Mr. Gupta and Maggie in 'The Price of Flowers'

Mr. Gupta in 'The Price of Flowers'

Mr. Gupta is a major character in the story 'The Price of Flowers' by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. He is also the narrator of the story. It is through his point of view that the story unfolds. Mr. Gupta is about to join the British Civil Service in India. He is in London now, where most of the story takes place. He gets acquainted with Maggie, a teenage girl from a poor family there. When Maggie tells him that her mother eagerly wants to meet an Indian, he is ready to oblige. He is very inquisitive and wants to learn how the poor live in Britain.

Mr. Gupta is a character who subverts the preconceived notions about Indians prevalent in the West during the pre-independence era. He admits that he is not much of a vegetarian, contrary to what they think. He is less superstitious than his Western counterparts and has a better scientific temperament. When Mrs. Clifford shows him the ring with the crystal stuck on it, he knows that it is nothing much. But he doesn't want to shatter their faith by openly stating it.

The compassionate nature of Mr. Gupta is evident when he visits the sick mother. He is ready to tell a lie to save her life, even though it is against his ethics. He also takes pains to go to India House and make inquiries about Frank, Maggie's brother, about whom there is no information for a long time. Assuming the role of the absent brother, Mr. Gupta even takes Maggie to a zoo, which makes her really delighted.

During the final meeting with Maggie, just before his departure, he proves to be most sensible and sensitive when he decides to accept the one shilling from Maggie. He dismisses his first thought of refusing to take the money when he finds that this sacrifice would make her happier. His kind nature is once again established in the last line of the story when he says, "I wiped a tear or two from my eyes and went upstairs to pack my bags."

Maggie in 'The Price of Flowers'

Maggie is the central character of the story "The Price of Flowers," written by Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay. Her full name is Alice Margaret Clifford. She lives with her widowed mother in a poor neighborhood of London.

Mr. Gupta, the narrator of the story, meets her at a vegetarian restaurant in London. Her interest in him makes him curious. He makes friends with Maggie and comes to know more about her. Maggie is in her early teens, but she works as a typist in a Civil Service store. Her clothes reveal her poverty. She is shy and reserved, but Mr. Gupta gradually makes her open up. Her only brother is in India, serving as a British soldier. But they have not heard from him for a long time. They are worried about him.

During their conversation, Mr. Gupta asks her whether she likes her work. She says she wants a job that is not mechanical. This shows that she is ambitious. She is bold and courageous at this tender age, despite her respectful and courteous behavior. When Mr. Gupta visits her house, Maggie plays a song on the violin. From her mother, we learn that she had no formal training in music because they could not afford music classes. She is naturally talented. Her devotion and love for her mother and brother are truly exemplary. When her mother falls sick, she brings Mr. Gupta home and asks him if he could tell a lie to save her life. When she says, "Please forgive me if it is very, very wrong," the reader is touched by her innocence and feels sorry for her helplessness.

On the day of Mr. Gupta's departure, Maggie comes to meet him. She gives him her hard-earned one shilling to buy flowers for her brother's grave. Her supreme sacrifice out of the love for her brother is aptly reflected in the title of the story, "The Price of Flowers." Those flowers are truly priceless.