Summary of "Matchbox"
Ashapurna Debi's story "Matchbox" compares women to matchboxes that have the power to set things aflame but remain meek and scattered everywhere. The story centers on Nomita, who lives in a large joint family and discovers that her husband Ajit has been secretly opening and reading her letters for three days. Ajit controls the letterbox key and regularly opens Nomita's letters before giving them to her, sometimes not giving them at all. The latest letter is from Nomita's poor widowed mother asking for financial help to repair her leaking roof. Ajit mocks these requests and shows disrespect toward his mother-in-law, which deeply humiliates Nomita. When confronted, Ajit lies about forgetting to give the letter and insults Nomita's mother by calling her a beggar and using vulgar language. In a moment of rage, Nomita sets fire to her expensive sari with a matchstick to show she can do something, shocking Ajit. However, when her niece and sisters-in-law appear, Nomita suppresses her anger, pretends everything is fine, and makes excuses about the burnt sari. Despite wanting to refuse her mother's requests, Nomita realizes she cannot because the village sees her as a queen with a generous husband. The story concludes with the author's observation that women, like matchboxes, have the power to burn down facades but choose not to, allowing men to treat them carelessly and keep them scattered everywhere without fear.
"Matchbox" കഥയുടെ സംഗ്രഹം
അശാപൂർണ്ണ ദേവിയുടെ "Matchbox" കഥ സ്ത്രീകളെ തീപ്പെട്ടിപ്പെട്ടികളോട് താരതമ്യപ്പെടുത്തുന്നു, അവയ്ക്ക് എല്ലാം ചുട്ടെരിക്കാനുള്ള ശക്തിയുണ്ടെങ്കിലും സൗമ്യരായി എല്ലായിടത്തും ചിതറിക്കിടക്കുന്നു. ഒരു വലിയ കൂട്ടുകുടുംബത്തിൽ താമസിക്കുന്ന നോമിതയെ കേന്ദ്രീകരിച്ചാണ് കഥ, അവളുടെ ഭർത്താവ് അജിത് മൂന്ന് ദിവസമായി അവളുടെ കത്തുകൾ രഹസ്യമായി തുറന്ന് വായിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്ന് കണ്ടെത്തുന്നു. അജിത് ലെറ്റർബോക്സിന്റെ താക്കോൽ നിയന്ത്രിക്കുകയും നോമിതയുടെ കത്തുകൾ നിയമിതമായി തുറക്കുകയും ചിലപ്പോൾ നൽകാതിരിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. ഏറ്റവും പുതിയ കത്ത് നോമിതയുടെ ദരിദ്രയായ വിധവയായ അമ്മയിൽ നിന്നാണ്, മേൽക്കൂര നന്നാക്കാൻ സാമ്പത്തിക സഹായം ചോദിക്കുന്നത്. അജിത് ഈ അഭ്യർത്ഥനകളെ പരിഹസിക്കുകയും അമ്മായിയമ്മയോട് അനാദരവ് കാണിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു, ഇത് നോമിതയെ അപമാനിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. നേരിടുമ്പോൾ, അജിത് കത്ത് നൽകാൻ മറന്നുവെന്ന് കള്ളം പറയുകയും നോമിതയുടെ അമ്മയെ യാചകയെന്ന് വിളിച്ച് അശ്ലീല ഭാഷ ഉപയോഗിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. കോപത്തിന്റെ നിമിഷത്തിൽ, താൻ എന്തെങ്കിലും ചെയ്യാൻ കഴിയുമെന്ന് കാണിക്കാൻ നോമിത തന്റെ വിലയേറിയ സാരിക്ക് തീപ്പെട്ടി കൊണ്ട് തീ കൊളുത്തുന്നു, ഇത് അജിതിനെ ഞെട്ടിക്കുന്നു. എന്നിരുന്നാലും, അവളുടെ മരുമകളും സഹോദരിമാരും പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുമ്പോൾ, നോമിത കോപം അടക്കിനിർത്തി, എല്ലാം ശരിയാണെന്ന് നടിക്കുകയും കത്തിയ സാരിയെക്കുറിച്ച് ന്യായീകരണങ്ങൾ നൽകുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. അമ്മയുടെ അഭ്യർത്ഥനകൾ നിരസിക്കാൻ ആഗ്രഹിച്ചെങ്കിലും, ഗ്രാമം അവളെ ഒരു രാജ്ഞിയായി കാണുന്നതിനാൽ താൻ അത് ചെയ്യാനാവില്ലെന്ന് നോമിത മനസ്സിലാക്കുന്നു. തീപ്പെട്ടിപ്പെട്ടികൾ പോലെ, സ്ത്രീകൾക്ക് മുഖംമൂടികൾ ചുട്ടെരിക്കാനുള്ള ശക്തിയുണ്ടെങ്കിലും അങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യാതിരിക്കുന്നുവെന്നും, അതിനാൽ പുരുഷന്മാർ അവരെ ഭയമില്ലാതെ അശ്രദ്ധമായി കൈകാര്യം ചെയ്യുന്നുവെന്നും കഥ നിഗമനം ചെയ്യുന്നു.
