Chapter 14
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Symbolisms Part 2:
Here are some more symbols that I put throughout the story.
1. Astha is surprised to find no sindoor on the tip of her nose during the wedding ceremony. That is believed to be good omen for a good marriage. In other words, a bad marriage is ahead. But she doesn't get the hint. She just thinks it is enough they have a love marriage.
2. Shlok goes around hiding the scars Astha inflicts on him, e.g. the backhanded slap that cut his cheek. He makes excuses about it to his dad. This is not unlike Anjali who also hides scars (she mentions to Astha). Shlok is like his mother and they are both in abusive relationships. Shlok believes he deserves it because of what he did, so Asthta is not as evil as Niranjan. But she is on war path.
3. There are references to Astha love for her teddy bear, Mr. Darcy. Shlok sees himself as more of a wild bear than a gentleman and gives Astha a bear hug when she is saved from falling over. Shlok is her bear.
4. Shlok doesn't realize that all the things he thinks his father is doing for him is actually done by his mom. E.g. the wedding flowers. He thinks Niranjan considerately ordered them, but it is Anjali talking with the flower shop and making sure his wedding is perfect.
5.The bite was Astha's claim on him. He misses it when it is gone. Then, he gets the scratch marks. There might be more hurt to keep him company for years. Shlok never complains because he sees how her family says she was not taught to be violent. He realizes that he and his family are making her violent with their dysfunctional behavior. It is a little masochist 😈, I know.
6. Shlok puts her first despite all their quarrels from the start. Essentially, he's being a husband without thinking about it. When it comes to Astha, he is not selfish about what happens to him if he tries to protect her. When coming back home from her parents, he stops the car to tie the seat belt. He saves her from the balcony fall. He stands between her and his nutty parents.
7. Astha keeps loosing and rejecting all symbols of her marriage to him. She does it intentionally quite often. She takes off the bangles, mangal sutra with "S" on it which is supposed to mark her as his, etc. It is her way of showing she doesn't care for or respect that marriage. He said, he never wanted her anyway, so she retaliates in small ways. He notices and tries putting it right.
8. Shlok loves vanilla ice cream. Astha smells like vanilla ice cream. He has an incredibly hard time resisting her when she cozies up to him in his sleep, giving him a taste of what he's missing.
9. Do remember that Astha is very young. Her mother also says she's too young for marriage. But she's to drugged by Shlok to notice the warning signs. The girl is barely in her 20s. She sleeps with a teddy bear, wants her family's undivided attention, plays mean tricks on Shlok like any other kid might, wipes her tears with her fists and loves baby-talk from her mom. There is a great deal of innocence in her. Shlok realizes that she is sheltered and doesn't even act her own age, so he takes the place of her parents to play the same protective role for her.
10. Astha looks at him in his sleep when he startles. She looks like a pale doll, i.e. a ghost. A ghost of a person she used to be. She is still cute and all, but there's no joy in her. He startles when he sees her.
11. Astha is possessive about Shlok despite rejecting him for rejecting her. She wants to know how things were with Swati, whether there was a physical relationship, if he's thinking of her, if he wanted a baby with her. Swati is all the worse for her because she's dead now and a saint in Shlok's eyes. Essentially, Shlok and Astha both have a relationship that is growing at the same pace as any other relationship with protection, insecurities, etc despite being at war. They love each other despite what the other one has done, like Astha said love was supposed to be.
12. Astha says she was only infatuated with him to save face. She cries silently after saying she's over him because she doesn't want him to know that she's on the same path she thinks Shlok is on for Swati. Love beyond all odds. Her pride is hurt. When she needs water (life) though, she asks Shlok. He, of course, gets it for her.
13. Vanilla and white are euphemisms for virginal. Shlok likes his vanilla ice cream white (Astha), but Astha likes hers with black (Shlok) chocolate syrup. Psychological tests often say that one's opinion of ice cream and coffee are basically the same as one's opinion of sex.
14. Astha is compared to a chipmunk to show her radical size difference with her bear, Shlok.
15. All of you who said that I used Jane Austen and often put commentaries about the society Shlok comes from are absolutely correct. Many of Astha's dialogues are quite feminist because that is who I am. I use sarcasm in Astha to show that sentiment.
