Plus two English Notes Chapter3 Matchbox (Story)

In the midst of a patriarchal world, what is a woman to do? Said simply, she has no rights. The men of her family decide what is best for her: marriage, schooling, morality, employment, actions… This book provides facts from the Old and New testaments about how women are to dress and behave in the presence of men. It instructs women on how they may request their husband’s permission to study or work outside the home. It reminds married women that they are not free to engage in sexual relations when they want or with whomever they want.

By helping women to develop their skills, knowledge of markets and business practices we enable them to work as a group or individually and sell their products in their region. This helps them maintain a sustainable livelihood and assists the creation of wider alliances between organizations that can be sustained over time. This approach builds upon the ability these women already have to take charge of their own development.

Board	SCERT, Kerala
Text Book	NCERT Based
Class	Plus Two
Subject	English Notes
Chapter	Chapter 3
Chapter Name	Matchbox (Story)
Category	Plus Two Kerala

Kerala Syllabus Plus Two English Notes Unit I Chapter 3 Matchbox (Story)

Chapter 3 Matchbox (Story)

Summary

“Match box”, written by Ashapurna Debi tells the story of Nomitha and Ajith. It unveils the unhealthy husband- wife relationship existing in most Indian families. She compares women to matchboxes. Match boxes have the potential to light up everything into fire. But in appearance, they are meek and harmless. It is the same with women in their outlook. They also appear to be meek and harmless, but they can set everything into fire within no time. Like match boxes they are not self burning, they set other things ablaze. In certain context we cannot compare women with match boxes. Most of the women like Nomitha suffer the pain and torture silently. They are not even ready to share their feelings with others. Unlike the matchbox they extinguish the fire in the family pouring the balm of their love at decisive moments. Match boxes can be used by anyone to set fire, but women actually extinguish fire with the warmth of patience and not flaming it The central character of the story is Nomita. Her married life really reveals the above truth in a simple and touching manner. Her husband Ajit has the habit of opening his wife’s mail and
reading it. He argues that it his right to screen her mail to confirm any case of lovers. He doesn’t pay any attention to Nomita’s protest. It is her poor family background that compels her to suffer everything in silence. Her mother has the habit of begging money from her daughter and son-in-law. She used to write about her misfortunes and the miserable conditions. Unbearable with the ridicules and sarcasm on the part of Ajith, she sets fire the anchol of her sari as a means for retaliation, but Ajith extinguishes the fire by slapping it with in his hand. The story clearly presents the pathetic condition of women in an average Indian family. Most of them are treated as subhuman and are denied of even the basic human rights. Social evils like child marriages and denial of equal opportunity in the case education and employment also intensify the misery of women in our society.