Saratchandra Chattopadyay’s Devdas is a culturally weighted love story. With its broken hearted, sullen, distressed male protagonist, it’s so strong as a love story—well, what captivates us readers more than our hero’s suffering. With its prearranged marriage with someone the female protagonist doesn’t know initially but honors later, Devdas can be seen as a strongly cultural story. Yeah, it might be quite strange for you who live in Euro-american countries to find how some woman who initially marries some man without knowing even his face turns into a very loyal wife who would serve her husband. Yeah, unimaginable for you, right? In fact, it is NOT for Asian people.
Beginning from the second third part of the novel, you’ll find how the male protagonist, Devdas, gets rejected by the female protagonist’s, Parvati’s, parents just because he is a caste lower than them. Along with this rejection, you’ll “enjoy” the intense exploration of pain, sadness, and tears. You’ll find Devdas as an Asian Romeo whose love is hindered by inter-family animosity.
In my case, I shed hot tears during the last twenty something pages of the book. However, I didn’t hold back. I was in the strongest realization of Aristotle’s catharsis. Yeah, right, pain and sadness cleanse your soul, people. Just try it. There’s no harm in it.
