Sample Solution

The agents of this change manifest themselves in the forms of Krogstad and Sandip who are representatives of the external world. Each of the men transgress the boundary between the domestic household and the world outside it. Sandip’s introduction to Bimala is a markedly intrusive one as he takes up a place in her home and complicates her marriage to Nikhil “it vexed me to think that he was imposing on my husband.” (30). It is at this point that Bimala’s concerns surrounding her role as a dutiful wife begin to shift. This is because she becomes conscious of, and participates within, the ideological debate occurring in Bengal. Sandip’s nationalist ideology is infectious, forcing Bimala to turn her gaze outwards, away from her household. This change can be traced in her newfound concerns surrounding how Sandip perceives her “would Sandip Babu find the Shakti of the motherland manifest in me? Or would he simply take me to be an ordinary, domestic woman?” (33). Indeed, Bimala’s emphasis on the monotony associated with being housewife shows a noticeable departure from her earlier contentment within the role. It is logical to infer that the boundaries between Bimala and the outside world have been breached, pushing her towards engagement with the explosive politics of her country. Rahul Rao expands on Bimala’s newfound position by stating that her complicated relationship with Nikhil and Sandip is “a metaphor for the relative attractions of cosmopolitanism and nationalism as seen from the vantage point of a nation attempting to wrest its freedom from imperial rule.” (112). Indeed, Rao’s point is significant in highlighting the importance ascribed to Bimala within the context of the ideological debate. Where she was previously disconnected with the space beyond her household, she now assumes the role of Bengal itself and struggles to decide on the means of her liberation. It is crucial to remark upon the rapid and uncompromising nature of this change. This is because it illuminates the fragility of the domestic space and its propensity for invasion “We had no time to think