The Craft of Words

Metaphors

Dolls:

In context of the book/movie:

The metaphor of a 'doll' is used in the book as well as the movie to describe how Nikhil 'dresses his wife up' in expensive English garments ,foreign jewellery and perfumes. Bimala's appearance is visual manifestation of Nikhil's beliefs and desires .

" If my Nikhil had not been busy dressing up his wife there is no knowing whom else he might have spent his money on!" - Nikhil's grandmother on him dressing up his wife.

"I knew little girls(khukki) to be fond of playing with dolls (putool). Now I see , men are no exception." - Bara Rani to Nikhil in the movie.

The metaphor in a broader sense:

A doll is something a child plays with but it is also a visual of what people or the society considers 'ideal' . In achieving this 'ideal' to please others or moulding someone into what you want them to be , the true self is often lost. To show this nesting of different personalities that we create to suit other people the Matryoshka ( Russian nesting ) doll is shown here

Stained Glass Doors:

In context of the book/movie:

The stained glass doors are constantly used in the movie as visual metaphors. They represent the boundary between the zenana and the rest of the house or the 'outside'. Along with representing this boundary, they also represent the practice of 'purdah' or confinement of women in those times.

The metaphor in a broader sense:

A stained glass door is a decorative , delicate door with panels of coloured translucent glass much like our coloured opinions regarding the unknown or anything that we haven't experienced firsthand. It can also represent something you can see but not possess, approach or touch ; much like the presence of the glass , which restricts one from going beyond but its transparency allows you to see beyond.

Home? (Cage)

In context of the book/movie:

"She would have borne it ,likewise, if the daughter -in-law of the Rajah's house had left its seclusion..... I have read in books that we are called 'caged birds'. I cannot speak for others but I had so much in this cage of mine that there was not room for it in the universe - at least that is what I then felt." - Bimala (the book).

The metaphor in a broader sense:

If you were a bird would you call a cage , a birdfeed or a nest, your home ? Simply put ,what would you call home - a place where you're confined but have everything, a place someone builds for you or a place you build for yourself?

Addiction to a Particular Perspective:

In context of the book/movie:

The movie has a set of dialogues that use the word 'addiction' in a very interesting and different way. It maybe substitutes 'stubbornness' as it comes into play while two protagonists debate over addiction to a school of thought or to a particular , narrow perspective.

What is a Country?

The story is set in British occupied India during the Swadeshi Movement and is centred around the ideas like 'home rule' , 'foreign or videshi' , 'swadeshi or indigenous ' , 'independence', 'nationalism', 'patriotism', etc. All these battles and struggles for pieces of land with boundaries make you think - what is a country?

Unlike land , water is unrestricted .It flows from one land mass to the other and no one can possess it or confine it. If water is nobody's territory then which country do boatmen belong to?

Queen Bee:

In context of the book/movie:

For major part of the story Sandip addresses Bimala by the name 'Queen Bee' , asserting that she is the 'higher power' amongst all the people working for the 'Cause' (Swadeshi). In her delusion of believing that she was the centre of attraction or the image that drove the movement, she forgets that she is only linked to the cause and the people because of Sandip and her attraction for him ,analogically related to a queen bee who has many servants but even she isn't free from the desire or attraction for honey.

Imagery

Imagery is the use of descriptive and vivid language to heighten the reader's experience and help him / her form images in their heads. Imagery also relies on sensory cues to make the author's words impactful .

Some of these impactful phrases from the text, the movie and other resources used in class have been illustrated in a bookmark format below.