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Later on, when the violence plaguing the rest of the country reaches Mano Majra, some even speculate that life had been better under British rule. However, rural Indians see it as trading one enslaver, in the form of the English, for another, in the form of educated Indians and Pakistanis.
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For “city-dwellers” like Iqbal it is enough to be free from British colonization. For example, in the above quote the town’s lambardar wonders what he and his fellow villagers will get out of India’s newfound freedom from England. Even the illiterate denizens of Mano Majra, seemingly content with their quiet lives as farmers and tradespeople, question what it truly means to be free of England’s yoke. But what will we get out of it? (Singh 73).įreedom is an elusive idea and state of being in Train to Pakistan. The Meaning of Freedom (Motif)įreedom must be a good thing. Thus, the bridge becomes symbolic of him, his bravery, and his sacrifice. Tragically, Jugga is shot and falls to his death in the process of saving his Muslim neighbors and the other refugees. Thankfully, Jugga climbs the bridge and cuts the rope, effectively sabotaging the mob’s plot. At this point, the bridge is no longer a symbol of connectivity and a means of possible salvation for the fleeing Muslims, but a symbol of impending doom. Once that happens, the mob stationed around the bridge are to begin attacking the Muslims inside of the train. There’s a rope tied across the bridge that’s designed to kill the Muslim refugees sitting on top of the train. In the later stages of the book, the bridge becomes the rallying point of the Muslim murder plot. Similar to the trains, it connects Mano Majra to the outside world, and facilitates the movement of people and goods to, from, and through the tiny town. The trains in and out of Mano Majra must cross this bridge, so it has an integral function. Railway Bridge (Symbol)Ībout a mile from Mano Majra is a railway bridge that spans the Sutlej River. Something that typically represents young womanhood and the possibilities of marriage comes to represent death and sexual violence. Women were raped, and men were circumcised by having their entire penises cut off. Rather, the broken bangles symbolize Sundari’s loss of sexual autonomy and the sexualized nature of the violence meted out during the Partition of India. The narrator ironically points out that this should have brought her tons of luck, which is the contrary of what happens. All the bangles break when the mob rapes her. Her friend has told Sundari that taking off the bangles would bring bad luck, and that it’s good luck for her husband to break them as he makes love to her. Later on in the novel, when Sundari is raped by a Muslim mob four days after her marriage, she is wearing red lacquer bangles. Jugga’s mother finds the bangles before Jugga does, and attempts to use them to clear his name of Lal’s murder, but to no avail. Malli and his dacoit gang throw a package of bangles into Jugga’s yard to taunt him after they murder Lala Ram Lal. Typically worn by young women, bangles make an early appearance in the novel. Rather than being a vehicle that brings fleeing Sikhs and Muslims to safety, trains are a death trap. Suddenly, trains become symbolic of the horrors of religious persecution, government instability, and mob violence. The conditions on the train were so horrific that Sunder ended up executing his family to spare them from continued suffering.
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Even Hukum Chand recounts a story he heard about Sunder Singh, a colleague who fled Pakistan via train with his family. Sadly, these death trains are not anomalies, but semi-regular occurrences. It’s fitting that a train makes the distant tales of violence a harsh reality in Mano Majra. Until then, the chaos affecting the rest of the country were only rumors. This changes drastically when the first train of dead Sikhs rolls into Mano Majra.
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Thus, from early on, the train symbolizes technology, order, and structure.
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And when the final goods train comes in at night, everyone knows it’s time for bed. As the mail train rushes through on its way to Lahore, this signals to the village that it’s time to get up and start the day. The two trains that regularly stop serve as a type of clock for the largely illiterate Mano Majra villagers. A form of quick public transportation, trains connect Mano Majra to the rest of the world. From the title alone, it’s clear that trains play a key role in Train to Pakistan.