Godan: A Critical Analysis

Godan: A Critical Analysis

Author Name : Shilpa Nain

ABSTRACT

This paper is an attempt to critically analyse the plight of small peasants at the times of colonial India and the agrarian crisis that led to the extremities that they had to face and how it resulted in affecting their lives through a novel by Munsi Premchand- Godan. Set in the pre-colonial period, Godan novel takes us on a journey through the lives of peasants in India. Godan, which means "gift of the cow", is a novel that revolves around the lives of Hori and his family, which represents the peasant society of India. Throughout the novel, we feel that Hori carries the obstacles that a noble and pure heart carries within. The paper tries to explore the themes through a methodological and theoretical research design and approach the field, especially the rural landscape. This paper also attempts to examine the literary style that Premchand exhibits, as he tries to provides a comprehendeddisplay of day to day life within the larger processes of structural transformation played out through various social actors. As researchers, it is important to learn and make use of such literary styles to further enrich our ethnographic methodology.