I am reading the novel written by Samuel Beckett: happy Days.
How the couple live after the they come to the retired age. May be they do not have any out goings or social get together . Living in western world without any identity unlike in India. People bother every one , come home uninvited , ask for things for their own use, any Casio, radio , or clothes ,utensils, or any household things which ever they needed. People usually think that because they are only two and living alone, the furniture in the house is not needed to them. And they give free advises or show their greed asking them to sell them.
Usually lonely and old people avoid the company of the others. they do not invite any one, nor have energy to visit any one..
If they are couple the life how it would be is written in this absurd drama.
Winnie, a right name for her character, as she all ways insists on her winning her ways of life, her habit,s her desires from the very beginning. She is protagonist of the novel, in fact the novel is like a mono drama, Willie is there but his role is minor, He too is a stubborn fellow with strong will , therefore his name also is an apt one for his character. often giving importance to his will and his own life.
Two selfish people , self centered beings living together, without much work to do or could do.
They have enough, just enough to lead a cool and quiet life, without much interruption from others. They just live to eat, sleep and do the course of the day. Nothing to do much, nor nothing to expect. Existentialism prevail in their routine. Nothing to be challenged, or nothing to be achieved. Nothing to aspire for.
Certain families live together without any books to read, or without any entertainment like a sport or a game to play, indoor or outdoor. since morning to night they look at one another and say a word to hurt others, but never a positive word or an encouraging word for the other, The wife cooks routine, without any zeal to cook, no creativity or variety of cooking. Everyday since ages the curry is the same taste, or colour or consistency. she never bother the tastes of the family members. pours extra salt thinking if salt is more people eat less curry . thus she is saved from cooking twice in a day.
she blames her husband for everything, even for the things she did wrongly, and without any understanding.
She wanted to send money to her daughter, so she typed the number of the ATM card back important numbers, code numbers, and the password, felt very great for she is using the smart phone to contact her daughter who is residing in a foreign country. she feels very proud of her daughter as she is studying medical course, though she is not clever, may be just to kill the patients later. after typing the numbers she posted it in wrong group rather than sending it to her daughter.
Daughter knowing this shouted at the mother telling her any one can use it and all the money in the bank will be emptied, she asked her to go to bank and immediately and change the card.
So in turn she shouted at Willie and made him to take her to bank, number of times as she forgot her id card etc etc.
Life is miserable for the man and children in her home.
She prays aloud, by scolding the husband and children as a pleading intersession right in front of them in the family prayer. when they are reluctant to join in prayer, she shouts at them saying that there is no religion in the house.
Couple went out early in the morning for morning walk, they locked the house as the teenage daughter still sleeping she wont get up till 10 am as she is enjoying endless holidays since an year during the trails of joining in new courses and coaching centers of different places. any way she decided not to work hard, she would not get any good rank in any entrance exams
. Wonder by the time the couple reached home to their dismay they found the door lock was opened and the doors were opened and she was in her room , of course, immediately Winnie shouted that she opened the doors for her boyfriend in their absence and shouted at Willie for not scolding her and beat her, the poor
Willie was dumb stricken not knowing what to do, This is beyond his comprehension, he was wondering what to do. The wife was shouting louder and louder and scolding the daughter with different types of slang language. the daughter also was answering back as she likes, and threatening her that she will throw her out of the wall. Willie tried to find out the reason why the lock was opened what did she do in their absence.
she said that she went to the terrace for a walk. awe stricken the husband has no words to speak. what to do, he said there is no proof that the boy came to her in their absence. but wife was still shouting that the girl entertained the boy in their absence.
After noon the NCC officer called for the daughter, she said that she should not give much trouble to her dad, because of her only her dad though very virtuous and intelligent person is becoming sick. she gave number of incident how she lived in her life. Though everybody passed the NCC test if they get only 35 marks she gave an impression that she gave a opportunity to her by making revalued her paper and got her through the exam. for which she should be grateful to god, and she should give testimony in church tomorrow, so the father and the daughter going to her catholic church to give testimony tomorrow.
The mother was too clever so she had another plan tomorrow she said, ' we will just pretend that we were going to gym tomorrow but we will stay in the corners of street, each in one corner, and see what she is going to do, and whether the boy would come or not. Willie was scared to do all such things, as he is straight forward man he did not like the idea to spy on his daughter. At the same time he is wondering what he has to do, tomorrow the rest is going to happen.
Nothing happened, church pastor was not there to give permission. Both returned back.
Wife need to go to court as a witness for some useless case lodged by her second step mother. Actually wanted to celebrate the death memorial of her today who was murdered by her brother he killed his father and third wife.he killed them in orissa, and these useless sisters said they do not have any suspiion over their brother. so is his first wife their mother.14/6/17
