CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF

DEY RAJU
BY
SARAS MANICKAM
PREPARED BY,
MOVINA , PRIYA,PRIYANKA,AMANI,AIDA,KAMLESH ,
SARAVIS, KIRIN,RAUDHAH
Saras M Manickam

Have been
Born in Kuala A freelance
writing books
Lumpur writer
for 20 years

Used to be a Studied in
teacher and University of
lecturer Malaya
 SYNOPSIS

The story is about Raju, who has been raised in a

Tamil-household.

Despite of being highly educated, Raju, not like any

other young men, is so conservative and he holds to
his Tamil culture, mainly the “arranged marriage.”
 SYNOPSIS
He does not know his future bride and he does not love her

either, but he does not go against the idea of the arranged

marriage.

It is when he actually meets his future bride that he instantly

fall in love with her because she is a very beautiful woman,

not like Savithri or Padmini, the Tamil actresses he used to

adore for their beauty, but she is just beautiful.

Padmini Savithri
Characteristics of the
Characters in ‘Dey Raju’
short story
Characters in ‘Dey Raju’ short
story
Raju
His mom
His dad
Devika
Kitchibhai
 Bride
 Auntie Rukku
 Typical
Indian

Characteristi
Romantic Impatient
cs of Raju

Reacts
quickly
 Characteristics of
His mom
i. obedient wife
ii. caring and loving

Devika
i. likes to tease her brother
 Characteristics of
Kitchibhai
i. Childhood friend
ii. Helpful

The bride
i. Meticulous person
ii. obedient
FEMINIST CRITICISM
WOMEN’S TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS

As portrayed in the short story, Raju’s

mother was so obsessed with Tamil movies

that she always bring Raju with her into the

cinemas and would not want to miss any

movie, regardless of her- motherly-tasks.

 “When I was a baby, mum used to smuggle me
into the cinemas….”
“To miss even one Tamil movie was
unthinkable. Mum wasn’t going to have any of
that-baby or no baby.”

This characteristic is very common among woman

and it could be a very offensive way of portraying
women as a creature of habit and unable to
separate themselves from obsession.
 “When I was born, I brought my father tremendous
business luck. He didn’t want to ruin it. Does my…does
it revolt you?” (the bride)
“I think it’s charming” (Raju)

• Women loves compliment; men makes

use of that fact.
• Despite of the bride’s beauty, she had a
weakness. She was squint-eyed.
• However, Raju was not bothered by the
eyes and thought it was charming.
• At first, the bride was worried and

angry. She thought that Raju would be

bothered by her squint eye.
• However, the bride lost her temper

and slowly became more comfortable

when Raju told her that her squint-
eye was charming.
 Gender stereotyping
(activity-domains)
• It was portrayed in the story that women were
attached to their own gender-fixed tasks, such
as being in the kitchen and doing all the
cooking, cleaning and women-related tasks.

a)“She was not in the kitchen where women stirred

curries and cleaned…”
b)“Mum wasn’t in the bedroom either, where my aunts
were arranging
 Women as faithful and piety wives
(serve their husband)
• Although the marriage was arranged bythe family, greater power

was possessed by his father on that matter.

• The mother just obeyed and do what she was supposed to do,

which was helping with the preparation of the marriage.

a)“….go ask your father, he arranged

everything.”
• The textual evidence implied that even the mother
has no objection or whatsoever suggestion towards
the marriage.

• Her husband controlled and arranged “everything and

her task was to serve him. (doing the work and
preparation)

• They (the women) were raised that way and

eventually, they were used to the idea of letting
“everything” on their husband’s hands.
Women as a symbol of beauty and men are only
attracted to their beauty.

• At first, the bride was mistaken for a fat and ugly

woman. Raju was terrified.

• Raju wanted to call-off the wedding.

“She was built like a warship…. My insides shriveled

up. I swear I could feel them curling up to die.”
• However, he met the actual bride and fell in love with her on
the spot because she was beautiful.

• This implied that men are only attracted to women for their
beauty. Raju refused to marry the “fat girl.”

“She was neither Savithri nor Padmini; neither fat

nor skinny. She was just beautiful…. Her
eyebrows were delicate new moons and her
nose, her mouth…”
• This is the negative effect of gender- stereotyping,

where Raju expected or wanted his bride to be as

beautiful as Savithri and Padmini, the actresses he

used to adore for their beauties.

• When women were portrayed to men as creatures of perfect

beauty, men will expect every woman to be as beautiful as

what has been portrayed to them.

 Reader Response
Arranged marriage

Women have to designated works or chores

Dissatisfied when the bride agrees to marry the man even after hearing
him criticizing the fat lady.
THANK YOU