Cultural hierarchies and dehumanization in Tagore and Achebe

¶ … Punishment" by Rabindranath Tagore and "Chike's School Days" by Chinua Achebe are two short stories that are quite fascinating and appealing. These are two stories that are set in the past period, a time when the cultures of the nations prevailed. The underlying theme of these two short stories exemplifies the aspect of ancient customs and practices. The main argument made in this essay is that the short stories both indicate the lives of the characters in different cultures and the influence that it has on them. More so, the influence that culture and customs have in the manner that the caste system in the society have an impact on the lives of people.

One of the similarities that can be perceived in Punishment and Chike's School Days is the caste systems that are presented in the short stories. Both novels are indicative of the different social classes within the community. In the latter, Achebe places emphasis on the Osucaste system. In particular, the short story portrays the negative outcomes of the customary system and people of the infiltration of new, peculiar cultural norms. For instance, owing to the new religion in the society, that is Christianity, Amos is heartened to marry an Osu lady. It is important to note that in the story, an individual from the Osuclan was a slave and was not permitted to raise the head while in-front of the others. More so, he or she was to be despised and looked down upon. An Osu was not permitted to marry a free-born and after their death, they were buried in the bush. However, the instigation of Christianity does away with these aspects and even allows inter-marriage between an Osu and individuals from the free-born. This is the manner in which Chike's father ended up marrying Sarah, who was an Osu (Ossie, 1988).

Similarly, Togore discusses the Indian caste system. In this case, when one was born into a certain class, then he or she had no other option, but to stay in such a class for the rest of their lives. In this piece of literature, Togore signifies the dehumanization of women and relates subjects of inconspicuousness and expendability to make evident how society desensitizes women. This aspect is prevalent in the whole story. In essence, the story concerns a young innocent woman who faces trial with the society and also justice system being against her. In addition, the author shows the dehumanization as the only female in the story, who is Radha is killed. In the story, Radha is considered to be only beneficial for sex, food and bearing children (Togore, 2013).

However, there is a dissimilarity between the two short stories. On one hand, Punishment depicts a culture that is morally rot and does not have any change or transformation. In his story, Tagore portrays the native culture of India with a level of honesty that is brutal. For instance, while being prepped for her execution, Chandara is given the option of consenting to a visit from her husband, Chidam, whom she was at a point in time completely committed to. Nonetheless, her response is telling as she asserts, "to hell with him." More so, she agrees to take an unfair execution as desirable to returning to her husband is indicative of the level of moral rot in a society as is perceived. However, this story ends without any sign of change within the society (Togore, 2013).

Different from this, Chike's School Days does show a light at the end of the tunnel. The introduction of Christianity into the society is indicative of hope for the Osu community. To begin with, it encourages Amos, Chike's father that it is okay to have interaction with the free-born and in this manner, he is able to marry Sarah. There are different aspects in the story that indicate the coming together of the two cultures to have a better one. To begin with, subsequent to his baptism, he is handed three names, which are John Chike Onjajulu. These three names have a significant meaning, particularly in the character's life. To start with, being given an English name shows that Chike's parents were hopeful of having a life that is similar to the white Colonialists, irrespective of their low social class within the community. More so, Chike can be perceived as a link between two cultures. He signifies the aspiration to attain something remarkable and to undertake something that is worthwhile for humankind. This shows that there is the capability of uniting not just the two cultures, but also more to have a better one (Ossie, 1988).