society may kill all

THE MERRY MAID AND GREAT INJUSTICE......

As good as the title so does how is the story.Since hundreds years and generations before us, we had leaded our life with any part of perception that allows us and made us to understand the individuals and groups of our local social world, and thus an element of cognition. However, we may not realized that, how powerful it can be.Based on Markus and Kitayama (1991) collectivists are extremely concerned with saving their face, and even attempt to save the face of the persons with whom they are interacting. This matter clearly can be seen in the story of “ A great Injustice”  whereby, Ah Nya, the main character of the story  that abandon and against the norm  of human right by leading herself to abortion as a way to play save and save their parents pride as well. Afraid of being blame on and try to clean off her family’s name, she decided to do so in a matter to hide and feels so tense of what the community may say. This can be seen when she uttered “I’m alright, Pa. I’m sorry for having brought you shame. Now, I’ll clear your name….I’ve save the baby from bleak future of dishonored.” Thinking of what will people say to her family and what will happen to her baby in future made her take a silly decision by committing the abortion where she  know how sinful it can be. From this point, I have to agree how powerful and affective the community perception toward certain individual or community until they willingly do something bad rather than facing the mouth and hearing the blame of the society.

         In other story, “The Merry Maid” by Dr Jayakaran Mukundan, I believe that the perceptions of society do have effect and be the reasons to all conflict that arise. In this story, Lakshmi the main character of this story willingly give her daughter to other family that more stable and have a better name among the society. Just like the story of “A great injustice”. The main character of this story, Lakshmi prefer to give away her baby to other family as a result of being afraid to carry on the child wedlock and the father of her baby was arrested for involvement in theft. Bigger issues, all the reason why Lakshmi doing so is because of afraid to face the community and hearing the mouth of society commenting of the fate that she encounter. We may read this when the writers say “ her relationship with Shanmugam at school, which lead to the baby, her running away from home as to conceal the pregnancy,Shanmugam’s arrest following his involvement in theft and finally abandonment of the baby on the Johan’s doorstep”. From the lines, I believe that Lakshmi was so afraid of what community will say about them thus she plan to conceal and run away from the community. More than that, I may want to believe the incident of arresting Shanmugan do have relation on the conflict arise. After they run away, they will be neglected and stranded. They hardly get the job and find food and thus it lead the Shanmugam to steal for food perhaps. I cannot imagine how a 17 years old girl going to arise and stand up for herself against the society perception for that. Feeling so tense and pressure from surrounding her finally left her baby to Johan’s doorstep. Years later she comes back and tries to attach with her own daughter who now grow up and become Muslim and use Sakinah as the name. But now Laskhmi is much wiser and all is matter is love towards her daughter.