Nikhil's Reviews > Devdas

I am pretty confused why this is billed as a love story; it’s more the portrait of a solipsistic, tyrannical, degenerate (Devdas). At no point in this text is it clear that Devdas has any conception of love or what he wants from a relationship beyond possession over an object. His childhood friendship with Paro is characterized as one where he thinks he owns her and can hit her for asserting independence. He rejects her proposal in part because she defies social norms and risks social censure to ask for a relationship with him. Then, having rejected her, he appears to realize he lost something he thought he owned, tried to take it back, is rejected, and scars her face as punishment.

Later, when Chandramukhi also directly asserts her love for him, he spurns her due to her lower class status and status as a prostitute. He also didn’t realize she loved him or cared for him, only expresses his affection in a roundabout way by calling her wife, and only does so when jealous that she has taken up with someone else.

The text juxtaposes the self-assured love expressed by Paro and Chandramukhi with reactive, jealous, possessive love of Devdas. Paro and Chandramukhi understand what they feel, are willing to risk a great deal in pursuit of what they want, and are able to move on with their lives constructively after being spurned or ignored by Devdas. Devdas is utterly disconnected from his interiority, cannot handle his perceived objects rejecting him, continually embraces cowardice when having to commit to someone, and can only channel his unidentified emotions into alcoholism.

I am not sure why we are supposed to feel sympathy for Devdas, and I think the text is self aware about this. Maybe the other two characters, but really someone should counsel these two that there are other people less toxic they can find love with.