The choice between conforming to society's standards and pursuing a personal desire is a conflict many young people face. Arjie, in Shyam Selvadurai's 'Pigs Can't Fly', first experiences the joys of living a carefree childhood life through his imagination and by playing the bride. The story traces Arjie's path to becoming a subject of envy for his cousin Tanuja, pressure from his parents to conform to social norms, and finally, his acceptance of the loss of what was his childhood due to compliance. With the sari as a recurring motif, the ideas, through the use of symbolism, illustrate the effects of conformity on Arjie's life. Selvadurai suggests that conformity leads to Arjie's loss of innocence and freedom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayArjie is an innocent boy who has the freedom to play as he pleases. This freedom takes the form of monthly days, during which Arjie can “let go of her constraints and rise to another, brighter and more beautiful self,” playing the role of the bride. Arjie is happy to not only be part of, but also lead the girls' territory, compared to the boys' "incomprehensible" side and funny ideas. Being seen as someone important by the other members of the girls' side, Arjie is able to fully realize his "power of imagination" through these games, as well as "[his] ultimate moment of joy", without restriction . Such innocence allows Arjie to transform a child's game of dress-up by becoming "a gracious, benevolent, perfect being" and "the personification of all that was good and perfect in the world", for himself and his cousins. In doing so, Arjie is also able to emulate his mother, whom he holds in high regard. He feels “a joy bordering on ecstasy” watching her dress in a sari. and so, while playing bride, he wears his own sari and is free to pretend to be like a person in his life who he believes to be beautiful, and in doing so, feel beautiful himself. This gives great importance to such a simple object as the sari because it symbolizes one's innocence and freedom of imagination to play and believe that one can be anything one desires. However, like Arjie's freedom which will not last much longer as he grows, the sari is old and "slightly yellowed with age", with "its torn border", not requiring much to damage beyond repair. however, is put in danger by Arjie's cousin Tanuja. Tanuja deliberately sabotages Arjie out of jealousy, as she herself wants to be leader of the girls' world, feeling that it is "unfair" that the position always belongs to Arjie. Arjie's freedom in this once essentially limitless world is questioned for the first time, and the sari that symbolizes her freedom is resisted, because her freedom must now apparently be shared. However, Arjie and the girls do not accept Tanuja playing the lead role. Because Arjie's role as bride is a tradition that has been in place for a considerable time, they do not wish for it to be jeopardized and Tanuja is rejected, causing Tanuja to expose the adults' actions. 'Arjie who are without their knowledge. It was only then that Arjie realized that being part of the girls' side was seen as a mistake. The adults, except Arjie's parents, mock and ridicule him for the first time because of his appearance in front of them while wearing the sari, a stark contrast to when he was previously revered by members of the girls' side. The sari that was once capable oftransforming him into a thing of beauty and a being “larger than life,” became shameful to him and “suffocating around [his] body.” Without Tanuja, Arjie's parents would not have discovered his passion for brides, allowing him to continue enjoying the "most eagerly awaited", spending the days. As a result, Arjie is subject to others' desire to conform. Arjie's actions are now brought to light by his parents, and they are putting pressure on him to comply. His father does not want Arjie to prove "funny" and humiliate his family, while Arjie's mother pushes him to conform in order to avoid blame, as problems with the children are seen as "his fault." the mother”. Both parents aim to prevent their family, and by extension themselves, from being perceived negatively by other members of society. Arjie dressing like a girl is considered wrong and is looked down upon by his extended family, and his parents try to stop him in order to prevent this. To discourage Arjie, he is forbidden from playing on the girls' side and from watching his mother dress, thus taking away two of the joys of his life. The sari, a symbol of Arjie's childhood innocence and freedom, his "most precious possession", must be hidden from his parents' sight, because it is used against him. This is a parallel to her childhood innocence, as it must be hidden at this point, as she has become unacceptable to others. Arjie clings to the sari and the hope of returning to the world of girls he loves so much, until he is discovered a second time doing the opposite of what conformity demanded. Arjie has given up all hope of escaping into this world. of freedom again, in the hands of conformism. The change in the story happens when Arjie is sitting on the beach with the torn saree. The sari is a symbol of her childhood innocence and freedom, also torn to pieces. While Arjie had previously resisted others' urges to conform, on the beach he is overcome by "[his] despair", as he finally decides "it is time to return home." grandparents”, accepting his fate. of not being able to continue his games which were not aligned with what others considered conformity. After seeing his family not accept him for who he is, despite his efforts, Arjie knows his life will "never be the same again" and accepts the fact that he will no longer be able to maintain the life he has. always had during the past years. days. Arjie had previously resisted and defied his mother's order to play on the boys' side and devised a plan to escape, while he has now given up and decides to return home of his own accord. He knows that he will receive punishment for his actions in the form of a beating with his grandmother's cane, which is painful like the loss of his childhood innocence. The warm sand of the beach and the bright reflection of the ocean symbolize the painful changes in Arjie's life, such as the uncertainty of "the future that awaited him" and the awareness of the loneliness he would have to endure for future expenses. days, no longer belonging to the world of girls or boys. The landscape that was "once so familiar" is reminiscent of Arjie's lost innocence and freedom, for these aspects of childhood were distant, seemingly "glistening in the distance like a mirage." Arjie, no longer in an "act of defiance", is forced to cross the train tracks to return home, a metaphor for how he finds himself at a crossroads in his own life, where only one path can be borrowed. Conformity leaves no room for acceptance for Arjie, and he must ultimately conform as his parents wanted him to. Keep in mind: this is just one.