Bimal Mitra | 1990 | An Analytical Study

Bimal Mitra | 1990 | An Analytical Study

Bimal Mitra | 1990 | An Analytical Study

Bimal Mitra | 1990 | An Analytical Study

‘1990’ is a Bengali short story of shorter length written by Bimal Mitra. The unemployment problem is the main theme of the story. The author, in this short story, has foreseen through a dream, the unemployment problem in the coming up future.

In the story, the author is seen in the meat market. He knows that meat provides protein to our bodies. Hence he is eager to eat meat at least once a week and goes to the meat market. Going there he finds that a man wearing a tariline shirt, a tie on the throat, and a watch on the wrist of his hand is sitting inside the shop. His hair is brushed with black dye. He asks him where the shopkeeper has gone. He answers with a smile that he is the shopkeeper. He says that he is a Ph. D. holder from London University. But for not having any employment he has opened that meat shop. Saying this, the shopkeeper pointed out to a man smoking a cigar and said that he was once the Vice-chancellor of Jalpaiguri University. But in a bomb bursting he lost his feet and now being jobless he has set up that cigar shop. Then he begins to weigh a half kilo of meat for the author. In the meantime, the author notices that there is a mini-calendar hung on the wall. The calendar bore the name of the year along with the names of the months. But the year was written wrongly to be 1990 instead of 1970. He enquires of the shopkeeper that there is an error. Then the man, being somewhat annoyed, replies that it is correct because it is 1990, not 1970. Replying so, he gave out a loud laugh. Hearing the loud laugh the author suddenly wakes up and finds that he is in his bed and was dreaming.

Thus, through the dream, the author has envisaged the educated unemployment problem in India. 

There are two principal characters in the story. The first is the author himself. He is very conscious of the future problem of India. The meat-selling man is a type of educated unemployed youth of future India. The story was written in the seventh decade of the twentieth century and the dream of the author has been coming to be true now as many university degree holders are found jobless here and there in India.

In narrating the story the author has employed the Subjective Method. In this method, an author becomes a character of his story and writes his story in the first person. 

The story, in Structure, may be called a good one though the proper stages of its structure are not apparently visible. 

The Setting of the story is consistent with the events and situation. 

The Dialogues employed in the story is very logical as he uses them sparingly but all the dialogues have taken his story ahead and unfolded the inner nature and motives of his characters.

The Philosophy of Life is also found in the story. The author has not expressed it directly but leaves it to be drawn out by his readers after the reading of it that higher education does not mean for a higher job.

The Language of the story is very simple as it is characterized by the use of concrete and formal (not unfamiliar) words and phrases and it is free from poetic imagery and much emotional expression.

All the Qualities of a good short story as —unity of purpose, brevity, spontaneity and universality are present in this mini-short story. The brevity which is taken of as the soul of a short story is also maintained throughout the story as all the component elements of a good short story are employed in the story with possible economy without causing any harm to the perfectness of the story. Thus the universality is gained by means of the reliable representation of the theme and event.

In Length, it is a mini-short story as the story is composed of less than five hundred words.

As a mini-short story, it is a good one though the exposition and denouement of the story seem too hasty. 0 0 0

Bimal Mitra | 1990 | An Analytical Study