Monday, July 5, 2010 . 2:32 PM

Huien :
I agree with Shaleni . Ravi is deteremined to win in the story , he wanted to outshine his sibling as he is insiginificant in the family . Rewards have been given to other children , but have yet given to him . This can be shown , "Nothing more wonderful had ever happened to him than being taken out by an uncle and brought a whole slab of chocolate all to himself , or being flung into the soda-man's pony cart and driven up to the gate by the friendly driver with red beard and pointed ears ." With this , it encourage Ravi the win the game .

Friday, July 2, 2010 . 8:19 PM

Shaleni:
I would like to relate this short excerpt of an essay to the theme of society; specifically, sibling rivalry. As a good friend once told me, this universe is governed by the rule that you can never outwit the wise. And in this context, i refer to the wise ones as our older siblings. We Singaporeans love to compete. To be outstanding. To outdo everyone else. It is in our nature to be motivated by competition. I refer to this "competition", in the context of the story, as the unyielding determination to surpass in wisdom or knowledge. The youngest child in a family often has his/her expectations raised according to the performance of his/her older siblings. For example, if an older sibling does impossibly well for his examinations, we are determined to beat him. We are determined to prove to everyone that you can perform just as well, maybe even better. When you're overshadowed by an older sibling, it seems like the only reason for your existence in this world is to get your turn in the spotlight.

I see this very determination in Ravi, in the story of Games at Twilight. In the story, Ravi, I presume, is the youngest out of the bunch of kids. He's small, measly and has no sense of direction when he begins the game. All but one thought fills his mind - the determination to win the game. To be the last one standing. And this determination, I believe, is a result of a whole other goal in his life - to beat his older brother, Raghu. Raghu is described in the story as an intimidating character, one that feeds off fear. He's big, hairy, and sadistic. "I know I have to, idiot," Raghu said, superciliously kicking him with his toe. "You're dead," he said with satisfaction, licking the beads of perspiration off his upper lip, and then stalked off in search of worthier prey, whistling spiritedly so that the hiders should hear and tremble. "
Ravi, compared to Raghu, is timid and diffident. His size is almost obsolete compared to Raghu's strong build. "Ravi had wished he were tall enough, big enough to reach the key on the nail, but it was impossible beyond his reach for years to come.""He hadn't much faith in his short legs when matched against Raghu's long hefty, hairy footballer legs." In spite of his incompetence, Ravi is determined to beat his brother. To stay hidden and incognito for as long as the game lasts. For as long as it takes to outlast all the others. For as long as it takes to beat Raghu. And when he does, he gets his glory. Although small in size, he would suddenly seem like the bigger person.
However, as reality has taught us, there are never any happy endings. As Ravi, determined to achieve what he wants, overcomes his fear of the dark and the unknown, realises the sad truth. As he steps out, he realises that not only has he lost, but his very existence had been erased off the minds of his family. The whole irony behind this is that he was playing to be noticed, but the outcome turned on the complete contrary. "The ignominy of being forgotten - how could he face it? He felt his heart go heavy and ache inside him unbearably. He lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance."

Maybe this is how everyone has it. They face the harsh truth of reality at a young age through events like this and eventually get introduced to the world of "competition". And as continued failed attempts teach us, we can never be better than our older siblings. It's virtually impossible.