Comment on Bankim's treatment of the theme of marriage in Rajamohan's Wife - CU English Honours Notes

The theme of marriage in Rajamohan's Wife

Marriage has always been a great and noble institution. It’s always based on some principles and ideals. For Bankimchandra marriage has proved to be a matter of experiment. In Bankimchandra’s other vernacular language based novels he has shown that how the institution of marriage imbibes all other emotions as well as faith along with. In ‘Durgeshnandini’ there is a matter of love triangle. So as to say in Bankimchandra’s Rajamohan’s Wife he has presented us one of the finest element of love, marriage and sexuality. Actually the characters of his novel are all interwoven by some clear sense saturation as found in characters of Matangini, Rajamohan, Madhav and Mathur also. But their intentions are circled around some false passion or some are of true passion to some extent. The theme of the novel remains in its own part but things are getting imbibed into it consequently.

For the first thing to say that the conjugal relationship between Rajamohan and Matangini is not satisfactorily for both of them. They don’t share the common ground of feelings. All the way Rahamohan goes to humiliate his wife. He does not pay any respect to her. Her help from Madhav assists Rajamohan to prosper in life. Rajmohan’s reaction as well his marriage with Matangini is a fallen consequence. It does not help them to cope up with the situation. Matangini proves to be a little understanding at the beginning of the novel. But later on her fierceness comes out of her soul to prove herself a potent character. Her relation with Madhav is rather clandestine. Even Madhav does not approve their reaction as because of society. The social boundness and constraint fail to maintain the density of their relationship. They love each other but they do not express to them each. Matangini venture at night rises over the social constraint of marriage. There was fear and humiliation in the marriage between Matangini and Rajmohan. But it is said the institution of marriage should have respect and understanding at first to succeed. But the water was running almost in another direction. Bankimchandra perhaps consciously forbidden the freeness of their marriage just to prepare the ground for a new birth of Matangini. Matangini was forbidden to go out of their colloquial boundary. It was the story of every Indian housewife. Their suffering and endurance were reflected through symbolic representative, Matangini.

Matangini escape from the house is bold step by her even socially as well as morally. The characteristic boldness as well as the potentially force Matangini to go out of the string artificial and virtual boundary of the nineteenth century marriage. It was done with the help of oneself. Matangini in our common opinion was not guilty for the consequences or whatever happened between them. Madhav’s sensible or better be said over conscious figure neglected the unconscious love of Matangini. He raises the social duty and responsibility over petty love emotion. She easily or rather emotionally removes from her life. 

Now, we come to the matter of Mathur. Mathur is a lustrous character. His feelings for his wife Tara lacks in the matter of his sexual order. The theory of polygamy was present in the age. So the writer Bankimchandra has also shown in his novel the sense of polygamy as Mathur marries more than one. His second wife champak is a mean of sexuality to him. He marries her only to satisfy his sexual quench. In fact, in the matter of Mathur his respect for marriage was almost at the bottom. His first wife Tara was a gentle lady but his second wife Champak was relegated to the position of commodity. He used to use her only for his satisfaction. Mathur is such a person with extraordinary outcome but in negativity. To Mathur marriage is only a way of personal intent and he made this likewise. Mathur’s incorporation in Matangini’s life is truly a heinous job. In spite of having two seductive wives at home he desires for Matangini. He even plots to kidnap her and lock her in his own house. Mathur’s love for Tara or Champak is not purely one but his temptation for Matangini proves him a bad character. At the beginning of the novel Mathur makes unconstitutional comment of Matangini as she was returning to fetch water with Kanak.

The society changes its colour according to its need. Mathur’s character is really a knave one. He is socially upstart. However, Mathur’s heart is void of sense and mature sensibility. He comes with a pervert mind. He wants to win the whole world with his own perspective. It is the lust for Matangini that makes him reprehensible. His desires for her is not only that he wants her in her life but he can’t control over his own desire. The world of desire does no longer hold the society in a virtuous way. But the way in the other character of the novel is turned into vice. It is defined by the choices people make. Thus the institution of marriage is shown vulnerable.

Karunamayee’s perversion is an another instance of the falsification of marriage. After the of the arrival of zamindar, Karunamayee decides to change her mind as well as she feels the need for someone who can prove to be her partner for the rest of her life. To justify her decision, she chooses to give the instance of Sita who is in her period of bereavement made the idol of her husband Ram to dedicate her platonic love. But here Karunamayee going to make her love with the servant of the house, Bangshibadan. But here the way she is making love with Bangshibadan is really not an instance of platonic love but a love of sexual desire. The destruction of the ideals and notions of marriage is notably important in this context. The false showing of the concreteness of contemporary social system as well as its forceful consequences come to happen with the same thing. Karunamayee is a lady of symbolism of the mindset of the women of the contemporary society who used to hold the same feelings for some other ones. 

Actually the main point of thinking lies in the fact that a tactful escape from the institution of marriage is due to her manipulation from the marital system that almost blocked one part of the society. The continual neglection of the women and the regardence of marriage like this is really an insulting one for the society. However, the ending of the novel is really a tragic one because of the downfall of each and every character or rather the consequences happen due to their husband. Mathur hangs himself and Tara seems to spend a life of false luxurious. Rajamohan goes to the jail and Matangini seems to spend a mourning life. For all these reasons in the novel the institutions of marriage are stigmatized. The masterful handling as well as the plot of the novel is credited to Bankimchandra.

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