"Rajmohan's Wife" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay-- Chapter wise Overview of the English Novel "Rajmohan's Wife" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/Detailed chapterwise Summary of the novel "Rajmohan's Wife" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/Synopsis of the novel "Rajmohan's Wife" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/ Complete or Comprehensive chapter wise summary in easy language of "Rajmohan's Wife" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/Thorough analysis and interpretation with deep understanding of "Rajmohan's Wife" by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

Rajmohan's Wife by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay the first ever English novel in India. Apart from that, this novel is the novelist's first novel ever. Published in 1864, the theme of the novel is love and romance as well as depiction of strong women with twenty-one chapters in totaling.

The first chapter of the novel is “The Drawers of Water”, while the last chapter of the novel is “The Last Chapter in Life’s Book – and In This”.

Now let's have an overview of the chapters --

Chapter 1

A tiny hamlet situated on the banks of the Madhumati River was very much important because of the rich zamindars living there. After a siesta, Kanak, a lady of about thirty years of age, went to a neighbour's house with four huts. There she came across a young housewife who was busy in her needlework.

Chapter 2

When the sun was about to go down, Kanak and her companion, that is, the young lady of eighteen years of age, were returning home with pitchers in their hands. Madhav and Mathur were busy talking in the front veranda. Mathur loved Radhaganj nostalgically, on the one side. On the other side, Madhav was from Calcutta. Mathur was tall and of dull complexion, but a strong man. Madhav, Mathur’s comrade, was a very handsome young man. In this chapter, we get introduced to the names of Matangini and Rajmohan.

Chapter 3

Matangini reminded Kanak of her own harassment when her face came to light due to a sudden gust. Kanak saw Rajmohan at the door. Rajmohan wanted to suppress his wife's freedom. Then he poured out all the water which his wife had just fetched on the dust heap. She stood just like a statue. She answered back that she had gone out for she thought that there was nothing wrong in it. Rajmohan, gripped her by the wrist. He wanted to kick her to death. The woman’s eyes got suffused with tears.

Chapter 4

Bangshibadan Ghose was a modest servant of an old zamindar who hailed from East Bengal. The old zamindar remained childless. His first wife always used to claim for more favours from her husband. The old zamindar, realising his approaching death, began to unleash his possessions of landed encumbrances. His second wife became the mistress of a great fortune. She was Karunamayee, a sensible woman. Bangshibadan had three sons in total, namely, Ramkanta, Ramkanai and Ramgopal. He left a great patrimony to each of his three sons. There lived an impoverished Kayastha who had a couple of very beautiful daughters – Matangini and Hemangini. Matangini became the wife of Rajmohan and Hemangini of Madhav.

Chapter 5

After Madhav came back from his garden, he was delivered a letter by a messenger. While reading the letter, he went berserk. He came to discover from his lawyer Gokul Chandra Das that his widowed aunt had instituted a lawsuit against Madhav in the principal Sadar by means of proxy. She alleged that her own dead husband’s will was forged and it claimed the whole estate with wasilut. As per the lawyer, influential men were there at his aunt’s back. Then he was in utmost desperation to come across her.

Chapter 6

Matangini was full of agony. At night, she was lying in her bed, and was thinking over her own unbearable sufferings. Suddenly, she heard the sound of soft and cautious footsteps obviously proceeded from outside the house and from no distance from the window. She managed to hear the conversation between Rajmohan and the dacoits. Rajmohan candidly confessed about Madhav that he did not like the man. They desired to snatch Madhav Ghose’s property and his uncle’s will.

Chapter 7

Hearing the horrifying dialogue, Matangini was extremely panic-stricken. She thought that the victims of the terrible deed were to be her owns sister, Hemangini and her Madhav. She felt as if she must redeem them. Thereafter, Matangini thought of Kanak. Matangini then began a journey with undaunted courage to Madhav’s house. Karuna, the maid-servant of the house, had helped her much in this regard.

Chapter 8

Matangini went out to the house of Madhav. Matangini told Hemangini that she had come only to warn them against a daring robbery. She asked her sister to immediately tell Madhav of the peril. Pulling the veil of her sari over her forehead, she went into the apartment. She told him that on that night the dacoits were about to attack their house. He believed her. She warned Madhav about his uncle’s will as well. Abruptly, a darwan came to inform him that one of them saw a light in the mango grove. They shouted thrice. Then the robbers shouted from the wilderness. Then the dacoits flew away. Madhav thanked the brave Matangini.

