Ben Kosubevsky

Masterpieces 2
Professor Ingledew
30 April 2014
The Road to Salvation: Circle of Money
The main characters of Premchands The Road to Salvation represent human greed and
selfishness. The characters have forgotten important ideals including those of humility,
forgiveness, and cooperation. Due to this forgetfulness, their lives are ruined by two deadly traps.
The first trap is that of the never ending cycle of revenge, one fueled by anger and pride. The
other trap being the close minded pursuit of materialism. Both actions prove to be fatal because
they do not allow the characters to see future consequences of their actions.
The first character, Jhingur, is a farmer with a moderate income and some success. One
would tend to praise him for his accomplishments. However, it is possible to see that his ego has
become swollen, The merchants were already beginning to fawn on him. He was convinced that
nobody was as good as himself- and so there was scarcely anyone in the village he hadnt
quarreled with (1301). This provides an inside view into Jhingurs character. He is the type of
person to measure a persons value by the cost of his assets. This proves to be an unhealthy
mindset due to it having him become pitiless and short-sighted. When Jhingur conflicts with
Buddhu, the shepherd, Jhingur only cares about how the sheep could cost him profit. He fails to
see any consequences that could result from his behavior. Jhingur had the chance to build a
stable and long lasting relationship with Buddhu in exchange for a small favor. If the encounter
had gone positively, both of them would have benefited later.

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Unfortunately, though, they both have too much pride and that prevents an ideal
exchange from occurring. Initially, their first quarrel seems innocent, but on a deeper level, one
can see why they are both so stubborn. For Jhingur, all of his pride rests in his crop and lands.
Buddhu, on the other hand, presents his pride through his large flock of sheep. To insult, hurt, or
disturb either of their symbols was equivalent to a direct attack on the owner. Inherently, there is
nothing wrong with pride. If one allows his pride to control his reasons, then problems occur.
Jhingur, without thinking, horribly beats Buddhus sheep and allows himself to think that will be
the end and he is victorious.
Both characters are thrown into a whirlwind of vengeance. Buddhu returns fire by setting
fire to Jhingurs crops and accidentally burning down all of the fields in the village. This, too, is
an example of shortsightedness. Buddhu also fails to give regard as to how his actions will affect
the villagers, Sugarcane isnt only the farmers wealth; their whole way of life depends on it.
With the help of the cane they get through the winter (1303). Buddhu, like Jhingur, only cared
about money and status, not creating or mending relationships, He doubled the price of hiring
out his sheep to manure the fields; (1304). One would assume that after causing the villagers so
much grief throughout the winter, Buddhu would feel some compassion for them and drop the
price of his sheep.
The main question of the story, what is the road to salvation? Premchand hints throughout
the story, that we may already know the answer. Buddhu and Jhingur may have become poor, but
neither was ignorant. Jhingur knew the importance of humility. The fact is, a farmers prosperity
comes precisely from being humble-God doesnt like it when a peasant walks with his head
high (1303). When Jhingur went to Buddhus home after the fire, both men had clever words for
the other, But whats the good of stirring up hatred in a life that lasts such a little while in all?

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Ive been ruined already, what could I get out of ruining him? (1304) but when a fellows in
the grip of anger all his sense gets jumbled up (1304). It would have been beneficial to both to
listen to their own advice. Even Harihar, the untouchable, knew how materialism could cause
negative effects upon a person When Mother Lakshmi comes men dont see so clearly (1305).
The story contains many instances where the characters cannot see clearly whether it is
due to materialism, pride, or even anger. In all of the cases seen, the consequences are grim.
Buddhus joy at becoming so wealthy and powerful blinds him. His celebration feast distracts
him and he forgets to suspect Jhingur of any hidden motives. Likewise, Jhingur does not expect
to become impoverished overnight when he smugly surveys his crops.
In the end, both Jhingur and Buddhu are in a worse situation than when they began. They
come to realize the ineffectuality and more importantly, the blowback, of their vengeance filled
acts, Neither one of them had anything left; neither could be angry with the other-there was
nothing left-there was nothing left to be angry (1308). Neither of them achieved any kind of
justice, the once proud farmers would never recover their former positions of wealth. The
purpose of this fable is to have readers reflect on their personal lives. The main question that
stands becomes how much one wants to allow material possessions and pride dictate ones life
and treatment of others. Its difficult to lead a happy life only caring about possessions. Many
people may argue that is common sense, but that is precisely why they forget. People
underestimate the value of common sense because of how simple it is. With this in mind, it is
possible that Premchand wants to remind his readers of the simpler things in life.