Summarizes the key personality traits, background, behaviour and nature of a particular character.
- Personality Traits: (pysical and non- physical) It is important to define your character’s personality and physical traits in detail to help the reader visualise how they look, behave, talk and act.
- Add a Back Story or their Background: To give more depth to your character sketch, you can also inquire about what their story is, any particular thing that they always mention about their past or their overall background so that the reader is able to better relate with the character.
- How they Changed or Evolved over the Years: Include their evolution and development over time. Mention how they have evolved as a person, what major changes you have noticed about them or how they see the world now as compared to before.
- How they Talk and Act Around People: Observing someone, you must always analyse how they act around other people, whether acquaintances or strangers. .
- Their Impact on You or Those Around Them: Observe how the person behaves with others, whether they are sincere, honest or people-pleasing, these characteristics will further make your character sketch even more human and interesting to read.
Character sketch of Nomita
Nomita is the protagonist of the story 'Matchbox' by Ashapurna Debi. The story revolves around a small incident in Nomita's life and her reaction to it both immediate and subsequent. The author tries to delve deep into the issue of empowerment of women through this character.
Nomita is from a poor family. She is married to Ajit, who is from a wealthy joint family. She is young and beautiful. In fact, the author says that her widowed mother was able to marry her off to this wealthy family on the strength of her looks alone.
Ajit has the habit of opening and reading the letters of Nomita. Often, they are from her own mother seeking financial help. Ajit has only contempt for her. One day Nomita discovers a letter in Ajit's pocket. She is sure that he has hidden it from her on purpose. She questions him and a quarrel breaks out.
Ajit remains adamant and sticks to his guns. Nomita is provoked when Ajit exploits her helplessness. He says, "I'll do what I want. What will you do? Can you do anything?" Pushed to the limits she explodes, takes a matchbox and sets fire to her sari. This frightens Ajit.
Nomita's helplessness is primarily due to her financial dependence on Ajit. If she had education and employment, she would be much more confident. But even now she has enough courage in her to confront Ajit.
Nomita has great love for her mother. She is aware of her poverty and wants to help her. In the face of the insults from Ajit she temporarily thinks about telling her mother not to expect any help from her. But she cannot do that.
She is also a clever girl who tries different ways to get the better of Ajit. She tries anger, taking offence, bitter reproaches, shaming, and sarcasm. But nothing works with Ajit. She is aware that Ajit is challenging her dignity and self-respect. So, she is not ashamed to express her anger violently. This even surprises Ajit. "A woman, and such anger!", comments Ajit. Obviously Nomita doesn’t fit into the traditional conservative framework of a meek and submissive woman who never raises her voice.
Another aspect of Nomita's character is that she speaks her mind. She is bold enough to give a proper reply to anybody trying to deride her. So no one attacks her outright. They can only pinch her with sharp words or innuendos.
Nomita is very adaptable. Coming from a very different background, she is able to mingle well with the big joint family. Nomita's casual conversations with her in-laws after the confrontation show this. She is also very resourceful. When the Boro-wife discovers the burnt anchol of her saree, she quickly cooks up a story to explain it.
What Ashapurna Debi is trying to focus more on is her attachment to her projected image. Back in her village, people think about her as living like a queen in a wealthy family. They think about her husband as high-minded and large-hearted. Although the reality is far from it, she is not ready to shatter that image.
The author presents Nomita as a representative of the majority of Indian women who are not ready to venture out of their comfort zones. Although they have the potential to burn the colourful shells in which they are trapped, they are not ready to do it. That is why Nomita pretends before the others as if nothing has happened even after the bitter quarrel with her husband.
Even though Nomita appears to be a strong character in the story, the author indicates that she is not an example for other women to emulate. She is a typical Indian wife who silently suffers the domestic injustice and does nothing fundamental to change the narrative. She serves the purpose of showing why things are not changing in favour of women in our society.
