India-- Punishment

Brothers: Dukhiram (killer)
Chidam (trash)
Wives: Radha (killed)
Chandara (idoit)

...

When the people nearby the Rui borthers' wives said, "They're at it again," what did it mean?

That they were screaming and yelling, fighting with one another

Notice that the Rui family was from the kuri-caste, a low cast originally of bird catchers, but by the 19th
century, general laborers.

...

Indian dress: a sari is...

a long strip of cloth draped around the body; Indian women's traditional clothing

Indian dress: a chadar is...

The preferred spelling
for "chadar" is "chador," but it is also spelling as "chaddar" and "chudder."
&
a sheet of cloth draped around the shoulders, usually worn by men buy sometimes by women

Notice the love of nature in "Punishment,"
beginning in paragraph three:
"Outside, too, it was extremely sultry. . . Here and there, roots of mango and jackfruit trees on the sliping bank stuck up out of the water, like
helpless hands clawing at the air f

...

When the Rui brothers returned home at dark, what did they find?

the house eerily quiet

What was the incident that instigated the murder?

The fact that the elder wife did not have supper ready, and told Dukhiram that it's because he didn't give her anything to cook

Why did Ramlochan, "pillar of the village,"
visit the Rui household?

Because he went to collect the rent

What did he find?

...

In his reasoning about what story to tell about the murder, what did Chidam say about his wife and his brother?

That he can replace a wife, but not a brother

What did Ramlochan "spread. . . round the village"?

That Chandara Rui got in a quarrel with her sister-in-law and split her head open with a farm knife

How old was Chandara?

no more than 17 or 18

Notice the descriptions of the younger, Chandara, and the elder, Radha, wife. In the last two paragraphs on page 1695

Chandara: buxom, well-rounded, compact and sturdy
Radha: unkempt, sloppy, and slovenly

Notice the descriptions of the elder, Dukhiram, and the younger, Chidam, brother at the top of page 1696.

Dukhiram: huge man, bones immense, nose was squat eyes and expression seemed to understand world. Innocent yet fearsome, rare combination of power and helplessness
Chidam: not an inch of fat on him, no wrinkles or dimples, perfect blend of strength and fi

What was the "major row" that had happened "[a] little before the events in this story"?

That Chandara noticed her husband work for two days or more and he wouldn't bring home extra earnings

What did her husband ask Chandara to do?

to admit to murder

What was her response?

she was stunned and just looked at him while he spoke

What does Chidam tell his "burly brother" at the end of this chapter?

to put the blame on Chandara

What did Chidam instruct his wife to say?

The elder wife was about to attack me with a vegetable-slicer, I picked up a farm-knife to stop her, and it somehow cut into her

Who had "supplied Chidam with the "proofs and embroidery that the story would require"?

Ramlochan

Who did the villagers believe the murderer to be?

Chandara

What did Chandara tell the police when they came to investigate?

That she killed her, because she couldn't stand her anymore

Why did the inspector silence Chidam?

Because he said that she wasn't telling the truth

What was Chandara saying to her husband?

I shall give my youth to the gallows, instead of you, my final ties in this life will be with them

What did Chidam say on the witness-box?

that he swears his wife is innocent

What did Dukhiram say?

That he killed her

What was the approach of the two barristers?

To save her from the death sentence, but they couldn't

What last word does Chandara have?

To hell with her husband