“Brides of the Well” a Short Story by Shekhar Kapur Essay

Introduction

The short story under analysis is written by Shekhar Kapur and entitled “Brides of the Well”. The theme of the short story is hope as the two young girls pertaining to a lower caste hope that their sorrows will end and “the High Caste God’s would deliver them a different destiny” (Kapur n.p.). Notably, literary analysis enables the reader to see particular elements used by the author to understand the major idea of the work, its message (Waugh 13). The author uses a variety of literary elements to articulate his message. It is possible to focus on imagery, symbolism and conflict in the story to understand the author’s idea of hope.

Summary of Reading

The short story dwells upon a day in the life of two young girls who have to walk eight hours a day to bring water to their elderly husbands. The girls pertain to lower caste and their life is full of sorrows. At the same time, the girls still have hope that their hardships will end and they even have a particular plan. They pray to Gods and ask them to dry the well which will mean the end of their ordeal.

Imagery Use in the Story

The author creates a really miraculous imagery, especially in the first paragraphs. Thus, the beauty of the morning is revealed with the help of such metaphor as bird’s “morning raga’s” (Kapur n.p.). The author also depicts the population of the village with the help of sounds and “dominant sounds of the day would be the dry cracked sounds of older vocal chords” (Kapur n.p.). These metaphors help people see the stagnation of the village and hardships young girls have to endure among old and quite cruel people. Clearly, in this kind of place, only hope could help young creatures survive and go on. The imagery is very evoking and it makes the short story more appealing.

Symbolism Use in the Story

The use of symbolism in the story is even more remarkable. A symbol is something that stands for a larger idea and symbols make a literary work more complete and evoking (“Literary Analysis” n.p.). One of major symbols used is shadow. Shadow stands for a young girl and her hopes. The two girls walk to the well and they feel “lonely” without the shadow of each other (Kapur n.p.). They need to know that their friend is also hoping to change their life. Another symbol is water which is the source of life and the source of torture. Thus, the girls have to walk long distances to keep their husbands and themselves alive. One of the girls was not given water as she was punished.

Conflict in the Story

It is also necessary to note that (as any other story) the work in question has a conflict. The conflict is between the caste reality (with its rules) and young girls’ hopes (Kapur n.p.). Girls even start a fight as one of them has broken a rule and the other one is not ready to accept this kind of rebel. It is noteworthy that at the end of the story two girls unite in their desire to change their destiny.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is possible to state that the present literary work is an evoking short story that focuses on an important topic, people’s hope. The author notes that young people will always strive for a better life and there will be life if there is hope.

Works Cited

Literary Analysis: Using Elements of Literature. 2014. Web.

Kapur, Shekhar. Brides of the Well: A short Story. 2014. Web.

Waugh, Patricia. “Introduction: Criticism, Theory, and Anti-Theory.” Literary Theory and Criticism: An Oxford Guide. Ed. Patricia Waugh. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2006. 1-30. Print.