THE WOG PPT

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The Wog

By Khuswant Singh


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What

is a

WOG?


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WOG

any nonwhite,especially a dark-

skinned native of the

Middle East orSoutheast Asia.


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KHUSHWANT SINGH

one of the best -known Indian writers of all times

was born in 1915 in Hadali (now in Pakistan)

He was educated at:o the Government College

o Lahore and at King's College

o Cambridge University

o Inner Temple in London.

He practiced law at the Lahore High Court for

several years before joining the Indian Ministry of

External Affairs in 1947.

He began a distinguished career as a journalist with

the All India Radio in 1951.


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Since then he has been:

o founder-editor ofYojana(1951-1953)

o editor of the Illustrated weekly of

India(1979-1980)

o chief editor of New Delhi(1979-1980)

o Editor of the Hindustan times(1980-1983).

His Saturday column "With Malice

Towards One and All" in the Hindustan

timesis by far one of the most popular

columns of the day.

Indo-Anglian (writers in India who write in the

English language and whose native or co-native

language could be one of the

numerous languages of India.) novelist

Singh is best known for his trenchant

secularism, his humor, and an abiding love of

poetry.

His comparisons of social and behavioral

characteristics of Westerners and Indians are

laced with acid wit.

KHUSHWANT

SINGH


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Indian Literature is one of the types; which contains stories with themes that have

a strong cultural base, a high place for class/background and a place in which

marriages are arranged and enforced.

"The Wog"contain the themes of gender roles and a strong cultural base

In analyzing these themes and the stories, one can see how they are very

important to the lives of Indians; given the fact that at the time and even now,

they all exist strongly in certain parts of India.

Women

o dominate the home

o known to be the ones who do absolutely everything for the men

The Indian culture is strong and class is put on a pedestal where then marriages

are also enforced.


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Women

o dominate the home

o known to be the ones who do absolutely

everything for the men

The Indian culture is strong and class is put on a

pedestal where then marriages are also enforced.


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WOMEN IN INDIA

Discrimination against Women: After

Marriage

Bias towards men and their superiority

in marital relationships: while women ought to be

respected, protected and kept

happy by their husbands

their happiness being vital for the

prosperity, peace and happiness

of the whole family they should

also be kept under constant

vigilance, since they cannot be

completely trusted or left to

themselves.

After marriage she becomes the

property and responsibility of her

husband, who is supposed to take care

of her and keep her in his custody.

i d i l /


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WOMEN IN INDIA

married girl / woman

no longer considered to be part of the

family of her birth

she has become part of the family of

the groom.

After marriage the woman leaves her

parental home and lives with her husband's

family, where she is required to assume all

household labor and domestic

responsibilities.

In certain parts of Indian society, women

are conditioned from birth to be

subservient not only to their futurehusbands, but also to the females in their

husband's family especially, their mother-

in-law.

ostracized and neglected by her very ownfamil and in her own home.


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WOMEN IN INDIA

Accordingly, the surrounding

society mandates a woman's

obedience to her husband andher in-laws.

Any disobedience would bring

disgrace to both, the wife

herself and her originating

family, and might lead to the

woman being ostracized and

neglected by her very own

family and in her own home.


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ARRANGED

MARRIAGE

part of the Indian culture since the fourth

century

any consider the practice a central fabric ofIndian society, reinforcing the social, economic,

geographic, and the historic significance of

India


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THE

WOG


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Women play the boss, the big

roles and it is something that

has been the same way since

day one, women are known to

do everything for me no matter

how young or old.

It is expected and necessary, for

those who brought up the men

in the house were the mothers,

only creating a chain where

then the wife must do the same.


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One sees this in Santosh's mother who always babied her only son, doing

absolutely everything for him.

Her power showed when she "wanted to see him properly settled, and wantedto fondle a grandson just once before she died" (Singh 294).

She insists on his getting married and wanting a grandson, therefore making

spoiled Santosh to agree, "all right Ma, you find me a wife. I'll marry anyone

you want me to marry" (294).

The power has always been put on the women because they run the home andit is not questioned because it is part of their strong cultural base.

Women are the bosses and therefore Santosh agrees.

The only difference in this story is the fact that Santosh had been the son of a

Brisitsh gentleman, making him a Wog (westernized oriental gentleman).

Means he had been brought up in an English way, so marriage was not

arranged from early age.

Santosh always got along with his mother and anything she said went. She got

him to marry someone she preferred and life went on. But this high importance

for gender role plays a big part in everyday life in India.


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Marriage in the Indian culture is the

most valued and important practice

among parents and others excluding the

children; for it is the base of what is tobe of that future child's life.

Marriage is enforced by the

parents and it is done very

carefully choosing only from one's

caste, and it is forbidden to marryoutside one's caste or mingle with

others from outside it.

In "The Wog",our main protagonist

Santosh aka Sunny is an Indian but

brought up as an American whotries to inherit the Indian lifestyle

once moving in with mom but

struggles, for mom tries to

enforce him to marry someone.


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Although it is regular practice in India

Sunny was not comfortable, and had

never even heard of matrimonial

advertisements and soon becomes

"very angry and acutely embarrased"(295 Singh) by the idea.

Marriage is the foundation of

something bigger, a home a family

but in this case Santosh is not taking

it, and although he goes throughwith it; it leads to the suicide of his

wife who is unhappy and confused

all along.

If it was not for such a high place

for class/background there wouldbe no place for anything else; but it

is this country's strong cultural base

which leads everything to work how

it does.


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Strong gender roles, strong

cultural base, arranged marriages

and a high place forclass/background in India are the

themes high on list for what is

necessary. Without these, the

country would not function

because it is the normal and theunquestionable.

There is this belief of one caste

being better than another and

people not being able to get out

or move up onto another caste;

arranged marriages being forced

by the parents, and the need

for strong cultural base and

separation that makes India India.


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It is exactly that, which

makes Indian literatureunique and one of its

own. The different things

that go on in this type of

literature captivate many

for its approach anddevelopment on each

theme.

One can view this way of

life and one's own andlearn to appreciate the

benefits and freedom we

have when compared to

other countries and

cultures.


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The Wog byKhushwant Singh is that people are victimized by theconflict created by wanting to remain loyal to ones culture yet

respecting or appreciating a different culture more. The main

character, Srijut Santosh Sen may be viewed as a snob for rejecting

his Hindu heritage and embracing British culture. However, some view

Sen as a victim of colonialism.

Theme


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