Book Review: The second wife (Nirmala) by Munshi Premchand

                                                        

The novel is centered about a young girl Nirmala who is forced to marry a man of her father's age.He already had three sons from his first marriage.His eldest son was of the same age as Nirmala. It takes a lots of patience and time for her to accept them as her own sons.But at last she starts to treat them as her own sons.But she was not happy with her husband because he was almost 20 years older than her.She respects him but don't love him like her husband.He tries in many different ways to keep her happy but he was unable to do this.

She was trying to adjust herself with the children and she was very happy with them.Her husband thinks that Nirmala was having affair with his eldest son,Mansharam.But there was nothing between them.Her husband wants to keep away Nirmala from Mansharam.Mansharam was very disappointed after knowing that and he leaves the house and starts to live in the school.He becomes ill and his father admitted him in a hospital.Nirmala don't go there to see him for many days because of her husband but at last she can't resist herself to see her son and she goes to hospital.Her husband becomes angry on her and his son dies to prove his father wrong.

Her husband was very disappointed due to his son's death because of himself.After some days his second son steals something from his own house and he runs away from the house and dies.After some days his third son also runs away from the house.They lose all wealth and property. Some other deaths also occur.He lost all of his sons due to second marriage.

Nirmala's first marriage was not happened due to dowry reasons so she was forced to marry a old man.

This novel emphasizes on the problem of dowry and after that a girl is forced to marry a wrong person and her whole life becomes wastage.The novel is very interesting for the readers because it is written in simple language and story is very good.
Nirmala as the protagonist and as the victim conveys some sensitive issues which leave readers choked under the burden of the tragedy.It documents a change that was occuring in the earlier part of the 1900's and is an introduction of the women's rights and the status of women in Indian culture.

It is a readerly text than writerly. His comparisons, similes and idioms usage is well timed and well thought and piercing. The themes of his novel are the social ills and how despite being common that they are, have the potential to wreck whole families.