Pather Panchali

Pather Panchali Literary Elements

Director

Satyajit Ray

Leading Actors/Actresses

Karuna Bannerjee, Kanu Bannerjee, Uma Das Gupta

Supporting Actors/Actresses

Chunibala Devi, Subir Banerjee

Genre

Drama

Language

Bengali

Awards

Won OCIC Award - Special Mention at Cannes 1958

Date of Release

1955

Producer

Setting and Context

Nischindipur, rural Bengal 1910s

Narrator and Point of View

POV is that of Durga and Sarbajaya

Tone and Mood

Dramatic, serious, contemplative

Protagonist and Antagonist

Protagonist are Durga and Apu. Antagonist is the mean aunt, as well as poverty more generally

Major Conflict

The family is extremely poor and in need of money, so Harihar sets out to earn money to bring back.

Climax

The climax occurs when Hari realizes that Durga has died and mourns her loss. The family decides to pack up and move away from the home where Harihar's ancestors have lived for generations.

Foreshadowing

Durga's cough foreshadows her subsequent sickness and death.

Understatement

Hari often understates how difficult poverty is.

Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques

Allusions

There are illusions to Indian religion and sacred practices, as well as theater and performance.

Paradox

Harihar has a job in the town, but paradoxically is afraid to ask for the pay that he is owed from the work he's already done.

Parallelism

The mean aunt bringing fruit to Sarbajaya at the end of the film parallels her yelling at Durga for stealing fruit in the opening of the film.

Buy Study Guide Cite this page