The Wife's Letter

“The Wife’s Letter” positions Tagore’s extraordinary entry into the interiority of
women’s world through women’s voice and agency.” Elaborate.
Rabindranath Tagore’s “The Wife’s Letter” published in 1914 is a short story written in
epistolary form which throws light on the predicaments of being a woman in a male dominated
society. Tagore, by using narrative voice of a woman critiques the system of patriarchy and
reveal its underlying functional structure which is otherwise normalized by society and hence the
systematic oppression of women remain invisible. It has been believed that Tagore’s interaction
with his older sister-in-law gave him an insight into women’s world. The following essay will
focus on Tagore’s “entry into the interiority of women’s world through a woman’s voice and
agency.”
Malashri Lal in the essay ‘Tagore, Imaging the “Other”: Reflections on “The Wife’s
Letter” and “Kabuliwala”’, states that women have always been seen as the “Other” because
patriarchy perceives male as “I” and thus women become inferior beings. Tagore in “The Wife’s
Letter” attempts to break this dichotomy and merge “Other” with the “I”. Tagore does so by
taking up the persona of a woman and in the process, symbolically entering into the world of
“Other”. The demarcation between “Other” and “I” is erased when Tagore becomes Mrinal.
The title of the story foregrounds women’s identity as confined to being a daughter,
sister and wife only. The title of the story “The wife’s Letter” instead of calling it
“Mrinal’s Letter” highlights the fact that women are subjected to socio-cultural relationships and
thus society denies to even acknowledge women as an individual being. The story explores the
issue of identity crisis among women through various instances in the story. In the letter, Mrinal
introduces herself as “second daughter-in-law”. Later in the story, Mrinal laments that the death
of her daughter during birth had snatched away from her the privilege of being a mother. Mrinal
unconsciously or consciously sees herself only through the socio cultural relationships that she
shares with her husband’s family. Tagore seems to be shattering this conceived notion of
women’s identity being attached to that of her husband’s when Mrinal while standing on the
shore finally realizes that she has “different relation” with the world and the Lord of the world.
Mrinal’s salutation to her husband “My submission at your lotus feet” at the beginning of the
letter changes to “Bereft of your family’s feet” at the end.
Tagore’s actual entry into women’s world happens through his metaphorical entry into
“women’s quarter”. Mrinal describes women’s quarter as “dim lighted”, “occupied with stealthy
air”, “courtyard chocked with rubbish”. Even the English doctor is shocked to see such
deplorable living conditions. Thus, the image of women’s living conditions projected by Mrinal
is her letter in nothing but image of death and disease which engulf women. Mrinal writes that
living in that deplorable state is still better because it lessens the pain and sufferings; it is in
comfort that pain and sufferings becomes more prominent and difficult to tolerate. There is also a
subtle hint of Mrinal facing death in her lying-in room since she writes that “death came and
stood at my head but I had no fear of death”. Tagore brings the pitiable living conditions of
women to the forefront and shows how women are denied even basic rights of living. So when
Mrinal declares that she is never going back to her husband’s house at no. 27, Makhan Baral
Lane, she consciously rejects “women’s quarter” as a consolation from her husband.
Tagore’s understanding of women’s psyche lets him enter into the personal and private
emotional space of women. In the letter Mrinal bares all her secrets, confessions and opinions
which otherwise would have been difficult if she had done so in-person. Mrinal’s secret that she
writes poetry must have appeared as a shock to her husband’s family since women were not
considered intellectual beings. Hence, poetry became her solace from the oppression and cruelty
of society. In writing poems, she says she felt alive and free. Here, Tagore explores the idea of
art as a medium of escape from harsh reality. Moreover, the fact that Mrinal’s talent had to be
kept hidden shows how women were not even expected to have any formal education. Tagore’s
understanding of women is remarkable, as through Mrinal he is able to delineate a woman’s
anxiety before marriage and alienation experienced by her in the new house after her marriage.
Mrinal explains in the letter, when her husband’s uncle along with his friend came to “inspect the
prospective bride” the entire household as well the neighborhood’s anxiety “lay on my heart as a
stone” and after her marriage and entry into her husband’s house, the only living creature Mrinal
could make connection with “two cows and three calves” since they seemed to be reminiscent of
her childhood spent in her father’s house.
Tagore’s celebration of female bond is visible in the story in Mrinal-Bindu relationship as
well as in Mrinal’s understanding and sympathy for her elder sister-in-law. For Mrinal, the elder
sister-in-law appears to be an epitome of “ideal wife”. Mrinal says this kind of submission is
dangerous and serves as a bad example for fellow women. The elder sister in law in trying to
become an obedient wife fails to protect her own sister.
Bindu comes as a turning point in Mrinal’s life for it is through Bindu, Mrinal realizes
her potential as an individual being. Mrinal writes that Bindu’s fault on being a “dark
complexioned girl” took away from her the right to live with dignity. When Bindu was alive she
was no more than garbage treated as a liability but even in death society failed her completely.
Instead of understanding the drastic step taken by Bindu, she was yet again mocked, blamed and
criticized severely. Even in death Bindu has been denied voice, her last letter to Mrinal is
destroyed by Bindu’s in-laws and hence she is silenced forever. But Mrinal sees Bindu’s suicide
as liberation from the customs and traditions which were like fetters; Mrinal says that in her
death “she (Bindu) is infinite” and that no one can control Bindu now.
Mrinal effectively subverts the patriarchal power by constantly rebelling and speaking
her mind. Unlike her sister in law, Mrinal does not submit to her husband. The letter becomes a
powerful tool for subverting patriarchy. Mrinal does not shy away from telling her husband that
she knows he is afraid of her intelligence. Mrinal, unlike her sister-in-law does not allow anyone
but her own self to control her life. Even stopping of her allowance does not deter her decision to
protect Bindu. But the other women in the story have been denied agency. It is also to be noted
that Mrinal is able to voice out against the oppression because of her status as self taught upper
class woman on the other hand women like Bindu are silenced forever; they do not get
opportunity to voice their opinion like Mrinal does. Mrinal, thus like Mirabai rejects all societal
norms and customs which are like fetters to her and declares that the “Meja Bou” is now dead at
last”.
Works Cited
Lal, Malashri. “Tagore, Imaging the 'Other': Reflections on 'The Wife's Letter' and 'Kabuliwala'.”
Tagore, Rabindranath. “The Wife’s Letter” in Tagore’s Short Stories. Translated by

Supriya Chaudhuri. Oxford University Press, 2002.

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“The Wife’s Letter” positions Tagore’s extraordinary entry into the interiority of

women’s world through women’s voice and agency.” Elaborate.

letter changes to “Bereft of your family’s feet” at the end.

understanding of women is remarkable, as through Mrinal he is able to delineate a woman’s

her childhood spent in her father’s house.

Tagore’s celebration of female bond is visible in the story in Mrinal-Bindu relationship as

become an obedient wife fails to protect her own sister.

Tagore, Rabindranath. “The Wife’s Letter” in Tagore’s Short Stories. Translated by

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