Mythological and Religious Elements in Premchand’s The Gift of a Cow (Godaan)

Abstract

Premchand’s The Gift of a Cow (Godaan) is a classic of Hindi literature that represents native social system of contemporary India. Along with the misery of the peasant class, the novel explores mythological and religious world of the people in rural part of the country. It refers to the religious beliefs and practices of the people that have been embedded in the psyche of the people. It sketches how religion is used to claim the superiority of one caste over the other castes in Indian society. Premchand exposes the hypocrisy of the religious people and criticizes the blind religiosity of the common people. The paper attempts to unravel the mythical and religious understandings of the characters of the novel and examines how the religious beliefs have affected their lives in reality. It employs the tools of close reading and analysis to find how the native mythological and religious traditions have been reflected in the narrative.