Question- Write about the sexism in the story 'The Free Radio'?

Answer - 

In this story the widow is a beautiful woman whose husband was a thief. After the death at her husband, she has nothing to support herself and her five children. Her hardship can be sensed from the words of the narrator when she comes to bania's shop "to buy some three grains of dal." She is so 'poverty stricken that she can afford only three grains for the whole family. She is so needy that "Her children must have gone hungry to pay for the ride" in Ramani's rickshaw.

Under compulsion, she probably takes the path of prostitution to earn a little for her family. This is suggested when the narrator comments on the thief's widow during her visit to bania's shop to buy dal. He tells us, "people saw men at night near her rut putty shack even the bania himself they were telling me but I personally will not comment."

The narrator fails to understand that she is a woman whose husband has not left a single paisa except five children on her back. In such utter poverty and dire need, Ramani stands for her as a savior. Though she initially starts the relationship by taking Ramani for a ride in his rickshaw and courts Ramani to make him fall in love with her.

Once she tells him he looks like lord Krishna in public so that others also see and hear them. She probably does that first, to express herself as someone who wants others to accept her as not as a widow, but as a women who has a life to live on, second, to allure Ramani.

From her point of view. She comes closer to Ramani for her security and her children. That might be the reason for remaning Ramani. Her marriage to him is more for economic support less for love.

Seeing her with Ramani, the narrator blames her for her ongoing relationship with Ramani. He thinks that she uses Ramani as her target. The narrator's usage of words such as "the witch" "the thief's widow had her claws dug into his flesh and "she had decided already to put her hooks into Ramani" suggest that he compares her actions with that of a predator.

On the one, hand, the narrator disregards the widow with total contempt for her means of living, but on the other hand, he also can't accept when she comes into a relationship with Ramani. This is an example of sexism.

The narrator's view of her is a sexist view. Therefore he could not see anything good in her. His discrimination against her is apparent because he never addresses her by her name throughout the short story.

Widow is ten years older than Ramani, therefore her advancement towards a young man, according to the narrator, is inappropriate. His view on a widow like her is reflected when he meets the widow while she visits the bania shop. He tells her.

"You must find some person of your own age, or, better still, go to the widows' ashrams in Benares and spend the rest of your life there in holy prayer, thanking God that widow burning is now illegal."

According to the narrator, the best thing for a widow would be leaving everything behind and devoting the rest of life to God. Widow should follow it. If she does not follow it, It may call sexism.

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