The central theme of this story by Rabindranath Tagore is the dehumanization of women under India’s patriarchal social structure. When a farmer murders his wife in a fit of rage, his brother asks his wife to take the blame, promising to testify that she did it in self-defence. In court she denies this, pleads guilty, and is sentenced to hang. For her, love and hope died when her husband asked her to lie and she saw death as preferable to a life of misery. Other themes include poverty, exploitation, jealousy, betrayal, the unpredictable consequences of a lie.
Despite her arranged marriage at a young age, Chandra had come to love Chidam. Although Chidam also professes love, he appears to regard her more as a commodity that, if necessary, could be replaced… Thākur, if I lose my wife I can get another, but if my brother is hanged, how can I replace him? Independently minded Chandra chose death over a future without love, respect or freedom.