What is the role of the letter in the story by dhumaketu?
Answers
Coachman Ali walks to the post office daily in anticipation of receiving a letter from his daughter Miriam who left him after marriage. But, unfortunately, he would be in for a disappointment every time. The letter was the only way to reconnect the father and daughter. Everyone including the post master used to term him a mad man. Finally, he dies without getting the letter he longed for.
Years later, the post master is eagerly awaiting a letter to know about his daughter’s recovery from an illness. As he rummages through the mail, he sees Miriam’s letter to her dad and realizes what agony Ali must have experienced.
The letter plays quite an important role in the story. It is the nucleus around which the entire story develops. The letter is the soul of the story. The letter is the purpose of Ali’s existence. He dies waiting for it. When the letter arrives, it changes the postmaster. He realizes letter is not just a piece of paper; each letter carries in it human hearts and emotions. At the end, Miriam’s letter was placed on Ali’s grave. This is the only sad part. It would have been a perfect happy ending if Ali had received the letter before his death.