Phatik Chakravorti

Phatik Chakravorti, the protagonist of “The Homecoming,” is a dynamic character who undergoes significant change throughout the story. When the story opens, Phatik is an exasperating fourteen-year-old boy, focused on ruling his group of friends and making as much mischief as possible. He is disobedient, rude, and even somewhat violent at times. He seems to think the world revolves around him.

When Phatik has a chance to leave his village, he eagerly takes it, ready to leave his bothersome brother and strict mother behind. But in Calcutta, Phatik quickly learns that he is not the center of the world. Instead, he is completely unwanted and constantly derided by his aunt, cousins, teachers, and schoolmates. Though he has gotten exactly what he wished for, he is more miserable than he has ever been.

Through these unhappy experiences, however, Phatik starts to grow up. He recognizes how good his life was at home and realizes he misses his mother and longs for her company, going so far as to run away from his false home in Calcutta to be with her. He never makes it, but in the midst of his illness, all he can think of is his home and his mother. By the story’s end, he has finally realized what the true center of his world is: the place and person he loves the most, his mother and the home she has built for him and Makhan. 

Phatik’s Mother

Phatik’s mother is a widowed woman who seems completely overwhelmed by the task of raising her difficult adolescent son. In her desperation and fear, she develops a prejudice against Phatik. In her eyes, he is always wrong, often lying, and perpetually at fault. Though she loves her son, she refuses to look more closely at situations involving him. She even turns violent, unsure, perhaps, about how else to deal with a boy who will not listen or obey.

Yet deep down, Phatik’s mother loves her son. This first becomes evident when she is “distressed to see Phatik’s extreme eagerness to get away.” This suggests a hint of guilt at her treatment of the boy but also an underlying desire to keep him with her and a deep sadness about his willingness to abandon her.

Phatik’s mother’s love for her son breaks out in full force when she rushes to his sickbed. All frustration, fear, and irritation are gone, and she only cares about being with and comforting her beloved son. Only then does she finally express her love, perhaps realizing the depths of it for the first time.

Makhan

Phatik’s younger brother, Makhan, is a manipulative child. In his mother’s eyes, he is a “young philosopher” and something of an angel. However, his “good boy” exterior does not extend deep down. Makhan knows, for instance, that he is merely taunting Phatik and his friends by refusing to get off the log. He has no reason to sit there other than to irritate them.

Yet when Makhan gets rolled over with the log, he throws a tantrum, scratching, beating, and kicking his brother in a rage before running home crying. His immaturity is clear, and it receives added emphasis when he lies to his mother, telling her that Phatik hit him. While Phatik’s trick with the log is certainly not pleasant, Makhan’s sniveling lie is even worse. Yet, his mother believes him, merely reinforcing his manipulative behavior.

Bishamber

Bishamber, Phatik’s maternal uncle, seems to have good intentions, but he does not think too far ahead or consider the consequences of his actions. His offer to take his nephew to live...