Ravi Thumkar’s Widow

the story could have been shorter... even her quickly selling the house didnt make her seem wicked to me....it was just an attempt to move on with life.....but the message was a good one.....never judge people.

This story very touchingly describes a “normal” family’s descent into disaster due to drinking – and the wife’s attempts at surviving the ordeal! The hypocrisy of the society ladies – when it comes to the emancipation of their less fortunate sisters – is amazing. Too often, women have to be cast into a particular mold – daughter, wife, mother, or sometimes peripheral roles, even ill-reputed ones. There are always some ladies who can defy societal norms and are strong enough to deal with the inevitable backlash. The world is a better place due to such individuals.

The ending appears a little artificial. The woman should be commended for her courage and ability to survive – not for an act of piety!

I do agree with the statement that one should not store items in house which one may become addicted to. I also believe that there are genetic links to alcoholism – so people need to watch out!

[No neighbour was particularly inclined to talk to a woman who’d left her husband alone to fend for himself.]
Because she may show a new way – and God, we won’t like that!

I think I know these people quite well. It could have been their story.

A well written piece...how easily one can judge a person the wrong way by just being observers of a tragedy in the making.Nobody lifted a finger to help the woman when she was a wife but jump in at once to judge her when she is a widow. I too once had a neighbor who suffered for years with an alcoholic husband who was way beyond any reasoning or help and uncaring of the effects of his behavior on their two girls,aged 12 and 5. It was initially ``shocking`` to see how relieved she was when he died of cirrhosis. But later we saw her take charge of their small business and get down to the bringing up the two children.If he had lost his value for them while alive and could not stop preferring alcohol to them, why should they keep up the pretext of mourning for him?

This story was nicely told, but technically speaking, making following the path of the money the fulcrum of the story, kinda spoilt it for me and stifled whatever promise it had.