The village in the Jungle
is a novel written by Leonard Woolf, who was an English writer. He was the
former Government Agent of the Hambanthota district. Woolf discusses several
social issues Silindu’s family faces through his experience. They are poverty, ignorance, superstition, and
evil of the jungle, drought, diseases, indebtedness and unsympathetic colonial
system.
Throughout
the novel, Woolf tries to portray one of the major issues, poverty. Most of the
villagers of Beddagama are confronted with this problem. It is Silindu and his
family who suffer critically. The following line indicates how these poor and
needy people are highly victimized:
“Will
you let me die of hunger? and my two children? Give but five kurunies, and I
will repay it threefold.”
These
words are uttered by Silindu to the village headman. Because of the dry weather
Silindu’s crops fail. As a result, he and his family members have nothing to
eat in the house. The following lines prove his pain:
“Ralahami, there is
nothing to eat in the house. There is Karlinahami to feed too. If you could,
but lend me ten kurunies, I would repay it two fold at the reaping of
Nugagaha-hena.”
That’s
why Silindu visit the village headman and makes a humble request since his two
children are starving.
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