Summary of Peary Chand Mitra's "The Spoilt Child"
Tags: Landlords, Zemindar, Education, Widowhood, Social Reform, Education of women, Caste system, Brahminism, Temperance, Alcoholism, Indigo plantations, Calcutta (Kolkata), Benares (Varanasi)
Peary Chand Mitter (1814–1883), writing under the pseudonym Tek Chand Thakur, was a distinguished Bengali writer closely associated with movements for social reform. His novel, The Spoilt Child (originally Alaler Gharer Dulál), is described by critics as the first modern novel in the Bengali language and serves as a powerful instrument for the purity of the domestic circle and the condemnation of social evils. Mitter utilizes the narrative of a wealthy, ill-regulated household to weave together a "deep vein of moral earnestness," interweaving the plot with disquisitions on virtue and vice, truthfulness and deceit, and the importance of female education.
Education and parenting: The novel’s primary reformist target is the failure of contemporary education and parenting. The protagonist, Matilall, is the eldest son of Baburam Babu, a zemindar who amassed his fortune through bribery as well as other doubtful means. Because Matilall is "indulged in every possible way" as a child, he grows up exceedingly self-willed. Mitter critiques the ineffective educational methods of the era: Matilall’s early teachers include a drowsy house clerk and a "dense" Brahman who is more interested in "rice and plantains" than in teaching. Matilall’s lack of interest in learning is met with trickery and eventual abandonment by his tutors, leading Mitter to argue that if a child’s intelligence is not promoted and they receive no practical knowledge, their education is a sham. The author advocates for a system where parents and teachers exert themselves to develop a "good disposition and high character" through kindness and understanding rather than mere rote memorization or the strengthening of memory alone.
Kulin Brahmins and the oppression of women: A significant portion of Mitter's reformist agenda focuses on the negative effects of the Kulin Brahmin hierarchy and the plight of women in 19th-century Bengal. Baburam Babu, obsessed with preserving his caste status, marries his daughters at great expense almost immediately after their birth to Kulin husbands. These husbands are depicted as mercenary "much-marrying Kulins" who take dozens of wives solely for money and neglect them entirely unless paid to visit. The novel offers a look into lives of women. Here is a relevant passage describing the suffering of a widow, Mokshada:
Mokshada.-- What else can it do? Ah, it is because of the many sins committed by us in previous births that we are suffering as we are! It is by plenty of hard work that our bodies and minds retain their vigour: idleness only causes evil thoughts and evil imaginations and even disease to get a stronger hold upon us: it was uncle that told me that. I have done all I can to soften the pains of widowhood. I always reflect that everything is in God's hands: reliance upon Him is the real secret of life. My dear sister, if you so constantly ponder on your grief, you will be overwhelmed in the ocean of anxiety: it is an ocean that has no shore. What good can possibly result from so much brooding? Just do all your religious and secular duties as well as you can: honour our father and mother in everything: attend to the welfare of our two brothers: nourish and cherish any children they may have, and they will be as your own.
Another woman in the family, Pramada, describes how her husband, whom she had never met, appeared only to rob her of her bracelet and kick her when she resisted. Mitter uses these scenes to condemn the "tyranny" of family relations and the "many sins" women feel they must have committed in previous births to endure such suffering.
Sketchy Lawyers: Mitter also addresses the corruption of the legal system and the dangers of wealth without character. He introduces characters like Thakchacha, a manipulative "counsellor," and Bancharam, a corrupt attorney's clerk, to satirize the chicanery of the law courts. These individuals prey upon Baburam Babu’s lack of intelligence, leading him into endless litigation and debt. Mitter warns that avarice and the desire to play the "magnifico" through a false show of wealth lead to social ruin. He emphasizes that learning and worth are rarely given the respect shown to wealth, and he cautions that the "friendship of the rich is an embankment made of sand".
