His spouse summary by Zawgyi

 

“His Spouse”

                   _ Zawgyi

"IT IS NOT A LACK OF LOVE,
BUT A LACK OF FRIENDSHIP"
                                                                                                  - FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

The short story “His Spouse” was written by zawgyi. He was a poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic. He was a Burmese (Myanmar) writer. The word spouse means companion or partner and it is used for both male and female who is married. In this story, Ko Hsin wants to became an Buddhist monk and decided to leave his family. But his wife Ma Paw needs Hsin’s love and protection so that she didn’t fight with him and made him to forget Hsin decision to be monk.

Ko Hsin’s Dream:

Hsin is a coach in a Buddhist monastery.  He is thirty three years old. He always shows care and smiling face towards others. In his village Hsin is an important person in functions especially in marriages. But he only protect and show affection to his family other than that, he is nothing to do for his family. He do not go for any work and earn nothing for his family’s living. He tries to start bamboo business but it didn’t work. His thirty five years old wife Ma Paw is the breadwinner in her family. She goes to market daily to sell tuber and reached home late in the evening. Her fourteen years old son helped her to carry basket through bridge to sell tuber. Hsin thought himself as an well educated and intelligent person so he didn’t need go to work. He feels proud whenever he saw people doing hard works.  One day some of his relative mock at him about his unmanageable behaviour and he didn’t do anything for his family. That day onwards Hsin felt bad and worried and then he decided to become a monk. He thinks it helps him to come out from his worries and it brings incarnation of himself to life.

 Later, he changed into monk and come to meet his wife and children. He is carrying a begging bowl in his hands and blesses his children. He thinks Ma Paw didn’t know about religious rights so that she goes to hell after her death. Because of that he wants to teach her about it. He told to Ma Paw that he will completely changed into monk after one month in the next year. But after three months he will not come back to his house.

Ma Paw’s Plan:

In the absence of Hsin in his house, Ma Paw’s aunt help and support her but it take long days so she return to her home. Ma Paw decided to change her husband’s mind with the help of her friend. She made a plan and also ask her aunt to help her. In the next morning, she wake up early and dressed herself well. She use perfumed powders, she makes her hairstyle in different way and put lipstick in her lips. She looks very beautiful and flaunting. Her children also dressed in a same way. She acts like pack everything when Hsin enter into the house. He was stunned and amazed by the beauty of Ma Paw. But Ma paw silently serves the food to him.

Hsin changed his mind:

After that Ma Paw enquiries about bullock cart to her aunt. Hsin was shocked and asked about it. Ma

paw says that she goes with her children to aunt’s village and decide to marry another person. After hearing that Hsin become shivered and says her that there are many drunker in that village. And also said her do not go to that village.  Hsin said that he didn’t want to be a monk and stayed with them in their home. The story ends with Ma Paw get succeed in her plan and wins her husband’s heart back.