Nawabdin Electrician Analysis

 The story Nawabdin Electrician includes the conflicts between the lower class and higher class, the poor and the rich, daily aspects of social revolution, and the fear of  death and social hierarchy. The protagonist Nawabdin is a contented handyman who reflects the most common life of people in lower class. The motorcycle symbolizes Nawabdin's social level. "The motorcycle increased his status, gave him weight, so that people began calling him'uncle', and asking his opinion on world affairs, about which he knew absolutely nothing." (Nawabdin Electrician,17 ) As a father who has twelve daughters, life is somehow suffering for his family, and the motorcycle reveals his desire to his life. Despite of poverty, Nawabdin still has a kind heart and eagerness to help his customers." He flourished on a signature capability, a technique for cheating the electric company by slowing down the revolutions of the electric meters, so cunningly done that his customers could specify to the hundred-rupee note the desired monthly savings. "(Nawabdin Electrician,13)


Nawabdin is a smart workman, but somehow he judges his motorcycle even more important than his life. He does not give up his property easily. When he faces a robber, even though he gets shot, he still tries to stand up and protects his own motorcycle. (24) The reasons of his action are complicated. One of the reason is that if he loses his motorcycle, he cannot afford his 13-people family anymore. Another reason which Nawabdin does not point out is that losing the motorcycle means losing his social status made up by motorcycle. Nawabdin enjoys the feeling of being called "uncle", and because of his vanity, he almost loses his life. In contrast to Nawabdin, the robber is bad but pitiful. It is poverty that forces him to plunder, and he has no choice. Poorness also contradicts the ethics in life. In short, the story reflects the conflicts of humanidad and enlightens the readers to think more about life.