16. As Astha said, Shlok is not a misogynist but a hypocrite because he loves his own women, sister and Kavya, but not her. She doesn't see that he protects her the same way. He wants a daughter to protect also. This man actually loves women. His broken relationship with is mom pains him more than anything. He has mommy issues, not daddy issues.
17. The snippets of conversations he overhears from Astha when he doesn't know who she was with overnight are actually very sexually suggestive. That drives him over the edge with jealousy. Mentions of the client's (Arnav's) demands sound like bedroom demands. She says she barely got enough sleep and that Arnav was gorgeous. Shlok is shocked and hurt because these things sound very sexual to him.
18. When she's gone, he misses her terribly and likes to keep her room exactly as it was. Including the perfume he sprays on his pillow. Astha on the other hand looses all her colors without him, wearing only black, no jewelry, etc. They incidentally match, which Khushi notices. They are in a classic can't live with or without situation. While Shlok notices Astha's transformation, his pining is not noticeable.
19. Because they are too proud to talk about their feelings, i.e. confess their love, they are having constant misunderstands. Astha thinks he's always thinking of Swati. Shlok thinks Astha hates him. Astha works hard to keep that image. She has become so Shloky that she tries to let go of his hand and fall rather than take his hand (marriage).
20. Astha cannot sleep without a teddy bear, so she cozies up to the only bear available during their trip to Lucknow, Shlok. 😆 When Astha almost cries because her pride it hurt at the realization that she instinctively went for his affection in her sleep, Shlok is more worried about her tears than his scratches. He thinks she's crying because he touched her when he didn't. He basically thinks he's disgusting to her because she once said after the wedding that anything associated with him getting close to her makes her want to throw up ðŸ˜. There's a lot of hurt there. When it came to saving her life, he shouts at her for not thinking of herself, because she comes above all else for him. This is pretty much the only time he looses his patience with her apart from the bit about his father. Shlok never looses his temper with her for any injustice done to him.
Marybarton 2013-11-17 00:11:26
Here are some more symbols that I put throughout the story.
1. Astha is surprised to find no sindoor on the tip of her nose during the wedding ceremony. That is believed to be good omen for a good marriage. In other words, a bad marriage is ahead. But she doesn't get the hint. She just thinks it is enough they have a love marriage.
2. Shlok goes around hiding the scars Astha inflicts on him, e.g. the backhanded slap that cut his cheek. He makes excuses about it to his dad. This is not unlike Anjali who also hides scars (she mentions to Astha). Shlok is like his mother and they are both in abusive relationships. Shlok believes he deserves it because of what he did, so Asthta is not as evil as Niranjan. But she is on war path.
3. There are references to Astha love for her teddy bear, Mr. Darcy. Shlok sees himself as more of a wild bear than a gentleman and gives Astha a bear hug when she is saved from falling over. Shlok is her bear.
4. Shlok doesn't realize that all the things he thinks his father is doing for him is actually done by his mom. E.g. the wedding flowers. He thinks Niranjan considerately ordered them, but it is Anjali talking with the flower shop and making sure his wedding is perfect.
5.The bite was Astha's claim on him. He misses it when it is gone. Then, he gets the scratch marks. There might be more hurt to keep him company for years. Shlok never complains because he sees how her family says she was not taught to be violent. He realizes that he and his family are making her violent with their dysfunctional behavior. It is a little masochist 😈, I know.
6. Shlok puts her first despite all their quarrels from the start. Essentially, he's being a husband without thinking about it. When it comes to Astha, he is not selfish about what happens to him if he tries to protect her. When coming back home from her parents, he stops the car to tie the seat belt. He saves her from the balcony fall. He stands between her and his nutty parents.
7. Astha keeps loosing and rejecting all symbols of her marriage to him. She does it intentionally quite often. She takes off the bangles, mangal sutra with "S" on it which is supposed to mark her as his, etc. It is her way of showing she doesn't care for or respect that marriage. He said, he never wanted her anyway, so she retaliates in small ways. He notices and tries putting it right.
