write a critical analysis of the story 'The other Woman ' By Dina Mehta with special reference to the prose style.
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PROSE STYLE
Dina Mehta's prose style in 'The Other Woman' is marked by its humour and
irony. Irony refers to a situation which is the exact opposite of what it is
supposed to be. One example to understand the notion of irony is the case of a
blind man leading a person with normal eyesight during a power-cut at night.
We nsually expect people with normal eyesight to help the blind in finding
their way but in the above case, there is no light to see by because of a power-
cut and it is the blind man, accustomed to walking in the dark, who leads the
way. Trony is a powerful device and may be used in many ways - it may be
used to give a serious message (like the above example may be used to give
the message that we should give due respect and equal rights to the blind) or it
may be used for producing humour or commenting on our little follies.
The first ironical incident is the falling asleep of Vimla when Maganlal is
offering his explanation, which according to him displays a ". . .truly edifying
elevation of thought." Next is the fact that Maganlal does not find anything
wrong in imitating Hollywood movies but thinks of his stories as simply a
"synthesis of contrary trends and values." Then, Maganlal starts spending his
time secretively in order to write a manuscript to please Vimla and instead this
leads to Vimla's suspicions of a liaison with another woman. Again, it is
ironical that it is the imagined infidelity which makes Sunil think that
Maganlal has scored a point over his sister. Finally, the most ironical of all is
the eff~ct of Maganlal's false confession on both Sunil and Vimla. In fact, the
very title of the story, 'The Other Woman7 is quite ironical because usually a
story is titled after the main character or situation but here, the other woman
does not even exist.
Another important feature of the prose style is the use of parentheses or round 'The Other Woman
brackets to give little pieces of facts and thoughts in between descriptions of by Dina Mehta
another place or incident. For example,
. . .(how inviting was the slender nape of her neck!)
(His father, who still had a razor-sharp business brain, was content to
reside in three overflowing rooms with his two younger brothers and
their families in a conjested part of the city.)
...( thank God the chauffeur did not understand such excellent
English). . .
Also notice that the story is not told in a linear fashion. We come to know of
the cause of the tension between the couple through Maganlal's reminiscences I while he is sitting at his desk. There is an ample use of adjectives that allows
for powerful descriptions. You can see this in phrases like "earnest
monologue," "fastidious care," "fragile hand," "prodigal brother," "Exciting
melodrama," "Tickling humour," "nouveau riche ncighbourhood," "highly
advertised view," "indefatigable imbecile," "disreputable liaison,"
"swashbuckling valour," "totalitarian ire," and so on.
There is playful use of language to produce humour. For example: "
"He was committed to Jit, he insisted in a voice tremulous with emotion as he
ripped off his jacket and tie and shoes-he was never really comfortable in
Western clothes-and he wore the pants in the family, he shouted at her,
before he proceeded to remove them."
Here, we see the use of the device called "juxtaposition" which means that
two contrasting things are placed together. Maganlal is here countering
Vimla's criticism of Jit, but this is described in the same sentence as his taking
off the formal clothes that he had worn to the Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Further, the phrase "wearing the pants in the family" means that he is the
master in the house but he then takes, off the literal pants that he is wearing.
Thus, the juxtaposition of the proverbial and the literal creates the effect of
humour and displays Dina Mehta's expert use of language.
Dina Mehta's prose style in 'The Other Woman' is marked by its humour and
irony. Irony refers to a situation which is the exact opposite of what it is
supposed to be. One example to understand the notion of irony is the case of a
blind man leading a person with normal eyesight during a power-cut at night.
We nsually expect people with normal eyesight to help the blind in finding
their way but in the above case, there is no light to see by because of a power-
cut and it is the blind man, accustomed to walking in the dark, who leads the
way. Trony is a powerful device and may be used in many ways - it may be
used to give a serious message (like the above example may be used to give
the message that we should give due respect and equal rights to the blind) or it
may be used for producing humour or commenting on our little follies.
The first ironical incident is the falling asleep of Vimla when Maganlal is
offering his explanation, which according to him displays a ". . .truly edifying
elevation of thought." Next is the fact that Maganlal does not find anything
wrong in imitating Hollywood movies but thinks of his stories as simply a
"synthesis of contrary trends and values." Then, Maganlal starts spending his
time secretively in order to write a manuscript to please Vimla and instead this
leads to Vimla's suspicions of a liaison with another woman. Again, it is
ironical that it is the imagined infidelity which makes Sunil think that
Maganlal has scored a point over his sister. Finally, the most ironical of all is
the eff~ct of Maganlal's false confession on both Sunil and Vimla. In fact, the
very title of the story, 'The Other Woman7 is quite ironical because usually a
story is titled after the main character or situation but here, the other woman
does not even exist.
Another important feature of the prose style is the use of parentheses or round 'The Other Woman
brackets to give little pieces of facts and thoughts in between descriptions of by Dina Mehta
another place or incident. For example,
. . .(how inviting was the slender nape of her neck!)
(His father, who still had a razor-sharp business brain, was content to
reside in three overflowing rooms with his two younger brothers and
their families in a conjested part of the city.)
...( thank God the chauffeur did not understand such excellent
English). . .
Also notice that the story is not told in a linear fashion. We come to know of
the cause of the tension between the couple through Maganlal's reminiscences I while he is sitting at his desk. There is an ample use of adjectives that allows
for powerful descriptions. You can see this in phrases like "earnest
monologue," "fastidious care," "fragile hand," "prodigal brother," "Exciting
melodrama," "Tickling humour," "nouveau riche ncighbourhood," "highly
advertised view," "indefatigable imbecile," "disreputable liaison,"
"swashbuckling valour," "totalitarian ire," and so on.
There is playful use of language to produce humour. For example: "
"He was committed to Jit, he insisted in a voice tremulous with emotion as he
ripped off his jacket and tie and shoes-he was never really comfortable in
Western clothes-and he wore the pants in the family, he shouted at her,
before he proceeded to remove them."
Here, we see the use of the device called "juxtaposition" which means that
two contrasting things are placed together. Maganlal is here countering
Vimla's criticism of Jit, but this is described in the same sentence as his taking
off the formal clothes that he had worn to the Silver Jubilee celebrations.
Further, the phrase "wearing the pants in the family" means that he is the
master in the house but he then takes, off the literal pants that he is wearing.
Thus, the juxtaposition of the proverbial and the literal creates the effect of
humour and displays Dina Mehta's expert use of language.
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