A Coward by Prem Chand || B.Ed. First Year || BA Second Year || New Directions

In the story, "A Coward", Prem Chand shows how cultural difference within a country creates problems among the people who live in the same society. The Hindu caste system has created problem among the people in case of marriage. Moreover, the gap between a traditional mind and the modern mind divides the people clearly into opposite poles. Most of the people still stick to their conservative beliefs due to which the gap has always remained unfulfilled.

In the story, Keshav, a Brahmin boy falls in love with Prema, a girl from Banya caste. In the beginning, Keshav seems to be very strong because he is ready to undergo any hardships that might come on his way. He convinces Prema to be bold and fight against the conservative mind. Prema, who is loyal to her parents, does not dare to go against them. However, she does not dream to live without Keshav.

As Prema goes home, she thinks about Keshav and collects her strength to tell her relationship with Keshav to her parents. In the beginning, her parents reject strongly but they argued when she put her life at stake. Prema's father went to talk with Keshav's father, who reacted very rudely to him. However, he tolerated being the father of a girl. Then, Prema wrote a letter to Keshav informing him that she was ready to undergo to any sorts of difficulties if he was ready to undergo to any sorts of difficulties if he was ready to accept her as his life partner. She also wrote that her parents were eager to meet him and he was called for dinner.

Prema waits for Keshav impatiently but neither he nor his letter comes. Only the next morning Prema gets the letter (itself) of Keshav in which she finds him unexpectedly coward and disloyal. Her parents asked her about his response but she tells them nothing. She hides her pain the whole day, the next morning she commits suicide. 

In this way, this story shows the cultural problem of the same society due to the conservative feelings of the people. The lover's life Prema and Keshav are very much frequent in our society too and they are killing themselves due to the fear of Social bars, which are almost impossible for them to cross.