Barber's trade union characterised summary
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Answer:
In The Barber’s Trade Union by Mulk Raj Anand we have the theme of class, appearance, alienation, arrogance, ingenuity, independence, admiration, respect, control, and freedom. Taken from his Selected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by a young unnamed boy and after reading the story the reader realizes that Anand may be exploring the theme of the class. Chandu is considered to be of a lower caste or class than other people in the village. It is as though he is being judged solely on the fact that both he and his father are barbers. The content of their character is not taken into consideration rather a traditional hierarchy is imposed by those of a higher caste. The simple matter of Chandu changing his clothes to a style that he prefers is also frowned upon by those in the village who are of a higher caste. This may be important as those of a higher caste may be suggesting that Chandu because he is of a lower caste. Has no right to dress as he does. Something that some readers might find unusual considering that Chandu is only trying to improve his appearance. However, it is by improving his appearance that others feel threatened and as such alienate Chandu. It is also noticeable that those who alienate Chandu are arrogant and appear to be rooted in a value system (caste system) that Chandu himself does not believe in adhering to. Chandu sees nothing wrong with trying to better himself. However due to the rigid values of those in the town Chandu ends up losing business. Though it is interesting that Chandu knows that he can outwit those who have alienated him. All he has to do is to be patient and wait for each individual’s hair to grow. This too may be important as it suggests that Chandu is using his ingenuity. He will not be beaten by a system that will not include him. Purely because he is of a lower caste. If anything Chandu knows that those in the village who are alienating him are reliant on him and his services. The narrator’s relationship with Chandu is also interesting as he not only respects Chandu but he is full of admiration for him. In many ways, the narrator envies the freedom that Chandu has when it comes to him being able to go into town Unfortunately, others do not respect or admire Chandu. Something that is clear to the reader by the fact that Bijay Chand throws Chandu out of his home because he believes that Chandu has no right to dress as he is doing so. What is interesting about Bijay Chand and others is that they do not appear to realize that they need Chandu more than he needs them. He may be of a lower caste and attempting (in their eyes) to dress above his class but he is the only barber in the village. Chandu has a monopoly. Something he himself is very much aware of. Chandu can also go into town and earn money and not be judged for wearing the clothes he is wearing. If anything the fact that Chandu can earn a rupee for a haircut yet only two pice in the village suggests that not only is Chandu not being judged by his caste but his efforts are also respected by those in the town. It may also be important that Chandu buys the bicycle as symbolically this may suggest he is independent of those in the village. He has his own means to get into town and earn money. He is not reliant on the business of the men who alienated him because of his choice of clothing. The end of the story is also interesting as Anand appears to be exploring the theme of control. Chandu by setting up a barber’s union and forcing those in the village to come to him rather than having him travel to them. Has taken control of the situation he finds himself in. Where many might have done as instructed by the elders in the village. Chandu does not. He not only continues to dress as he wants to but he also forces the men in the village to adhere to his rules rather than Chandu having to do as he has been told by Bijay Chand and others. Similarly, Chandu’s mother is able to ignore the instructions of those in the village now that she has money (coming from Chandu). If anything Chandu and his mother have freed themselves from the preconceived societal norms that have been accepted for so long in the village. It might also be worth noting that Chandu’s actions have benefited other barbers in the neighboring villages. They too have taken control of their situation thanks to Chandu’s ingenuity and his resilience. In reality Chandu started off as an underdog fighting against the caste system and managed to turn things around in his favor. It is easy for the reader to see why the narrator respects and admires Chandu.
Explanation:
Among the makers of modern India, chandu, the barber boy of our village, has a place which will be denied him unless I press for the recognition of his contribution to history. Chandu’s peculiar claim to recognition rested, to tell the truth, on an exploit of which he did not know the full significance. But then, unlike most great men of India today, he had a very exaggerated notion of his own importance, though he shared with them a certain native egotism which was sometimes disconcerting and sometimes rather charming.
I knew chandu ever since the days when he wore a piece of rag in the middle of his naked distended-bellied body, and when we wallowed together in the mire of the village lanes, playing at soldiering, shop keeping, or clerking and other little games which we invented for the delectation of our two salves and our mothers, who alone of all the elders condensed to notice us.
Chandu was my senior by about six months, and he always took the lead in all matters. And I willingly followed, because truly he was a genius at catching wasps, and at pressing the poison out of their tails, at tying their tiny legs to cotton thread and flying them, while I always got stung on the cheeks if I dared to go anywhere near the platform of the village well where these insects settled on the puddles to drink water.
When we grew up he still seemed to me the embodiment of perfection, because he could make and fly paper kites of such delicate design and of such balance as I could never achieve.
To be sure, he was not so good at doing sums at school as I, perhaps because his father apprenticed him early to the hereditary profession of the barber’s caste and sent him out hair-cutting in the village, and he had no time for the home tasks which our school master gave us. But he was better than I at reciting petry, any day, for not only did he remember by rote the verses in the text-book, but he could repeat the endless pages of prose in that book so that they seemed like poetry.