About the Author
Ashapurna Debi was a renowned Bengali writer known for her powerful portrayal of women's lives and struggles in Indian society. She wrote extensively about the position of women in joint families and their silent suffering. Through her stories, she highlighted the patriarchal structures that confined women and their suppressed potential for rebellion. "Matchbox" is one of her significant works that uses powerful symbolism to depict how women, despite having immense inner strength, remain subdued due to societal expectations and family pressures. The story was translated from Bengali by Prasenjit Gupta, making it accessible to wider audiences.
Questions and Answers
Why are women compared to matchboxes?
Women are compared to matchboxes because both possess hidden power that remains unused. Matchboxes contain enough gunpowder to set a hundred Lankas aflame, yet they sit around meek and innocent in kitchens, pantries, and bedrooms. Similarly, women have tremendous inner strength and the ability to rebel, but they suppress this power and remain submissive. Men leave matchboxes scattered carelessly everywhere without fear because they know matchboxes won't spontaneously ignite. Likewise, men treat women carelessly, invade their privacy, and insult them without fear because women rarely revolt. Even when women have the materials within themselves to set off raging fires, they never flare up to burn away the masks of men's superiority or their own colorful shells.
What makes Nomita furious?
Nomita becomes furious when she discovers a crumpled letter in Ajit's pocket that was addressed to her three days earlier. Ajit had opened it, read it, and deliberately hidden it without telling her. This is not an isolated incident but part of his ugly habit of controlling the letterbox key and regularly opening her letters. The letter is from her poor mother asking for money, which Ajit mocks derisively. When confronted, Ajit lies about forgetting to give her the letter, then insults her mother with vulgar language, calling her a beggar and referring to Nomita as "a dung-picker's daughter." This combination of privacy invasion, lying, and cruel insults pushes Nomita to her breaking point.
What is the suspicion in Nomita's mind?
Nomita suspects that Ajit doesn't just open and read her letters before giving them to her, but that he often doesn't give them to her at all. She believes he reads them and then destroys them without her knowledge. This suspicion has "taken root, taken deep root" in her mind based on his systematic pattern of controlling her correspondence. Ironically, Ajit has never actually found anything suspicious in her letters, yet he continues this behavior purely out of a desire to control and dominate her communication with the outside world.
What is called an "ugly habit"? Why?
The "ugly habit" refers to Ajit's practice of opening and reading Nomita's personal letters before giving them to her, and sometimes not giving them at all. It is called ugly because it violates her basic privacy and dignity. He deliberately obtained the letterbox key to intercept her mail, showing calculated control over her communications. Despite Nomita's repeated protests through anger, reproaches, and sarcasm, Ajit stubbornly refuses to stop. This habit represents psychological domination, breach of trust, and complete disrespect for Nomita as an individual with the right to private correspondence.
How does Ajit react when Nomita mentions about his "ugly habit"?
Ajit reacts with manipulation and dismissal rather than accountability. First, he tries to laugh away her complaints, treating her serious concern as trivial. If laughter doesn't work, he scolds her instead, making her feel she's at fault for complaining. He justifies his actions by saying "What if I opened it? My own wife's letter," showing he believes he owns everything related to her. He mockingly suggests he needs to check for "love letters," deflecting blame onto her. The text explicitly states "Ajit is not going to feel abashed," meaning he never feels guilty or ashamed regardless of how wrong his behavior is.
What are the expectations of Nomita's mother?
Nomita's mother, an indigent widow, expects regular financial help from her daughter and son-in-law. In the current letter, she needs money urgently to repair her leaking roof, claiming she might die under a collapsed ceiling. She regularly writes asking for assistance, using a pattern of listing her hardships while praising Nomita as a "queen" and Ajit as "high-minded, large-hearted." Having successfully married her daughter into a wealthy family based on looks alone, she continuously takes credit for this achievement and expects gratitude through ongoing financial support. She also expects them to maintain the village reputation of being generous and prosperous.
