A Comparison Between Desirees Baby & Stench Of Kerosene Essay -- Engli

A Comparison Between Desirees Baby & Stench Of Kerosene 'Stench Of Kerosene' was written by Amrita Pritam approximately fifty years ago. This emotional short story mainly revolves around the relationships between a woman, her husband and his mother. Another important theme is the significance of cultures and traditions in the protagonists' lives. The main characters are Manak and Guleri, who are husband and wife. Guleri and Manak are a loving couple who live with Manak's mother in a small village in India. Guleri cannot give birth and her mother-in-law desperately wants a grandchild. Once a year, during a special festival, Guleri visits her parents in a nearby village. This year, Manak halfheartedly tries to persuade his wife not to go. Adamant, Guleri pays no heed to her husband's baseless wish, and goes to visit her parents regardless. Upon her departure, Manak's evil mother decides to bring an end her grandchild-less status, and immediately purchases a wife for Manak, in the hope that this new bride could have the baby Guleri could not. When news of her husband's betrayal reaches Guleri, she commits suicide by dousing herself with kerosene, and consequently setting herself alight. 'Desirees Baby,' by Kate Chopin, amongst other themes, also explores the theme of relationships. Desiree, the female protagonist, is an orphan who was found at the front of the Valmonde home, lying asleep in the shadows of a big stone pillar. Madame Valmonde, the owner of the large house cannot have children; hence welcoming the child and treating her as her own. When Desiree grows up, she marries a man from a prestigious family. After a period of marital bliss, they both have a child whom they immensely love.... ...they do not obviously state what was wrong with the women. Desiree is made out to be so sweet and loving - her beauty helping to draw the readers into sympathy for her. It is not blatantly stated that it was stupid of her to commit suicide. Likewise, Guleri should really have had trust in her husband, and listened to what he told her instead of proudly ignoring his pleas. This shows that although their relationship outwardly shows happiness, there were some serious problems that occurred beneath the surface. Hence, I conclude that in 'Desiree's Baby," Armand was wrong to have so much pride, but Desiree's weak character spurned her awful fate. In 'Stench of Kerosine,' Manak was weak and stupid, but the consequences of his marrying again could have been avoided if Guleri trusted her husband. It is simply too easy to blame the men entirely for what happened.