Chapter vocation: Vocation | Long Questions

Rabindranath Tagore uses vivid and slightly eerie imagery to describe the night through the boy's window. The lane is described as 'dark and lonely,' creating a sense of mystery and isolation. The most striking image is that of the street-lamp, which the boy compares to a 'giant with one red eye in its head.' This personification gives the lamp a magical, perhaps intimidating quality, making the night feel like a scene from a storybook. Against this backdrop, the watchman is seen swinging his lantern and walking with his shadow. This imagery portrays the watchman as a lonely but powerful figure who 'never once goes to bed in his life.' For the boy, this creates an image of a heroic adventurer who rules the night, making the watchman's vocation seem far more exciting than the boring routine of going to bed.

The title 'Vocation' is significant because it refers to a person’s trade or calling, but it is explored through the innocent eyes of a child. Normally, a vocation is associated with hard work and earning a living. However, for the young speaker, these vocations—selling bangles, gardening, and guarding the street—represent lifestyles rather than jobs. He does not see the struggle for money or the exhaustion; he sees them as 'callings' that offer freedom from school and domestic rules. By using this title, Tagore highlights the gap between an adult's reality of work and a child's romanticized view of it. The child 'calls' out to these professions because he feels a spiritual pull toward the freedom he believes they possess. It emphasizes that a child's true vocation at that moment is imagination and the search for autonomy.

The central theme of 'Vocation' is the innocent curiosity of childhood and the natural human desire for freedom. Tagore conveys that children often feel restricted by the protective boundaries set by adults. The poem suggests that a child's imagination allows them to find beauty and liberty in the most ordinary professions. It also touches upon the idea that we often desire what we do not have; the boy wants the hawker's freedom because he is bound by school, and the watchman's night because he is forced to sleep. The poem serves as a reminder to adults that while discipline is necessary, children crave the space to explore and be themselves. Ultimately, it celebrates the wandering spirit of a child who sees the entire world as a place of endless possibility and looks at every worker with wonder rather than pity.