The Homecoming Chapter Notes - Class 9 PDF Download

Introduction

"The Homecoming," a poignant short story by Rabindranath Tagore, is a significant part of the ICSE Class 9 English literature curriculum, featured in Treasure Chest (A Collection of ICSE Poems and Short Stories). The narrative follows Phatik Chakravorti, a spirited yet misunderstood adolescent boy from a rural village, whose mischievous nature leads to constant reprimands from his mother and alienation from his family. When his uncle takes him to Calcutta for a better education, Phatik faces rejection, isolation, and bullying, intensifying his longing for the love and acceptance of his home. Through vivid characterization and irony, Tagore explores themes of parental neglect, the loss of childhood innocence, and the harsh realities of unmet expectations. The story’s title, "The Homecoming," carries a deeply ironic tone, contrasting the anticipated warmth of returning home with Phatik’s tragic experience of isolation and illness. This emotionally charged narrative invites students to reflect on the importance of empathy and understanding in nurturing familial bonds.

Summary & Analysis

The story begins with Phatik Chakravorti, the leader of the mischievous gang, deciding with his friends to roll away a heavy log shaped like a boat’s mast into the river. They were very excited and determined to execute the plan. Despite his friends agreeing to the plan, unexpectedly, Phatik’s younger brother Makhan impedes him by sitting on the log.

Phatik threatens his brother by saying he will trash him if he doesn't move. But Makhan never bothered to listen to his threats and sat on the log comfortably, innocently adjusting his posture. Phatik and his friends rolled Makhan off the log. The friends laughed at this sight together. This infuriated Makhan, who eventually ended up hitting Phatik in retaliation. But Phatik refrained from retaliating against his brother.

"The boys began to heave at the log with all their might, calling out, "One, two, three, go," At the word "go" the log went; and with it went Makhan's philosophy, glory, and all. All the other boys shouted themselves hoarse with delight. But Phatik was a little"

As Phatik sits idly on the river bank, an unfamiliar middle-aged man, with gray hair and a dark mustache steps on shore and approaches him asking where the Chakravorti family lives. Phatik restlessly answered him to go and find out. The servant comes in search of Phatik that his mother wants him. He refused to go with the servant, but the servant picked and carried him, kicking in impotent rage.

Makhan returned home and narrated the incident that Phatik had hit him. He falsely accused and portrayed Phatik as the aggressor. Phatik disagreed with this. But his mother believed and biasedly supported Makhan’s version of the story and started beating Phatik for telling lies. This incident was interrupted by the unfamiliar man whom Phatik had encountered earlier. Later he comes to know that it was his uncle, his mother's brother Bishamber.

"He was lazy, disobedient, and wild. But Makhan was as good as gold, as quiet as a lamb, and very fond of reading, Bishamber kindly offered to take Phatik off his sister's hands, and educate him with his own children in Calcutta."

On observing the continuous unjust treatment and misunderstandings, Bishamber decides to take Phatik to Calcutta. This was as a result seen as a potential solution.

His mother, who has a prejudice against the boy, feels immense relief by this idea. Phatiks mother consistently fell short of properly raising him. Instead of encouraging high high-spirited nature, she complained about his wilderness. Despite his sincere and well-behaved efforts, he did not reciprocate his need for love and acceptance from his mother.

As soon as he reached Calcutta he was expecting a nurtured environment. However, his aunt resents his presence, and his earnest efforts to behave like a good boy were not enough to win her attention. According to his aunt, he was a nuisance, unattractive, and painfully self-conscious boy. He was neither ornamental nor useful.

The continuous resentment and hate from both the mother and aunt made him desperately yearn for love and care. He feels like an unwelcome guest in his aunt and uncle’s house which makes him provoke the thought of leaving for his village as soon as possible. Gazing wistfully at distant houses suggests a sense of longing. Phatik likely feels isolated and disconnected from his surroundings.

School too, was a wretched experience for Phatik. When he loses his book, his aunt refuses to buy him and calls him a nuisance. He also endured regular beatings from teachers and was bullied by his fellow students and cousins. This left him in a miserable state of pain and agony. He decides to run away from his uncle’s home.

One day, Phatik vanishes and is caught in a severe rainstorm. Already ill, the rain exacerbates his fever, plunging him into a dreadful condition. Eventually, the police locate him. In his desperation, Phatik's only thoughts are of returning home or crying for his mother. His uncle advises him to wait until the holidays. This leaves Phatik in a prolonged state of uncertainty and struggle.

In the end, Phatik falls gravely ill and becomes disoriented. In his weakened state he meets his mother. His mother flings herself on the bed crying “Phatik, my darling, my darling”. After seeing his mother, he mistakenly believes that the long-awaited holidays have arrived. It was too late for his mother to show the form of love he expected earlier.

Phatik seems to have found satisfaction after seeing his mother. However, the people around were painfully aware of his critical condition and that he was nearing death. The author leaves it to the audience to presume if the conclusion was satisfied.

"The mother cried again: "Phatik, my darling, my darling." Phatik very slowly turned his head and, without seeing anybody, said: "Mother, the holidays have come.""

The whole story depicts the loss of parental love in childhood. It also emphasizes how important parenting is. Therefore, the title "Home-coming" is deeply ironic because, contrary to its suggestive warmth and reunion, the story depicts a painful and disillusioning return. Instead of experiencing the joyful embrace of home and family, Phatik encounters neglect, illness, and a sense of isolation. The irony lies in the stark contrast between the expected comfort and acceptance associated with "homecoming" and the actual, harsh reality of Phatik's experience. The title thus underscores the theme of unmet expectations and the complex, sometimes harsh realities of returning to one's roots.

Chronology

It is a sequence of events happening in chronological order. The whole story unfolds in a linear pattern.

Irony

The irony is when you as the reader know something which even the main characters are unaware of. An example from the story is below.

• Phatik being the ringleader among his friend's gang finally ends up with no friends in Calcutta.
• Phatik who yearns for love from his mother wasn't reciprocated to him but realized in the latter of the story after he had gone forever.

These literary techniques emphasize more on the story of how a fourteen-year-old adolescent suffers from the loss of parental love in his childhood days.