Temperance/The problem of Alcoholism: The novel serves as a platform for temperance and moral purity, particularly regarding the youth of Calcutta. Mitter uses Matilall and his companions, Haladhar and Gadadhar, to illustrate the extent of corruption that springs from evil company. These young "Babus" are addicted to gambling, drinking, and smoking "ganja," eventually descending into criminal behavior, such as plundering houses and insulting respectable women. Here is a relevant passage illustrating the excesses of the "spoilt child" and his friends:
Matilall and his companions Haladhar and Gadadhar roamed about everywhere like so many Brahmini bulls, doing just as they pleased and paying no attention to any one. They were constantly amusing themselves either with cards and dice or else with kites and pigeon-flying. They could find no time either for regular meals or for sleep. If a servant came to call them into the house, they would only abuse him, and refuse to go in. If ever the maid came to tell them that her mistress could not retire to rest until they had had their supper, they would abuse her in a disgraceful manner. The maid-servant would sometimes retort: "What courteous language you have learned!" All the most worthless boys of the neighbourhood gradually collected together and formed a band. Noise and confusion reigned supreme in the house all day and night, and people in the reception-room could not hear each other's voices: the only sounds were those of uproarious merriment. So much tobacco and ganja was consumed that the whole place was darkened with smoke: no one dared pass by that way when this company was assembled, and there was not a man who would venture to forbid such conduct. Becharam Babu indeed was disgusted when the smell of the tobacco reached him, as it occasionally did; but he would only give vent to his favourite exclamation of disgust and impatience.
Mitter argues that "goodness in the parents is a necessary condition of the growth of goodness in the children"; a father addicted to immorality cannot expect to successfully instruct his son in morals.
To contrast with these social failures, Mitter presents Barada Babu (the "Kayasth Reformer") as the ideal of moral excellence. Barada Babu is characterized by humility, sincerity, and moral courage. He believes that the world is a "school" and that genuine virtue is the outcome of a thorough discipline of the mind in the business of life. He takes charge of Baburam’s younger son, Ramlall, teaching him through harmonious development and the steady growth of faith in God. Ramlall becomes the "Prahlad of a family of Daityas," a model of rectitude and compassion who eventually saves his family from the ruin brought about by his father and brother.
The novel also critiques landlord-ryot (peasant / serf) relations and the high-handedness of English indigo planters. Mitter portrays the "utter dependence" of the poor on the rich and condemns the violence used by planters who, because of their social ties to magistrates, often escaped justice while their tenants suffered "unparalleled hardships". He highlights how zemindars often view their indentured peasant farmers (ryots) as a "field of beguns"—a source of continual profit—rather than human beings worthy of protection.
Finally, Mitter explores the theme of redemption. After Matilall’s extravagant "trade ventures" with the fraudulent Mr. John fail, he is reduced to a "pitiable condition" and flees to Benares. In the "Holy City," Matilall undergoes a profound spiritual conversion through solitary meditation and the guidance of a wise teacher. His "evil passions" are dwarfed by a feeling of self-contempt and deep remorse, leading him to finally seek forgiveness from the mother he once struck. The novel concludes with a sense of divine justice: the villains Thakchacha and Bahulya are transported for life for forgery, dying in jail, while Bancharam is "killed by lightning".
English characters in the novel
In contrast to some other well-known Bengali novels from this time-period, there is a fair amount of interaction with British characters in The Spoilt Child. There are several English characters in the novel who interact with the protagonist, Matilall, and his family, primarily in the contexts of education, law, and business.
The principal English characters include:
- Mr. John: A Calcutta merchant with whom Matilall enters into a disastrous trade partnership. He is described as a man with little capacity for business who lives a luxurious life on credit, eventually leading to the firm's bankruptcy and Matilall's ruin.
- Mr. Butler: A solicitor in Boitakhana for whom Bancharam serves as a principal agent. He is depicted as an astute legal professional who trains witnesses and is involved in various lawsuits concerning Baburam Babu's estate.
- Mr. Sherborn: A schoolmaster who runs a school in Calcutta that Matilall briefly attends.
- Mr. Charles: Another schoolmaster whose school Matilall joins after leaving Mr. Sherborn's establishment.
- Mr. Blaquiere: A police magistrate in Calcutta who presides over Matilall's trial following his arrest for assault and gambling. The text notes a report that his father was an Englishman.
- Mr. Howard: An attorney who serves legal notices to Mr. Butler regarding cases against Baburam Babu.
In addition to these specific characters, the novel also depicts the influence of English indigo planters in the Mofussil (rural areas). One unnamed planter is portrayed as a high-handed individual who uses violence against local ryots (cultivators) and relies on his social connections with magistrates to avoid legal consequences for his actions.
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