Comparison of A Stench of Kerosene and Country lovers
Both A Stench of Kerosene and Country Lovers demonstrate cultural pressures in different parts of the world. A Stench of Kerosene is set most probably in India. The main plot of the story, which involves Manak, his Mother, his second wife, his first wife Guleri and his friend Bhavani, is that Guleri leaves Manak to visit her parents, and whilst there, Manak’s mother introduces a second wife to Manak, and she becomes pregnant, without Guleri knowing, and when she finds out, she commits suicide by burning herself with kerosene, and when the baby finally arrives, Manak won’t have anything to do with it. In India, it is common practice to have a few children, and when Manak is unable to have a child with Guleri, the mother wants to make sure that the family sticks to the traditions of having some children. The beginning of the story engages the readers attention by starting with a sound of a mare neighing. This makes the reader want to read on as they will be intrigued. The start of the story is where the mare gets ready to transport Guleri to her father’s house and after begging Guleri to stay with him, Manak returns to his home. The story ends with the suicide of Guleri and the last time Manak saw her was on the day she left. The story ending for Manak is unfortunate as he loses his first wife and then disowns his new son with his second wife, of whom we do not know the name. The story ended as it did because of three main complications, the introduction of the second wife, the death of Guleri, and most importantly, when Manak stayed quiet when arguing with his mother. This was crucial and also show the importance of tradition in India, as children should never under any circumstances reply angrily to their parents, and even though he doesn’t want to, Manak doesn’t not reply to his mother. Manak wants to make sure he is a good son to his parents. Throughout the story, his key traits are that he loved Guleri but was unable to show his emotions to her, and as is also very respectful to his mother which is shown not only by not replying when she called him a woman, but also when she introduced him to the second wife and even then respected her wishes. This shows the importance of culture in India.
