Chapter 5: Pappachi’s Moth

Roy suggestively explains the male chauvinistic society in which we currently live. For a male, how pride is important and for a female, however cruel her husband is, even if the love in their relationship has worn out, her need for him will never fade. In this society, a man beats his wife regardless of how qualified she is. Even if the male is a top-notch government official from a modern background, he would not be able to tolerate the success of his wife. A man would always need his wife to be inferior to him. We probably have a mindset that a female cannot rise higher than her husband. Here, it is clearly shown in the story how humans run after momentary pleasures. For a human being, recognition is undoubtedly important, the way Pappachi ruined his life and relations due to what he did not receive rather than accepting his fate. Men in our society crave recognition and fame. In the search of what we cannot have, we often lose what we have.

A story can be narrated in two ways. One way is the elongated narration providing detail of each and every situation and emotion. The other way is the crisp and short one which keeps the story quite interesting by highlighting important emotions and events. Roy narrated this story using the second style. The story has been kept short without missing any of the important points. The relationship between a husband and a wife has been explained to her with all the required details, though she did not explain the sentiments for a long time. She elaborates on the face of the society in which we currently live. Jean Genet was correct when he said that society resides on images, and this is what Roy has highlighted in her story. As John lost his chance to gain recognition, he also perceived his loss of identity. The narrator is succinct when she explains the emotions and makes it a point that nothing worthless is portrayed. The narration of this story is simple and portrays the lives of the characters effectively. The physical violence, the disturbance in the marriage, the emotional loss, the interference of the child and its effect on his father. All these are portrayed wisely without wasting any time or making the reader wait for a long time.

In this story, it is ironic that even though Mammachi was beaten brutally by Pappachi, her love for him never faded. She cried very bitterly when her husband died. Here, the fact is that Mammachi was not happy with Pappachi but was used to his scoldings and beatings.