Discussion Group

Summary: The Year’s End, is about a college student, Kaushik, who has a hard time getting over his mother’s death and dealing with his father’s new wife and his two new step sisters. Throughout the story, Kaushik expresses dislike for his new step mother and felt like she was replacing his mother. Nevertheless, Kaushik liked his two step sisters, whom he took out to play and such. However, when the two step sisters uncovered a stash of Kaushik’s mother’s pictures, he loses it and openly expresses his dislike for their mother. After scolding the two step sisters, Kaushik’s relationship with the two sisters deteriorated. However, in the end, Kaushik becomes grateful that Chitra, his step mother, came into his life.

Excerpts-
-Kaushik said "Well, you;ve seen it for yourselves, how beautiful my mother was. How much prettier and more sophisticated than yours. Your mother is nothing in comparison. Just a servent to was my father's clothes and cook his meals. That's the only reason she's here,the only reason both of you are here" (page 286) : This quote was chosen because it was what Kaushik said here that separated him from the two stepsisters. Because of this, Kaushik further distanced himself his father's new family, and ultimately, began to like isolation.

- "I knew we were both thankful to Chitra for chafing under whatever lingered of my mother's spirit in the place she had last called home and for forcing us to shut its doors." (Page 293): This except shows that Kauhisk finally let go of his mother's death. The except also suggests that Kaushik is also slowly accepting Chitra into the family, and acknowledges the hard work she has done for the family and his father.

- "I had never traveled alone before and I discovered that I liked it. No one in the world knew where I was, no one had the ability to reach me. It was like being dead, my escape allowing me to taste that tremendous power my mother possessed forever." (Page 290): This except suggests that after being burdened with the responsibility of caring for his mom, and then his dad (after the mom dies), and also of taking care of his two new step sisters, and dealing with a new mom, Kaushik escapes these responsibilities and stress. Now that Kaushik has escaped, he feels the freedom and slightly envies his dead mother, who has this freedom forever.

Questions:
Do you think that it was a good idea of Kaushik's father to remarry?
Would remarrying be a disloyal decision to make?
How does Kaushik feel towards Chitra in the end? Was she able to replace his own mother?
Why does Kaushik's father decide to remarry with someone so traditional?
In the story, a nurse says that the time before the death is the worst part, instead of the actually death being the worst. Do you think this is true?
Did Chitra successfully bring the family closer? If so, how did she?

Symbolism:

“I looked above the table at one corner of the ceiling and saw that it was discolored by a leak.” (pg.260) Although this was insignificant in the story, because the author deliberately chose to add this in, shows that this line is symbolizes something greater than a leak. This leak may symbolize the condition in which the family was in after Kaushik’s mother’s death. Like a pipe system missing a part, thus resulting in a leak; the family was missing a mother, and therefore, resulted in its ruin.

“We are both moving forward, Kaushik,” my father told me after the ceremony. “New roads to explore.” (pg. 293)

“New roads” symbolizes that Kaushik has placed his mother’s death behind him, and can finally continue down in the road.