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Anil. Plot. Centres around Anil Witnesses the murder of Marimuthu’s wife In the morning, the headman announces that the wife’s death was a suicide Anil tries to tell everyone what happens The headman takes Anil’s father and Anil to his house to ‘talk about Anil’
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Plot • Centres around Anil • Witnesses the murder of Marimuthu’s wife • In the morning, the headman announces that the wife’s death was a suicide • Anil tries to tell everyone what happens • The headman takes Anil’s father and Anil to his house to ‘talk about Anil’ • Anil is sent away to school by the headman, meaning that no one will bring justice for the wife’s murder
MAIN Characters • Anil • Ragunathan • Marimuthu • Headman • Amma
Basic look at Anil Anil is seven years old. He is brought up in a Malaysian village, where lying on the floor every night or woman being hit is accepted in society. Anil is scared of the dark, which is a key part of the story, not only is it a lead up to a key event but still shows how young he is.
Basic Look At Ragunathan At first the author makes the reader believe that Raginathan is a man that is a heartless bully, this is shown when Anil says “Appa, returning home drunk last night, had hit her”. This shows a man with no moral standards, and therefore makes the reader feel resentful which makes the father/son, mother/son relationship much more interesting and insightful. Once Ragunthan is in public he is completely different-he is very servile to the headman. However at the end of the story the author insights the reader into Appa’s true feelings towards his son.
Basic Look At Marimuthu Marimuthu is quite a mysterious character, the reader only gets a small insight into his emtions, however they could have been faked. Even though his wife is killed he doesn’t have a major role in the story which makes the circumstances seem suspicious, and not the main factor in his wife's death.
Basic Look At the Headman The headman is a corrupt man, as he is allows his brother to get away with the murder, however everyone looks up to him as he is the richest and the main man in the village.
Basic Look at Amma Amma is the mother of Anil, and the wife of Ragunathan. In the story she is shown as a weak woman this is shown when the author is talking about dreams “housewives dreamed of tomorrows cooking” and “ bruise on her shoulder”. In the story she is also not given a name unlike the men in the story, this is because it reflects the hierarchy in their society.
Themes- Growing up • Before Anil witnesses the murder he “believed in the magical wonders of life” like any other child, however after witnessing the murder he is forced to grow up (as he is sent away to school).
Themes- Power • In the story there is a definite hierarchy in the village. The headman is at the top of the hierarchywith the most power and influence. He is almost in charge of the village because he makes all of the decisions such as sending Anil away and everyone respects these decisions by carrying out his orders.
Themes- Father/son Relationships • The relationship between Anil and his father Ragunathan is very complex as at the start of the story Ragunathan/Appa is presented as violent and aggressive by the description of Amma’s bruises and the fact that Anil is scared to wake him up. However at the end of the story he is shown as caring towards Anil when he is leaving. Father son
Themes- Rich/Poor • Most of the people in the village are presented as poor with only the basics however at the top of the hierarchy the characters are shown as more wealthy such as the headman who can afford to sent Anil away to school.
Themes- Men/Woman • The men in the story are presented as very violent towards the female characters for instance Ragunathan give Amma a “walloping”, this shows how the women in the village are victims.
Themes- Justice • There is no justice in society as the headman controls all of the decisions and is almost a dictator in this community, so no-one else’s opinions are heard.
Structure • Two sections • Short paragraphs • Mixture of sentence structures • Fairytale style opening
Key Literary devices • Foreboding imagery – ‘Anil saw the bruise on her shoulder’, ‘It was a tree that ate little children’ • Colloquial language – ‘Appa’, ‘Amma’, ‘rattan bed’ • Repetition – ‘and the next, and the next,’, ‘Because’ • Simple sentences to increase tension/shock – ‘The shuffling of feet.’, ‘Suspended into suspense.’, ‘Marimuthu’s wife.’ • Irony – Anil is the only character who knows what has happened is wrong, but he is benefiting from the crime
