Post Modernism in "Comala"

Comala is a short story written by Santhosh Echikkanam. On the surface level, the author depicts the life of Kundoor Viswam, a middle class man who became a bankrupt only because he stood a surety to his friend for Rs. 50000. The story also shows how one day media celebrates the news on Viswam's decision to commit suicide and how the relevance of the news wanes the very next day. 

Postmodernism is a literary movement that emerged during the postwar era. It is an umbrella term to show the various recurrent elements used by the artists to show the ennui and paranoia that arose in the minds of the generation. It was a time when major literary figures celebrated fragmentation unlike the modernists who attempted for unification in the fragmented world.

Viswam, representing an everyman, is at the abyss of committing suicide only because he decided to help his childhood friend, Sudhakaran. Like Beckett's Godot, Sudhakaran never appears in the story. Viswam, who resolves to die in a week's time leaves the house, promising his wife Radha that he will return in five days after finding a way out to pay the debt, returns empty handed. He compares his journey to the central character of the novel, Comala by Juan Rulfo. The street where he finds a man meet with an accident is modelled on the Wasteland. No one cares about the Icarus falling off the sky! 

We come across the attempts made by the author in bringing in the the novel Pedro Pàramo by Juan Rulfo which makes the story an example for metafiction. Viswan relates the characters he meet with the characters of Rulfo's. 

When the story ends, Viswam in search of Sudhakaran returns empty handed. He identifies the people and village around him similar to the Comala in Juan Rulfo. His undertaking the journey was an enlightening one. Witnessing a man dying on his lap was an epiphanic moment. This brought a realisation in him that longing to die is not life is all meant for. But to keep life going amidst the chaos is what he should opt for!

There would have been at least one instance in life wherein one would have thought of ending up the life on a rope! This short story tells us how precious life is and it's not easy to kill oneself.

Ms. Saritha. K, Head, Dept of English, Al Shifa College of Arts and Science, Kizhattoor, Perinthalmanna