Games at Twilight

The children’s mother, though seen a few times throughout the story, is never named. She is described at three different points in the text. The first glimpse into her character is in the first three paragraphs when the children are begging her to let them out of the house and into the sun. Readers see her dialogue exchange with the children as she accuses them of not being able to follow rules if they go outside, which they insist they will. It is clear that she cares for the children, as it is mentioned that the children “had had their tea, they had been washed and had their hair brushed,” and she is attempting to keep them indoors to shield them from the heat and sun (Paragraph 1). But after growing tired of the children’s complaints and promises, she concedes and lets them outside. She retreats to the bath as a respite from the heat and from the fatigue that comes with caring for multiple children.

The mother is only directly seen or described in two more places throughout the story, the first being in Paragraph 31 when Ravi reappears in the evening after hiding all afternoon in the shed. He is crying and howling, and she approaches him with a mixture of concern and annoyance at his behavior. She checks to make sure he is not injured, while simultaneously telling him to calm himself down and stop crying. The final time she is mentioned is when the author describes how she left her bath earlier in the day to intervene when a fight broke out between the siblings over the next person to be “It” in hide-and-seek (Paragraph 33). The fact that the mother is never named in the story may serve as a purposeful way to allow all mothers to identify with this character and relate to her experiences.

Raghu’s age is never specified in the story, but it is implied that he is most likely a teenager. He is a minor character, but his presence is integral to the plot, not only because he is the pursuer in the hide-and-seek game but also because Ravi shows feelings of envy toward Raghu’s size and physical strength. Raghu is shown to readers as serious, tough, and physically capable of overpowering his siblings. In Paragraph 17, young Manu is the first to be found. As he is clearly very small and unsure of himself, Raghu could reach him and eliminate him from the game quite easily. However, Raghu chooses to pursue him “with such a bloodcurdling yell that Manu stumble[s] over the hosepipe, [falls] into its rubber coils, and [lies] there weeping” at having been chased down so aggressively. Raghu is unfazed by Manu’s reaction and sets off to find the rest of the children.

Raghu is equally relentless in his pursuit of the others and tries to intimidate them throughout the game. Although Raghu never finds Ravi, his reaction toward Ravi when he reappears is unfeeling: He chastises him, telling him not to “be a fool” and pushing him “roughly,” though Ravi is clearly upset and emotional over being forgotten by everyone in his family. Raghu’s lack of care and emotion is in direct contrast to Ravi’s sensitive and emotional nature.