English Literature: Father Returning Home

This poem by Dilip Chitre speaks of inner loneliness experienced

by his father. He was a Marathi writer with six collections of poems.
He has cleverly reflected mans struggle against nature on order to
gain a luxurious lifestyle. Social alienation is a theme with which
Chitre has encountered with time to time. He represents an old man,
possibly in his retirement age, travelling in crowded trains just so
that he can afford a stale chapatti. The old man is a depiction of his
own father, who is the subject of this poem. This poem is classified
as a Traditional monologue and is said to be autobiographic in
nature.
The initial stanza is set in a late evening train, which the old
man travels in. The surroundings are quiet and gloomy. Which is
contradictory as yellow portrays glee and friendliness. The phrase
humid monsoon night creates a dingy atmosphere.
Furthermore, there is also a potential conflict between man and
himself. Some lines suggest that he resents not being able to settle
down in life. He has used fairly simple words and language to
portray complicated emotions. Chitre has used some language
techniques such as imagery and symbolism. In my opinion, the
stale chapatti reflects his meaningless life. Moreover, the line Like
a word dropped from a long sentence paints an image of a man
being dropped off a train in a way that he in no longer relevant to
the train. Just like the word. The poem is in first person perspective
and it explains how the world sees the old man. The tone of the
poem is slightly fierce and unsympathetic. Whilst introducing the old
man, Chitre has employed vivid imagery. He has sculpted a shabby
and miserable character for his poem.
The first stanza follows him through his commute back home. It
trickles a sense of familiarity for him as he might be travelling on
the train for many years. It is a routine for him, as he has not seen
any progress in many years. The mans weak vision is mentioned
multiple times, unseeing eyes and eyes dimmed by age. The
situation is paradoxical as Chitre surrounds the old man with
elaborate imagery when his eyesight is poor. Bag stuffed with
books implies that he could be teacher. His hands tremble while in
the bathroom, possibly because of exhaustion. His sullenwith him
advocates that he does not share an affectionate bond with his
children and they perhaps do not give him the respect he deserves.
Ironically, the writer should be referring to himself, as the poem is a
biography of his own father. The static radio could be illustrating
the old mans monotonous life, just like the radio. Multiple instances
suggest that he belongs to a poor background. For reference, shirt
and pants are soggy, stale chapatti and bag falling apart. The
last two lines of the poem emphasize that the old man ponders
about his family, past and the future. His family could be a source of
happiness for him. Nomads entering a narrow pass demonstrates
how his ancestors strived to enter the country.

In closure, this poem wonderfully depicts the lifestyle of many

lower middle class people in India. It exposes the difficulties and
isolation faced by them. The poem arises a sense of pity and
empathy in the reader. Lastly, I discover another side of the world
through this work of literature.