8. Shlok loves vanilla ice cream. Astha smells like vanilla ice cream. He has an incredibly hard time resisting her when she cozies up to him in his sleep, giving him a taste of what he's missing.
9. Do remember that Astha is very young. Her mother also says she's too young for marriage. But she's to drugged by Shlok to notice the warning signs. The girl is barely in her 20s. She sleeps with a teddy bear, wants her family's undivided attention, plays mean tricks on Shlok like any other kid might, wipes her tears with her fists and loves baby-talk from her mom. There is a great deal of innocence in her. Shlok realizes that she is sheltered and doesn't even act her own age, so he takes the place of her parents to play the same protective role for her.
10. Astha looks at him in his sleep when he startles. She looks like a pale doll, i.e. a ghost. A ghost of a person she used to be. She is still cute and all, but there's no joy in her. He startles when he sees her.
11. Astha is possessive about Shlok despite rejecting him for rejecting her. She wants to know how things were with Swati, whether there was a physical relationship, if he's thinking of her, if he wanted a baby with her. Swati is all the worse for her because she's dead now and a saint in Shlok's eyes. Essentially, Shlok and Astha both have a relationship that is growing at the same pace as any other relationship with protection, insecurities, etc despite being at war. They love each other despite what the other one has done, like Astha said love was supposed to be.
12. Astha says she was only infatuated with him to save face. She cries silently after saying she's over him because she doesn't want him to know that she's on the same path she thinks Shlok is on for Swati. Love beyond all odds. Her pride is hurt. When she needs water (life) though, she asks Shlok. He, of course, gets it for her.
13. Vanilla and white are euphemisms for virginal. Shlok likes his vanilla ice cream white (Astha), but Astha likes hers with black (Shlok) chocolate syrup. Psychological tests often say that one's opinion of ice cream and coffee are basically the same as one's opinion of sex.
14. Astha is compared to a chipmunk to show her radical size difference with her bear, Shlok.
15. All of you who said that I used Jane Austen and often put commentaries about the society Shlok comes from are absolutely correct. Many of Astha's dialogues are quite feminist because that is who I am. I use sarcasm in Astha to show that sentiment.
16. As Astha said, Shlok is not a misogynist but a hypocrite because he loves his own women, sister and Kavya, but not her. She doesn't see that he protects her the same way. He wants a daughter to protect also. This man actually loves women. His broken relationship with is mom pains him more than anything. He has mommy issues, not daddy issues.
17. The snippets of conversations he overhears from Astha when he doesn't know who she was with overnight are actually very sexually suggestive. That drives him over the edge with jealousy. Mentions of the client's (Arnav's) demands sound like bedroom demands. She says she barely got enough sleep and that Arnav was gorgeous. Shlok is shocked and hurt because these things sound very sexual to him.
18. When she's gone, he misses her terribly and likes to keep her room exactly as it was. Including the perfume he sprays on his pillow. Astha on the other hand looses all her colors without him, wearing only black, no jewelry, etc. They incidentally match, which Khushi notices. They are in a classic can't live with or without situation. While Shlok notices Astha's transformation, his pining is not noticeable.
19. Because they are too proud to talk about their feelings, i.e. confess their love, they are having constant misunderstands. Astha thinks he's always thinking of Swati. Shlok thinks Astha hates him. Astha works hard to keep that image. She has become so Shloky that she tries to let go of his hand and fall rather than take his hand (marriage).
20. Astha cannot sleep without a teddy bear, so she cozies up to the only bear available during their trip to Lucknow, Shlok. 😆 When Astha almost cries because her pride it hurt at the realization that she instinctively went for his affection in her sleep, Shlok is more worried about her tears than his scratches. He thinks she's crying because he touched her when he didn't. He basically thinks he's disgusting to her because she once said after the wedding that anything associated with him getting close to her makes her want to throw up ðŸ˜. There's a lot of hurt there. When it came to saving her life, he shouts at her for not thinking of herself, because she comes above all else for him. This is pretty much the only time he looses his patience with her apart from the bit about his father. Shlok never looses his temper with her for any injustice done to him.
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