Action and Reaction By Chitra Fernando. (Short Story )

Critically analyze how far Srilankan traditions, customs and cultural values are displayed in the short story ‘Action and Reaction’ by Chitra Fernando .

Action and Reaction written by Chitra Fernando .She is a Sri Lanka writer who had an ability to write short stories with a folk quality. This story is taken from the short story collection “ Three women “ published in 1983 .

This story deals with characters derived from the Sinhala Buddhist village background in Sri Lanka.Also this story reveals the traditions, customs and cultural values in Sri Lanka.

“ In my Family every one regarded my father’s elder sister as a very good and generous women...Father said, Now try to be like Loku Naenda “

Through these first first lines of the story , Writer explains what the values of women in Asian society .Loku Naenda is the highlight character in the story who is an unmarried women wishes to protect herself as a person of priority and deep religious faiths.Through her character writer tries to say that this society is a women based society .This story reveals that women achieve equality of status with men..

In this story writer creates women as the victim, but her principal enemy is also female, an authority figure representative of values that are usually regarded as traditional to Asian society .

“ Once punchi Naenda caught Siripala and me sharing a Cigarette in the back garden and the first thing she said was ‘How disappointed Loku Naenda will be, Mahinda “

This conversation reveals that how sri lankan society based with womens.According to Sri Lankan society Cigarette is not good for humans .Here some children are using that..Podi Naenda’ s words reveal that how their culture not approve that .Sometimes those traditions protect society but some are not good.It’s good to believe some customs and cultural values but important one is practice rather than preception.In a predominantly Buddhist environment and culture in the society of Sri Lanka the writer highlights that some Buddhist like ‘Loku Naenda’ care more for the precept rather than the practice of Buddhists.

“ Loku Naenda was going to adopt a little girl from Matara! Not, of course, as a daughter .”

This women is believed to be a good Buddhist that she does not go to understand it at all as she has chosen to interpret .Even her family member do not appear to have understood this aspewin the way than the narrator, Mahinda has understood .This short story reveals the cast and the class system still deeply entrenched in our society .This story was published in 1983 and reminds us the deeps in our society still conscious of these superiorities.

“ It was unthinkable that a toddy tapper’s child could be Loku Naenda’s daughter and, therefore, our relative,..... “

This one reveals the cast and class system in society of Sri Lanka.Loku Naenda does not want to adopt Kusuma at a daughter’s sense because her father is a toddy tapper.If she is belong to good culture may be Loku Naenda accept her as a daughter .but at the end of the story when she is totally dependent of Kusuma she admits that Kusuma is Like a daughter to her .

“ She soon learnt to be neat and clean. She was very helpful in the house “

Loku Naenda adopted her as meritorious work.But these lines explain how some people do not understand Buddhism in Sri Lanka. This story also discusses the theme of servanthood in Sri Lankan society .Kusuma is denied the right of education and freedom. She has become a virtual slave of the modern day to ‘Loku Naenda’ with the children of her own age going to school . Here also highlights that poverty is the main factory for any quality .

For Kusuma’s sprinter hood was not a choice but a factory to determine her poverty .

“ She’s at the temple.She goes every day to see how the building is going on.Don’t say anything .”

Some Buddhist care more for the precepts rather than the practice of Buddhism .This character was more interested in building temples ,donating loudspeakers and organizing Pirith ceremonies  but not much focused on the practice of Buddhism. Even Kusuma follows her. She builds a shrine room but does not take good care of Loku Naenda .

This title of the story is in keeping with ‘Karmic Law ‘ which it is believed according to Buddhism , that your next life will be desired by the good deeds you perform on this life.Loku Naenda fails to understand that .But without doing any meritorious work , Mahinda and Mala understand that..

However this story is seemed through the eyes of Mahinda who is the narrator of the story and as a child of new generation he proves to be smarter than the adult the same time this reveals how the previous generation trended to think within conventional structure.Throughout in the minds of Mahinda and Mala seek radically change the way society thinks and acts .

The short story “ Action and Reaction “ clearly explains the Sri Lankan traditions ,customs and cultural values. According to their action ,reaction will be rewarded.