Symbolism In The Sari Shop

The novel The Sari Shop focuses on the disproportionate distribution that exists in society. Both Kamla and Ramchand are representative of it. They revolt against the higher classes. Kamla’s prolonged revolt ends with her death. But on the opposite side, Ramchand’s revolt-lasts for twelve days and he locks himself up in his room. Ramchand very soon realizes about the futility of human endeavor and the inability of the under privileged. He apologises before Mahajan and gets back his job. Here the condition of the working classes gets reflected and the need to bring about reforms is highlighted. Bajwa uses the symbol of the lathi to depict the cruel domination of the rich class over the feeble, and brings into notice the exploitation of the poor at the hands of the rich through the symbol of the white flowers turning into red in Kamla’s sari. The innocence and purity of the have-nots is corrupted by the upper class society. This reminds the reader of the novels of Dickens in which the poor people are always presented as more kind and vulnerable. They have qualities that are suppressed by the upper classes and they are not allowed to survive in this world of capitalists. Bajwa’s second novel Tell Me A Story is not the sequel to her first novel The Sari Shop. It is also a multilayered exploration of the world of her protagonist. This novel reflects the socio-economic inequality that prevails in India through the eyes of one family. It also brings into notice the emotional