স্বপ্নময় চক্রবর্তীর ‘কম্পিউটার গেমস’ উপন‍্যাসে নগরকেন্দ্রিক ও আধুনিক প্রযুক্তি নির্ভর মধ‍্যবিত্ত জীবনের একটি রূপরেখা/ An Outline of City-Centric and Modern Technology Dependent Middle-Class Life in Swapnamay Chakraborty’s novel ‘Computer Games’

Abstract

Swapnamoy Chakraborty’s ‘Computer Games’ is a significant novel in twentieth-century Bengali literature. Because it is set against the backdrop of a time when modern technology, particularly computer was just beginning to enter the life of the Bengali middle class. The novel presents a glorious picture of the disintegration of the joint family system in the post-independence period and the growing fascination of the middle class with urban life and modern technology. As a result, the struggle to maintain social status and a deep sense of loneliness and these realities are powerfully reflected in the novel. Proton and Prallika use of computer to escape this loneliness is a key element. Unable to resist the allure of new luxury goods, the middle class strives to earn more money by any how. At the same time, they attempt to fulfill their unfulfilled dreams through their children. Consequently, in the process of realizing their parents’ aspirations, children gradually forget their own dreams. In addition, the novel also represent how the middle class is forced to constantly act out a character to maintain their social standing.