"Games at Twilight" is a short story by Indian writer Anita Desai that tells the tale of a young boy named Ravi who is struggling to come to terms with his own feelings of inadequacy and failure.
The story is set in a small Indian town, where Ravi and his friends spend their days playing games and exploring the world around them. One evening, as the sun begins to set, Ravi's friends invite him to join them in a game of hide-and-seek. Ravi eagerly agrees, hoping to prove to himself and his friends that he is just as good at the game as they are.
As the game begins, Ravi sets off to find a good hiding spot, determined to outsmart his friends and be the last one to be found. However, despite his best efforts, he is quickly discovered and eliminated from the game. Disappointed and embarrassed, Ravi retreats to a quiet corner of the courtyard to watch his friends continue playing.
As he sits there, feeling dejected and alone, Ravi begins to reflect on his own limitations and flaws. He realizes that he has always struggled to keep up with his friends, and that he has always felt like an outsider in their group. He begins to feel angry and resentful, blaming himself for his own shortcomings.
As the sun sets and the game comes to an end, Ravi's friends come to find him, offering words of encouragement and reassurance. However, Ravi remains distant and aloof, still grappling with his own feelings of inadequacy.
In the end, "Games at Twilight" is a poignant and thought-provoking story that explores the universal theme of self-doubt and the struggle to find one's place in the world. Through the character of Ravi, Desai poignantly captures the pain and uncertainty of growing up and struggling to find one's place in the world. Ultimately, the story serves as a reminder of the importance of self-acceptance and the need to embrace our own strengths and weaknesses.
Games at Twilight Summary & Analysis
Desai received a BA in English literature in 1957 from the University of Delhi and married Ashvin Desai the following year. They had played several other games without noticing that Ravi was not there. I know I have to, idiot, Raghu said, superciliously Connect:kicking him with his toe. Why does the writer include certain information? The other children are stunned to see Ravi; they had completely forgotten about him. But then he hears one of the girls scream as Raghu catches her before she touches the white pillar on the veranda, which they call the den, that serves as their home base. There is a lovely bit of black humour in most of the tales as well, overall could be used as a good introduction to Desai's work.
Games at Twilight Themes
Desai's use of senses, and the vividness which she builds, makes Games at Twilight a joy to r Anita Desai writes wonderfully, and Games at Twilight is a real jewel in the genre of short story collections. Try to use these strategies as you read the stories in this unit. Sheis the gift of opening up a closed world and making it clearly vis He and, by the end, familiar. The evening brings darkness and Ravi loses track of time dreaming about his victory and later realizing that he has been there for hours. The destined experience came earlier than expected, but sculpted my future. Raghu is the seeker and Ravi is the hider.
Games at Twilight by Anita Desai Plot Summary
The children are giggling, shrieking with joy with the idea that they are going to start games. The victory means nothing because the hide-and-seek game ended long ago and the cousins are now playing a different game. He talks about his experience when he was once locked in his wardrobe but it smelled of laundry, starch, and something familiar, the wardrobe smelled of his mother. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. But they are all good, even the long, final short, 'Scholar and Gypsy', which departs from the others' form by exploring two different perspectives, both foreign to India. Ravi as mentioned wants to win the game and beat the other children. He realizes the children are not playing hide and seek anymore.
Games at Twilight and Other Stories by Anita Desai
Their mother, who is sitting on a nearby chair, comes toward him, trying to calm him down and telling him not to be a baby. Youre dead, he said with satisfaction, licking the beads of perspiration off his upper lip, andthen stalked off in search of worthier prey, whistling spiritedly so that the hiders should hear and tremble. The shed is dark, smells of death, and is home to various infested insects like spiders, anthills and animals rats, and dogs. Other stories like Domestic Maid shows, how still colonialism is practiced by our very people, Ever one in their own is exercising power over people less than them, Besides this unheard voice of women is focus point and in view of this not only the maid is unheard but also the Asha who have Its good, underlying many themes. The main character from each story, Jerry and Ravi, are small children with the desire to gain acceptance from people. They had had their tea. Despite her protests, they plead relentlessly, until she finally lets them go outside.
Games at Twilight Summary
As he feels Raghu coming closer with his thumping feet sound, he slips through the small gap and hides in the abandoned shed. In total, Desai has written 17 novels and several short story collections. Raghu quickly tracks down a smaller, younger boy named Manu, who becomes the first out. Ravi tears past her, adamantly shouting at the other children that he won. Raghu tells Ravi not to be a fool, and Mira tells him to stop crying. He lays his face down on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying but silenced by the shock of his negligibility in the group.
