineteenth Century, 907-917)
The biblical parallel here is overwhelmingly close. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (NIV84). Although Apurba did not have it all together at first, he chose to marry a woman that no one else wanted. He married her while she was still acting like a child, took her in and accepted her. He loved her, and he did not force her to love him back. Unlike all the other men in Tagore’s stories, Apurba actually knew what it meant to love his wife. He gently showed her his love so that she did not feel threatened, and he gave her the freedom she craved. In the same way, Christ pursues a relationship with His followers. He does not force anyone to believe in Him, but He is always loving, always beckoning, always waiting. Once believers enter into a relationship with Him, He gives them freedom. The Bible talks about how believers are no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. To be slaves to righteousness is to be slaves to Christ, who calls his servants friends. He loves his followers, and in Him, there is freedom. When Apurba married Mrinmayi, he brought her out of the feudal system and gave her freedom within their marriage. She was no longer bound to the expectations of society, because she now answered to her husband who he loved her. Finally, in a Christian’s relationship with God, there will be times when the believer strays away and refuses to obey God. But God does not hold grudges. He patiently waits for him or her to return to Him, and when he or she does, He welcomes him or her with arms wide open. He allows time for him or her to respond to His love. Similarly, Apurba allowed Mrinmayi to respond to his love without pressuring her.
The whole concept of this love story is a beautiful depiction of how a man ought to pursue and woman and win her heart rather than treat her like an item and abuse her. When the other stories by Tagore are compared with this one, it suddenly becomes obvious that this is the only story with a happy ending, and it is because in this story, Apurba and Mrinmayi both oppose the feudal system and do not allow it to control them. The absence of the feudal system hanging over them like a dark cloud led to several results. Firstly, Apurba chose Mrinmayi. Secondly, Apurba did not order Mrinmayi to do anything she was not ready to do. Finally, Apurba gave Mrinmayi her freedom. All of these three factors give this story a completely different twist from the others because love was allowed to grow. Instead of a sad and tragic ending, Apurba demonstration of true love finally won his wife’s heart, and the conclusion is sealed with a kiss!
Works Cited
Basu, Sankar “Tagore: Ideas and Themes,” Chekhov and Tagore: A Comparative Study of Their Short Stories. Sterling Publishers (1985): 56-89 Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Bhattacharya, Bhabani. “Tagore as Novelist.” A Centenary Volume: Rabindranath Tagore, 1861-1961. Sahitya Akademi (1961): 96-101. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Jahanbegloo, Ramin. “Tagore and the Idea of Civilization.” India International Centre Quarterly, 34.1 ( 2007) 64-73. JSTOR. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Kilmer, Joyce. “Rabindranath Tagore.” America 13.14 (1915): 355. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Maitra, S. K “Reason in Hindu Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary.” Philosophy East and West 11.3 (1961) 125-142. JSTOR. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Mary M. Lago’s article, “Tagore’s Short Fiction.” Studies in Short Fiction 5.1 (1967): 24-36. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Mirza, Gail and H. A. Mirza. “Tagore, (Sir) Rabindranath.” Reference Guide to English Literature Ed. D. L. Kirkpatrick. St. James Press, 1991.1303-1305. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Pound, Ezra. “Rabindranath Tagore.” Fortnightly Review 99.560 (1913): 571-579 Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.
Surie Poonam. “A living legacy: the relevance of Tagore in today’s world.” Forum for World Literature Studies. 2.3 (2010): 386-395. Literature Resource Center.
Thompson, Edward J. “Excerpt from Rabindranath Tagore: His Life and Work.” Rabindranath Tagore: His Life and Work. Ed. Kalidas Nag. Y.M.C.A. Publishing House, (1921): 112. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 Nov. 2012.