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Essay about Forbidden Love

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Forbidden Love

The short story “Dhowli,” is a tragic tale about a woman who puts her trust and faith into a love that is forbidden, and how she is ultimately betrayed by that love. The story demonstrates how some of the choices that she made, and her own selfish pride led to the injustices she received.
Misrilal is a young Brahman who is captivated by a young Dusad widow. In the Indian culture, the Brahman caste is one of the highest castes, and the Dusads are one of the lowest. Because of the difference in castes, a relationship between the two is forbidden. Although Misrilal is aware of this, he nonetheless persists in pursuing Dhowli.
Dhowli is tormented with his proclamations of love and wanton lust. …show more content…

Misrilal’s family demanded that he go to another village for a month and still he reassures Dhowli that they will be together as soon as he returns. In the meantime, Dhowli has to not only suffer the knowledge that Misrilal is a coward, but she also has to deal with the fact that she is now an outcast to her own people. The menfolk plot to make her a whore for their enjoyment, and the women cease to acknowledge her. Even her own mother blames her for the difficulties that lay ahead and beseeches her to take the medicine that will “get rid of the thorn in her womb” (Devi 244). Dhowli refuses to take any such measures. She can not imagine destroying something that was created through their love.
Thrice the time has passed since Misrilal said he would return, and in the meantime, Dhowli has given birth to a beautiful baby boy. News of Misrilals impending marriage reaches her. Her heart is torn and finally the anger and bitterness set in. She now realizes that Misrilal does not truly love her and he is not coming back for her. Now she must forget him and concern herself with feeding her baby.
After the wedding, Misrilal returns and Dhowli sends for him. Dhowli asks with bitterness and regret what Misrilal is planning to do to help her raise the child now that he has ruined her and made her an outcast. Even now, Misrilal attempts to tell Dhowli that he had

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