Treatment of childhood in Anita Desai's "Games at Twilight"

“Games at Twilight”

     by Anita Desai

 Childhood in ‘Games at Twilight’

In ‘Games at Twilight’ Anita Desai delineates childhood with all its pleasure and power. What sets the story apart is its unique quality of revealing the truth of isolation and alienation through the simple games played by the children.

 Childhood is full of fun. The children in the story are eager to come out and play even in hot humid noon. They fill the silent and deserted garden with laughter and noise. They change the atmosphere of the place in a minute.

 They are very much part of the nature. They play in the midst of flowers and plants. They even enjoy the fruits and feel the beauty of the scent of the soil.

 We do meet with child like Mira caring and motherly one. We do find Manu, little and vulnerable one. All these children fight over insignificant things but forget enmity within a minute and start playing. Raghu is the child who is strong, stout athletic. He succeeds in igniting fear in others’ heart. It is he who leads Ravi, the little vulnerable boy to hide himself in the store house where the important episode of the story takes place.

 At first, Ravi is on the top of the world as he succeeds in saving himself from the hands of Raghu. But within a minute fear grips him. The dark and alien atmosphere freezes his heart. The noise of Raghu (from whom he tries to escape with all his heart) gives him a sense of protection. Ravi misses the world outside. He is loaded in a different world, everything outside seems beautiful. When he comes out of the confinement, he finds that everyone forgets him and starts a new game. No one give him the credit of being a winner. This realization of his alienation puts him in greater pain.

Anita Desai’s skillful presentation of childhood truly represents the small events of childhood and through the presentation of different events facilitates her to go into the deeper corner of minds of children

 Describe the character of Ravi

In Anita Desai’s ‘Games at Twilight’ Ravi occupies a special space. He is the one who appears as an enthusiastic childs who loves to play like other children even in the hot afternoon He is very little, too little to get the key of garage. He is not athletic and rowdy like Raghu.

 This little vulnerable boy, hides in the shade to save himself from the clutches of Raghu. He discovers a different world there, a world full of surprise and fear. He misses the world outside, he wants to mix himself with the crowd. The fragrance, the chanting allure him to come out and join but the fear of getting caught by Raghu, keeps him inside the alien place for a longer period of time. He is lonely and scared, but the very idea of triumphing over Raghu gives him a feeling of self congratulation. At last, he comes out but he feels that he had not been missed by his parents or friends: Everything is going on well without him. There is no space for him anywhere. This realization makes him feel helpless.