Poverty
Poverty is a major theme in Pather Panchali. We watch the family struggle over a period of years to get by and attempt to get out of the debts that hover over them. Sarbajaya does her very best to keep her kids fed and in line while Harihar seeks work and dreams of becoming a writer, someone the town respects and a man who can educate his son. While they manage to keep their spirits up in the face of great struggle, in the end the cycle of poverty only gets worse as death comes twice upon the family. First Indir dies after being turned away by Sarbajaya, and then Durga dies of a horrible fever. Ultimately, Ray's film shows the difficulty of poverty and the pain that it causes.
Childhood
While the film does not exclusively focus on the realm of childhood, a great deal of time is spent looking at events from the perspective of Durga and Apu. In the beginning, we see a young Durga stealing fruit from a neighbor and giving some to her elderly aunt Indir. She is unaware of the concerns of the adult world, and wanders blissfully through the playground of her childhood, traipsing through the forest and finding pleasure wherever she can. When Apu is born, Durga finds in him a partner in crime, and the two of them enjoy all of the whimsy of childhood together, teasing one another and engaging in exciting adventures in and around their home.
Treatment of the Elderly
We watch as Indir is treated quite harshly by Sarbajaya throughout the film. She is forced to leave multiple times, and wanders out into the world without protection, in spite of her age and ailments. She needs food and shelter, and she cannot provide for herself, as her body is in poor condition. The only kind treatment she receives is from Durga, who steals fruit for her, and shares a special connection with her. In one impactful shot, we see Indir sitting outside the home looking as if she is a beggar, dirty, hungry and weary from life with no one to bring her in from the harshness of the world. We see the ways that poverty has made the family treat the old woman as more of a burden than a wise member.
Death
Tragic death occurs twice in the film. First, Indir dies after being thrown out of the home. The two children, Apu and Durga, are disturbed to find her lifeless body in the forest. Then later, after playing in the monsoon for too long, Durga falls ill and eventually succumbs to death. The death of Indir was disturbing enough, but the death of a child, with so much life ahead of her, is a particularly tragic event for the family, and they are driven to leave the ancestral home by this tragic event.
Modernity
In their humble abode in the middle of the forest, the family lives largely without modern luxuries. They have no electricity, they collect their water from the well, and they live off the land. One day, when Apu and Durga go running into a nearby field, they encounter an electrical grid and then a passing train. These two fixtures of the landscape, representing industrialization and modernity, are striking to the young children, who are cut off from the world by their poverty. Thus, a major theme in the film is modernity and its contrast with ancient customs and the natural world. Modernity is both a puzzling entity as well as a strangely seductive one; Apu and Durga are entranced by the train and share a mutual interest in watching it go by.
Education
Hari is a highly educated man, a writer and a scholar, but in spite of his education and artistic gifts, he cannot make any money. While Sarbajaya frets about how they will make money and pay their debts, Hari insists that he will become a great playwright and scholar and that will bring the family great wealth. This plan does not work out, however, nor does his dream of giving his son the education he had. In the film, we see—in sometimes heartbreaking ways—that education does guarantee success and wealth.
Nature
Nature is a major theme in the film. It serves as a magical playground for the children throughout their youth, the one respite from the burden of poverty that they must endure at home. Ultimately, however, we also see the ways that nature is merciless and violent, in that it is what kills Indir, and then Durga. As she sits beside Durga's bed when she has a fever, Sarbajaya listens to the strong winds and hears the downpour of rain from the monsoon. The fact that the family cannot adequately protect themselves from the elements eventually takes a toll, proving that nature is as ruthless as it is beautiful and inviting.
