English Literature: Father Returning Home

This poem by Dilip Chitre speaks of inner loneliness experienced by his father. He was a Marathi writer with six collections of poems. He has cleverly reflected man’s struggle against nature on order to gain a luxurious lifestyle. Social alienation is a theme with which Chitre has encountered with time to time. He represents an old man, possibly in his retirement age, travelling in crowded trains just so that he can afford a stale chapatti. The ‘old man’ is a depiction of his own father, who is the subject of this poem. This poem is classified as a ‘Traditional monologue’ and is said to be ‘autobiographic’ in nature. The initial stanza is set in a ‘late evening train’, which the old man travels in. The surroundings are quiet and gloomy. Which is contradictory as ‘yellow’ portrays glee and friendliness. The phrase ‘humid monsoon night’ creates a dingy atmosphere. Furthermore, there is also a potential conflict between man and himself. Some lines suggest that he resents not being able to settle down in life. He has used fairly simple words and language to portray complicated emotions. Chitre has used some language techniques such as imagery and symbolism. In my opinion, the ‘stale chapatti’ reflects his meaningless life. Moreover, the line ‘Like a word dropped from a long sentence’ paints an image of a man being dropped off a train in a way that he in no longer relevant to the train. Just like the word. The poem is in first person perspective and it explains how the world sees the old man. The tone of the poem is slightly fierce and unsympathetic. Whilst introducing the old man, Chitre has employed vivid imagery. He has sculpted a shabby and miserable character for his poem. The first stanza follows him through his commute back home. It trickles a sense of familiarity for him as he might be travelling on the train for many years. It is a routine for him, as he has not seen any progress in many years. The man’s weak vision is mentioned multiple times, ‘unseeing eyes’ and ‘eyes dimmed by age.’ The situation is paradoxical as Chitre surrounds the old man with elaborate imagery when his eyesight is poor. ‘Bag stuffed with books’ implies that he could be teacher. His hands ‘tremble’ while in the bathroom, possibly because of exhaustion. ‘His sullen…with him’ advocates that he does not share an affectionate bond with his children and they perhaps do not give him the respect he deserves. Ironically, the writer should be referring to himself, as the poem is a biography of his own father. The ‘static radio’ could be illustrating the old man’s monotonous life, just like the radio. Multiple instances suggest that he belongs to a poor background. For reference, ‘shirt and pants are soggy,’ ‘stale chapatti’ and ‘bag falling apart.’ The last two lines of the poem emphasize that the old man ponders about his family, past and the future. His family could be a source of happiness for him. ‘Nomads entering… a narrow pass’ demonstrates how his ancestors strived to enter the country. In closure, this poem wonderfully depicts the lifestyle of many lower middle class people in India. It exposes the difficulties and isolation faced by them. The poem arises a sense of pity and empathy in the reader. Lastly, I discover another side of the world through this work of literature.