MALAYSIAN SHORT STORY The Dream of Vasantha - K.S. MANIAM

This is a very simplified plot for the story The Dream of Vasantha 

PLOT
Introduction
>Vasantha walks to Mr Ganda Singh's house in hope of getting her pay for her son's school fees.
>She reminisces the death of Krishnan, her husband.

Rising action
>Ganesh did not return home and when he did, he was occupied with his new hobby.
>The next morning, Ganesh confesses that he refused to go to school because his teacher kept asking him to pay his school fees.
>Ganesh becomes wilder and rude toVasantha.
>Vasantha toils for money to pay his school fees and puts up with people's negative comment towards her son's behaviour.

Climax
Ganesh finds out that Chan(his partner in crime and best friend) passed away because of his sickness.

Falling Action
>Ganesh asks his mother to buy him a study desk. When it arrives, he begins to pore meticulously over his homework.
>He also helps his mother by ironing clothes.

Resolution

Vasantha's faith in him is proven worthy when Ganesh turned over a new leaf in the end.

THEMES

The plight of a single mother :-

• Labour work
• Education

SETTINGS

·         Place

1.      Mr Ganda Singh's house

2.    the house in the village

3.   cinema

4.   school
5.   town

·         Time

1.      Day and night 

·         Community

1.      Educated community

2.      Hardworking community

MAIN EVENTS

        i.            Vasantha begs for early money/salary to pay for her son's school fees.

    ii.      Ganesh returns home the next day and ignores his mother. He later confesses that he refused to go to school because his teacher kept asking him to pay his school fees.

    iii.      Ganesh starts skipping school and Vasantha defends him everytime someone said something bad about her son

    iv.       The death of Chan

CHARACTERISATION

Vasantha

CHARACTERISTIC	TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Hardworking	©      She walks quickly to Mr. Ganda’s hosue from Mr. Pillai’s to work and asks for money ©      She brings clothes back to her house to wash and iron [meaning she’s working extra] ©      She would leave the house early in the morning to do her job
Loves and pampers  her son	©      She doesn’t scold Ganesh [even when he didn’t return home] ©      She will cook new meal for her son although he didn’t finish his first meal ©      Without hesitation, she gives him money when he spoke of how he wanted to buy a top ©      She will not listen to what other people comments about her son. She defends Ganesh when all his exploits are revealed to her
Persistent	“She had been trying for the past week to wrest what was due to her from them”. The ‘them’ refers to Mr. Ganda and Mr. Pillai
Playful	She will play tug-of-war with Ganesh every morning, pulling the sheets
Adamant	Vasantha is adamant that Ganesh leave the monkey in the rubber plantation across the river

Ganesh (a round/dynamic character)

CHARACTERISTIC	TEXTUAL EVIDENCE
Untidy	His model house, fishing rods, books and toys are everywhere. He also flung his school bag when he reached home
Selfish	Ø  He came home late without notifying his mother. Vasantha is left worried about him at home Ø  He is always pestering his mother for fees without understanding
Spoilt/Disrespects his mother	Ø  He refused to eat the food prepared for him eventhough he was cajoled Ø  He speaks back to his mother Ø  He plays truant by going to town causing mischief at the cinema
Persuasive	Ø  Although Chan refused to go to town, he persuaded the latter to follow him Ø  Ganesh always asks for school fees from Vasantha
Creative	Ganesh always changes his hobby. Etc: playing tops, making rods, building model houses
Determined	He asks his mother to buy him a study desk
Tentative/Caring	Ø  “He saw the woman who had turned frail in looking after him” Ø  He volunteers to help his mother in ironing clothes