Comment on Ajit's attitude towards his mother-in-law
Ajit's attitude toward his mother-in-law is characterized by contempt and complete disrespect. He views her letters with derision, mockingly saying he'll just fill out a money-order form without reading them. His attitude causes deep shame to Nomita, whose "head hangs low with the shame and insult of it." He looks down on her poverty and treats her requests as shameful begging rather than family responsibility. When angry, he uses extremely vulgar language, calling her someone who "whines day and night" and referring to Nomita as "a dung-picker's daughter." His contemptuous treatment reflects class-based superiority and rejection of traditional family values of caring for in-laws.
What makes Nomita call Ajit a 'liar'? Is her action justifiable? Why?
Nomita calls Ajit a liar when he claims he "forgot" to give her the letter. She knows this is false because the letter is three days old, crumpled, and deliberately hidden in his pocket. The text reveals Ajit's actual thoughts: he had decided not to give her the letter and was planning to tear it up to avoid giving money to her mother. Her action is completely justifiable because she has concrete evidence of his deliberate deception, there's a pattern of such behavior, and his claim contradicts the physical evidence. Calling out his lie is an act of standing up for truth and refusing to accept his manipulation.
Comment on the simile in "Nomita hisses like a snake"
The simile "Nomita hisses like a snake" powerfully captures her suppressed anger being released. A snake hisses when threatened or cornered, and similarly, Nomita has been pushed beyond her limits. The comparison suggests danger and potential to strike, foreshadowing her dramatic act of setting fire to her sari. It shows a sudden transformation from her usually controlled demeanor to something primal and threatening. The hiss is a warning sound before a strike, indicating Nomita is about to do something shocking. The simile effectively conveys how someone usually harmless can become dangerous when provoked, like the matchbox metaphor itself.
How do you think Ajit would react if Nomita reads the letters addressed to him?
Ajit would react with extreme hypocrisy and outrage. He would be furious and claim his privacy has been violated, even though he regularly invades Nomita's privacy. He would accuse her of distrust and make himself the victim despite being the original transgressor. Given his aggressive nature shown when he "picks up the poisoned knife," he would likely shout, insult her, and possibly escalate to worse behavior. He would invoke patriarchal authority, claiming that as a husband he has rights she doesn't have. His question "What will you do? Can you do anything?" reveals his belief in male superiority, and he would apply completely different standards to himself than to Nomita.
What is the "poisoned knife"?
The "poisoned knife" is a metaphor for cruel, hurtful words deliberately chosen to cause maximum emotional pain. Ajit uses it by attacking Nomita's social origins, calling her mother someone who "whines day and night and holds out their palms" and using the vicious phrase "a dung-picker's daughter becomes a queen." These words are described as poisoned because they're not just angry outbursts but calculated insults targeting her most vulnerable point - her family's poverty and her dependence on his wealthy family. Like actual poison, these words cause lasting psychological damage to her dignity and self-worth, representing how those in power use verbal cruelty to maintain control.
How does Nomita frighten Ajit?
Nomita frightens Ajit by setting fire to her own sari. After asking "You want to see if I can do anything?" she grabs his matchbox and lights a match. With a "fssh!" she touches it to her expensive sari, which instantly flares up. Ajit panics, exclaiming "Have you gone mad?" and rushes to put out the fire. After extinguishing the flames on the sari, he sees "a fire burning there, bright, blazing red" in Nomita's face - an internal fire he cannot extinguish. The text states "to tell the truth, now he's a little afraid." This unexpected act of self-destructive rebellion demonstrates she's capable of extreme action, creating lasting fear about what she might do if pushed further.
What is the plight of Nomita in the family?
Nomita faces multiple layers of oppression in the joint family. Her husband systematically intercepts her letters, denying her privacy and connection with her family. She lives under constant surveillance in a "forest of people" where sisters-in-law make sarcastic comments about her spending time with her husband and question her household duties. Despite humiliation and anger, she must maintain false appearances, smiling and pretending everything is fine to avoid public shame. She's financially dependent on the wealthy family, making her vulnerable to Ajit's insults about her poor origins. She cannot openly help her struggling mother without facing ridicule. Most tragically, she must constantly suppress her true feelings and authentic self, even after momentarily rebelling by burning her sari.
Comment on the expression 'forest of people'. What does it tell us about the structure of Indian joint families?
The expression "forest of people" reveals the overwhelming density and lack of privacy in joint families. Like trees crowded in a forest, multiple family members live in close proximity with constant surveillance. Nomita cannot act without being observed - her niece questions her about the washerman, and sisters-in-law comment on her movements. The phrase suggests complex hierarchies (Boro-wife, Mejo-wife, Naw-wife) similar to forest layers. It emphasizes how individuals lose their identity and become defined by their role. Nomita must carefully navigate this social density, ensuring her voice doesn't tremble and maintaining appearances because the collective family has overwhelming power over individuals, particularly women who have the least authority in this structure.