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| Sunday, 13 March 2005 |
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English Literature made easy : Madol Doova - by Martin Wickramasinghe Chapter 9 The Floating Flame The hunt for the 'Floating Flame' forms the climax of the boyish adventures of Upali and Jinna. Inspite of their busy and adventurous life-style, they never forge their village friends, Dangadasa and Ranadeva. For the first time they coe across the rare incident of a python swallowing a rabbit at Madoldoova. Upali and Jinna explore the otherside of the island and come across a path and succeed in their adventurous endeavour.
He had escaped to Colombo and finally had come to Madol Doova and the suffering he was subject to by living alone in a jungle. He unfolds the secret of the 'Floating Flame' to scare away the villagers. The strange man Balappu, tells Upali and Jinna mysterious tales about Madol Doova and how people are scared to step into the haunted place. Realities like the 'Floating Flame' help to mitigate the monotony and tedium of the story. When the two boys learn from Balappu, why two coins are placed on the eye lids of the deadman, they are surprised. It is placed to keep the eyes shut, because the staring eyes of a deadman can bring bad luck. The two boys assure Balappu that they would keep his presence a secret, thus reflecting clearly, how the two of them could keep to their word. The heroic qualities of Upali and Jinna, elevate them in the eyes of everyone. They achieve success through sheer self-motivation, courage and perseverance. Chapter 10 The return of the prodigals Chapter ten opens with good news about Upali and Jinna, building a new house and Podigamarala abiding by the rules and customs of building a new house, giving them a helping hand. A few weeks after they move to their new house, they are surprised by a young man who looks like a beggar. He names himself Punchi Mahattaya and seems to be from a good family. When given food he gobbled down three plates full of rice, that make Jinna and Upali look in amazement and there is subtle humour in Jinna's words He's no Punchi Mahattaya when it comes to eating Jinna however suspects him and condemns him to be a fraud and a rogue. Upali has a broader outlook and having examined his behaviour carefully comes to the conclusion that he is an idler who had got into trouble. That he had got everybody to sympathise with him and give him money and had become a vagabond. Punch Mahattaya is made to work in the chena with them and after three months, he starts working harder. Upali's lawyer friend, show Upali the advertisement in the Sunday Silumina, requesting Upali to come home immediately as his father is seriously ill. Upali decided to leave for home immediately. Entrusting all responsibilities to Jinna, he leaves the next morning. Having reached home, he performs his duties towards his father, stepmother and step brother. He gets down a specialist from Galle for consultation. After Upali leaves, Jinna takes over the responsibilities. Gradually Punchi Mahattaya reforms, under the guidance of Jinna and they remain good friends. Upali's leaving for home, turns a new chapter in his life as his friend Ranadeva remarks. "If you'd stayed behind you would have been one of us. Just as well you would have become a loafer too." Upali's intelligence, courage and determination and above all his love for adventure helps him to stand on his own feet, far above the mentality and fate of the children bereft of care and love. In Madol Doova, Martin Wickramasinghe, has highlighted the courage, enthusiasm and above all Upali's desire to be adventurous. Having undergone hardship, humiliation and facing the vicissitudes of life, he is capable of standing on his own feet. Martin Wickramasinghe uses simple diction. There is a spontaneous flow of words and ideas, subtle humour, free from self deception and love of nature to describe nature's gift to man. "Birds were singing everywhere. I heard notes I'd never heard before. It was like a whole orchestra of flutes, udekki, veena and conches sounding together." Mrs. C. Ekanayake, Retd. Specialist Teacher Eng Lit., St. Anne's College, Kurunegala |
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I peered through the bushes and there he was. At first, he stares, as
if he had turned into stone. Later he confides in Upali and Jinna and
tells them his life story of how he had been cheated by part owners of the
land and he had killed one of them. 
