Khushwant Singh’s “The Wog” Essay

Khushwant Singh’s story entitled â€Å"The Wog† is a depiction of Indian culture. Indian’s tradition was merely focused on the religion and cultural composition of their society. Every action must be granted by their Gods. This is symbolization of conservatism and illiteracy not literally but through the emotions and psychological circumstances of the protagonist. In this story, the main character had a hard time thinking of his marriage life. He really does not want to get marry because according to the Vedas, marriage is the third of all the four levels that they obtained during their lifetime. Sen, the main character felt this kind of scenario that he is not old enough to face a new beginning – the third part of his life because it means that his death become nearer. However, his bride is the most excited person of all. She loved Sen so much that is why she is willing to accept everything about him. This story also showed how a woman was portrayed in the society of India. Man is the manipulator of everything while the woman will abide to her husband and will surrender everything for him. Based on my understanding to the text, I have seen that the story made a significant point of view towards the issue of culture, religion, and society in India. It is a depiction of values and personalities that people should need to understand in an Indian. In the beginning of the story, Singh thoroughly described the setting through the establishment of the characters. The conflict of the story is that Sen does not want to get married at his age. As a resolution at the end, I have seen that the author resolved the conflict. She lets her character face his fear and agony. She conveyed in her story how a man should be portrayed in the society – fearless and masculine. Reference Singh, K. The Wog. pp. 293-310