Journal#11

Salvation:
Salvation is the act of saving or being protected from harm, loss, or destruction. In
the story The Road to Salvation both of the main characters Jhingur and Buddhu
believed they were safe from harm. Each character believed he was better than the
other based off of wealth and possessions. Jhingur was a wealthy cane farmer,
proud of his crops; all the villagers wanted a share of his cane. Buddha profited from
his herd of sheep, to which all the villagers wanted them to graze their fields.
The opening of story depicts Jhingur as a successful cane farmer; due to his success
he believes he is better than the other villagers. He has prospered and believes
nothing negative will come his way; he is blinded by his greed. Buddhu brings his
grazing flock of sheep to the boundary of Jhingurs property. He was unable to
control his flocked and they trampled Jhingurs cane field; Jhingur in turn beats the
sheep out of the field. Jhingur knew at this point he was ruined, for Buddhu had
strong ties with the villagers and would ensure no one purchased his cane. He then
set out for Buddhus residence to apologize and make peace, as he departed the
village he noticed his cane fields were on fire. He, as well as the villagers, knew
Buddha had set the fire. Jhingurs prosperity had come to an end.
After the cane fields caught fire, Buddhu seemed to prosper from his revenge. The
villagers wanted his flock to manure their fields. Buddha became greedy charging a
steep amount to which the villagers had no choice but to pay. Buddhu spent his
riches on his house; on the eve of his house warming celebration a calf (Jhingurs
calf) had died. Buddhu was punished and with this punishment he lost his profits
and was taunted by the villagers. Just as Jhingurs prosperity had ended, so did
Buddhus.
I believe the title is quite fitting, given the circumstances of the story. Both men
sought salvation but were blinded by their greed. One could say neither of them
found salvation. I, however, would disagree and say both men found salvation at the
end of the story. While they lay down after dinner in the final scene both men came
to terms with what they had done. They were humbled by their losses. I believe,
given the fact both men had nothing, they had found salvation. They were now
protected from harm and loss. It was not until both men had lost everything they
cherished, that they found salvation.
RESPONSE:
Joel,
I agree with your interpretation of the story, Road to Salvation. The title is fitting
because as you stated they were on a long journey to salvation. In the beginning I
believe both men thought they were exempt from harm or wrong doing. They
thought they were above everyone else based on their status. Unfortunately, each
man was jealous of the other and sought revenge for their successes.
In the end of the story when each man had lost everything they deemed valuable,
they were humbled. Jhingur and Buddhu lost everything they had due to jealousy
and revenge. Upon finally admitting what each of them had done, I believe they
found salvation. In part they may have found salvation because neither of them had
anything left to lose or on the other hand each of them could have lost much more,
such as their families and their lives.
RESPONSE 2:
Nicholas,
You post was very well put. Politics are in every aspect of our lives, not only in
government but also in our jobs. Who you know is just as relevant today as it was
during this time period. Unfortunately for Jhingur, after harming the sheep, Buddhu
had strong connections with the citizens of the village. His ties were in essence
what destroyed Jhingur's prosperity.
The same can also be said of Buddhu's outcome. Jhingur knew how the village
would view the slaughtering the calf. With the calf in Buddhu's possession he
ultimately and indirectly assumed responsibility for the death. Jhingur used the
death of the calf to ruin Buddhu's prosperity. Each man sought revenge for the
deviant acts of the other; in the end each man was humbled from nearly losing
everything which they held important in their lives at the time.
I agree with you, the title is fitting. The two characters became too proud, as a
result lost everything they had. I believe they found salvation in the end after
forgiving each other and being humbled by the experience.

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Salvation:

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