Literary appreciation of the short story ROOTS ( RIYA K NAIR , BSC MATHEMATICS 20UMAT3706 )

 ROOTS :.     ISMAT CHUGTAI

The story Roots by Ghalib Award winner Ismat chugtai  depicted the communal problems created during the time of partition . The story deals with two families and how the partition of India causes crack in their relationship . The story also depctied how a simple thing called caste causes dispute in a country like India  and how changes the peaceful condition to blood shed all over the country . 

           The main beauty of the story is the use of many literary words which used to show the actual condition of the mother who is the protogonist of the story when all her relatives left her alone . In the time of partition all the members of amma' s  family decided to go to Pakistan but she resisted it because she belived that India the land she  now living is her real place or her land and she thought that there is no need to go from here.  The writer used a sentence to show the actual plite of the amma , which is most touching and beautiful lines of the story   . ' she had nursed the crops with her heart 's blood through fifty years ' . The mother is the person who sacrifice everything to curdle her children and to give good condition to them . The amma in this story is also like that she send most of her life time to protect and care children but now they left her alone.  She nursed all her children and all members of the family like a crop . 

   Partition of India causes many riots  . It causes cracks in between families in the story . Before partition the two families live  like  one . But when the thoughts of  caste system arise in India the harmony of our country goes away. Every one starts to fight for their caste .  ' Between these two Flags there was a chasm mikes wide . ' This line shows how the partition create problems in the two families . Even though there is only few miles between amma ' s house and Roopchand ji 's house their hearts goes miles apart . 

   ' Strange name called our land '  during the time of partition every one starts to migrate to their own land that is muslim' s to Pakistan and Hindu 's to India . It is very strange thing that the caste decided our land . Our land is those place where we live now . But during partition everyone uses their land based on the caste they have . That's why writer said it's very strange name . 

    ' whose memory pierced through the heart like lightning '  Memories are something which pierced like lightning . Sometimes it painful but sometimes it joyful.  Here the amma thought  about her family who left her alone . The thoughts made her painful because those beautiful times  will not going to happen again . Also those memories  helps  her to live there . This line shows the present condition of amma after her children left her .   ' Now the luggage seemed to have legs and danced through the house ' here the luggage is personified as a human dancing . 

  Like above mentioned lines the writer used many literary words to convey the message of the story to readers . This lines are very helpful to understand the real situation in the time of independence . The brilliant use of literary words also help to depicts the condition of Amma and Roopchand ji and it's very heart touching . Use of these literary words made the story more beautiful and understandable to readers .