Chapter 9

Matangini helped Madhav save themselves from the perilous paws of the dacoits. Then after a private conversation, she  left the room in a hurry.

Chapter 10

Then Matangini began to tread on the wild path. Karuna secretly followed her. Meanwhile, the sky became overcast with dark clouds. They took shelter under the overspreading boughs of a large tamarind tree. Matangini approached the house. Rajmohan glared at Matangini. He unsheathed a small dagger for killing his wife. His wife sunk almost lifeless on the floor after seeing this.

Chapter 11

While Rajmohan was about kill his wife, the two robbers abruptly appeared, and Rajmohan indignantly commanded them to go out of the house. On being asked by the sardar the reason for his going to kill his own wife, Rajmohan replied that that would not concern him.

Chapter 12

Matangini with Kanak sat by the side of the pond named Phulpukur. Matangini whispered into Kanak’s ears that she had a very nightmarish experience. Kanak appreciated Matangini for her undaunted prowess. Right then Suki’s mother, a middle-aged woman of dark complexion, came to the spot. Meanwhile, Matangini forbade Kanak to disclose the real reason for her misfortune.

Chapter 13

Mathur Ghose had a  mofussil magnificence. A woman, who was of about twenty-eight years of age, was seated there. Suki’s mother led the unwilling Matangini to Mathur’s eldest wife. Her cordial invitation was indispensable before Matangini could take refuge in the house.

Chapter 14

Mathur Ghose had two wives: Tara, the older and Champak, the younger. Champak fostered superiority over Tara, her rival. Champak was very much boastful of her fair complexion. Mathur Ghose loved her very much. He was at the beck and call to the wish of the coquette Champak. Tara did never hope to face an opposition from Champak. Champak was very jealous of Tara. Champak scornfully told Matangini that she could make only one of the Westernised hair-buns. Mathur asked Champak the manner she could object to his affording temporary refuge to Matangini. Champak never paid any heed to her husband’s arguments. That evening, Mathur asked her the reason of the additional bed being set up. Champak did not reply but went to sleep.

Chapter 15

The sardar and Bhiku would gain a large sum of five thousand rupees. Rajmohan would give them one thousand rupee when the bandits could show him the paper, and they would again gain three thousand in total, when they delivered it to his hands. Rajmohan ordered his sister Kishori to tell Matangini to appear before him. Kishori told her brother that she was not there in the house. Rajmohan commanded Kishori to go to Madhav’s house to find her, but they failed to find Matangini out.

Chapter 16

Three days had gone by. Madhav was in a gloomy mood. He kenned a protuberance on the trunk of the tree. Madhav saw a tall figure, which was well armed.

Chapter 17

Madhav was within the grip of the robbers. Now Mathur gazed constantly on his affectionate wife’s face. Mathur confessed that it would be of no good to conceal from her that he was melancholy. Hearing the screeching sound made by the owl, Mathur followed by Tara ascended the staircase leading to the terrace. Suddenly, Tara stared on all sides in search of him but in vain.

Chapter 18

Madhav remained captive in a gloomy small and low room. At midnight, Madhav was plagued with resentment. For the first time ever after breaking silence, Madhav asked them twice what their master desired to do with him. The sardar said that they had no master. Mathur Ghose then pointed to himself saying that their employer was none other than 'Mathur Ghose'. Madhav suggested the chief robber that if the bandits got the will from Madhav, they must name the amount of money, but he promised that he would give them the double sum of the money.

Chapter 19

Addressing Madhav as her brother-in-law, Madhav went out, and drew the massive bar of the door. Then Madhav sat down to tell the history of his capture to Tara.

Chapter 20

In the evening, Mathur Ghose appeared to apologise to Matangini. Mathur told Matangini to give him her hands forever. Matangini protested. Then she asserted that she was a full-grown woman and at least his equal in brute force.

Chapter 21

The robber notified Mathur Ghose about Bhiku's being arrested by the police. The robber also informed that Bhiku had confessed everything. Mathur tried to buy up the police. But the active and intelligent Irishman, the magistrate, was constantly shaking out the ugly affairs of the police. One of the most trusted law agents asked Mathur to fly away because Bhiku  had confessed everything to the magistrate. The busy Irishman came to the house of Mathur Ghose to arrest the latter. But Mathur was found having committed suicide by hanging himself.