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Describe the character of the Postmaster in Tagore's "The Postmaster?"

In Tagore's short story, the postmaster is very concerned with his own welfare.


The postmaster has been relocated from Calcutta to the small village of Ulapur.  From the start of the narrative, he is restless.  His interactions with Ratan, a village orphan, interrupt his boredom.  Even though he converses with her, he seems to do so to occupy his time.  He teaches her how to read, more as a way to occupy time at a place where he "had nothing to do."  The postmaster fails to understand the emotional connection Ratan develops to him, something that is tightened when she nurses him back to health when he becomes ill due to the rains.


In the meantime, the postmaster's thoughts focus on leaving.  When his leave is granted, he joyfully tells Ratan of his plans.  She asks if she could go with him, and while he does not directly say so, it is clear that he considers it an "absurd idea." As he leaves, the postmaster feels some misgivings about abandoning Ratan. However, he ends up rationalizing these feelings away with "philosophical reflections" about how people are in a state of constant passing.


In terms of his character, the postmaster does not see past his own reality. While he can be seen as self-indulgent, I think that Tagore creates a character who is focused on his own needs.  This is why he cannot understand Ratan's request to go with him.  We get the impression that the postmaster will find success because he will always take care of his needs before anything else. In this way, he is different from Ratan, who wanders around the village in search for her "Dada."  Tagore's postmaster would never experience such hurt or yearning because of his self-interested character.

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