Comment On What View Of Indian Culture Is Portrayed In Amrita Pritam’s Story: “ A Stench Of Kerosene”, Giving A Personal Response.

“A Stench of Kerosene” is a story written by Amrita Pritam, and is about Indian culture. It focuses on the marriage between the two central characters, Manak and Guleri, and the way in which their relationship is affected by this culture. One of the key- points in this short story, is the difference between Eastern (as in the story) and Western marriage customs and views towards life in general. All of these factors are important in deciding on what view of Indian culture Amrita Pritam has portrayed.

Firstly, I shall examine the view of village life that is given in the story. This aspect is a part of the cultural setting and makes the story and the view in which it is told from, very distinctive. The role of men in this story is told as being primarily in manual labour, in fields and to run the family business. The role of the female however, and the mother inparticular, is the key role to examine. We find out that this is very matriarchal orientated society, and the majority o...