Characterisation of Rajmohan in ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/ Character portrayal of Rajmohan in ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/ Picturisation or depiction of Rajmohan’s character in ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/ The character of Rajmohan in ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/ The portrait of Rajmohan’s character as Matangini’s brutish and worthless husband in ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay/ Character sketch of Rajmohan, the undeserving husband of Matangini, in ‘Rajmohan’s Wife’ by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
In
‘Rajmohan’s Wife’, the debut novel in English by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, we
find that the characterisation of Rajmohan, like the other character
portrayals, has been depicted very skilfully and subtly by the novelist with
his stroke of master craftsmanship. The more we go through the novel, the more we
do come to know about the much-discussed character of Rajmohan, who was indeed
the undeserving and worthless husband of Matangini. He represents immorality,
corruption, dishonesty, orthodoxy, brutality, worthlessness, lack of integrity
of character, profaneness, propensity to torment his wife and so on and so
forth.
In
course of the novel, we, slowly but surely, come to explore that this character
lacked conscience and discretion. Broadly speaking, Matangini and Rajmohan had
an unhappy conjugal life. It is worthy to be noted that he was tyrannical,
dictatorial, jealous and unloving to his wife. Matangini had to spend every day
with lots of pain, pangs, suffering and misery due to their fruitless marriage.
Actually,
Matangini, before her marriage to Rajmohan, had relationship with Madhav Ghose.
Thus, it may be noted that they had an extramarital affair as well. In this connection,
it must be mentioned that the futile wedlock between Rajmohan and Matangini added
more to such rendezvous between Matangini and Madhav. However, Rajmohan was a wife
beater. He never loved his wife. He unleashed his dictatorial torture to her
instead. He always tried to possess her as his property.
In
short, Rajmohan denotes the negative sides of a human being. He has been delineated
or depicted by the novelist as a diabolical figure throughout the novel.
Sometimes, it makes us wonder whether he is a misogynist or a chauvinist. His
male ego can never bear with Matangini’s least freedom, after all. He always desired
that his wife should never cross the threshold of the house. He was
ill-tempered, unkind, devilish and also brutish by nature and in character. He
was uncaring and unabashed, in spite of all his brutal persecution to his wife,
Matangini. As a husband, he tried to overpower, dominate and suppress her
always; he never cared for loving her truly at all. It feels as if he was her
master all in all.
Apart
from that, without being grateful to Madhav, his benefactor, he tried heart and
soul to hoodwink that innocent person. In this regard, it must be mentioned
that while he was being helped by Madhav economically, he conspired to rob
Madhav. Thus, it can be discerned that he was actually an embodiment of an unfaithful,
unjust, unethical and satanic figure. He was cold and foulmouthed also.
To
sum up, it must be admitted that he threated Matangini time and again with his
male chauvinistic propensity. In Chapter 11 of the novel named 'Rajmohan's Wife', we notice how uncouth he was trying
to kill Matangini, his wife. Although the portrait of Rajmohan has been tried
by the novelist to be humanised, we cannot overlook the reality that the
character of Rajmohan is thoroughly bereft of any kindness, love, grace,
gratitude or anything as such. Finally, we see how he was paid back in the same
coin by destiny. He reminds us of the notable dictum, “We reap what we sow.”
You may like to read my other blogs:
https://somalimukherjee.blogspot.com/
https://childrenblogbysomali.blogspot.com/
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