Tales From the Court by Matthew Thomas Essay Example

The short story Tales from the Court by Matthew Thomas is a comical satire that revolves around court setting in the post-colonial Malaysia in Palong Likit. The author highlights the postcolonial struggles that the country went through especially with regards to the development of various state institutions; in this case, the judiciary (Thomas 2008). The palace of justice in Palong Likit was once a barn situated near a forest such that a monkey can invade the precincts of a courthouse and take a seat at the judicial officers' station signifying that the court is not built correctly to ward off such nuisance (Thomas 2008). The counsel representing the accused and the state prosecutor are embroiled in a legal battle with the aim of dispensing justice. However, the proceedings are disrupted by events, some natural others human-made. The natural one being the torrential downpour that interrupts the power supply but the judge is keen on continuing with the proceedings never minding the ongoing melee.

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Moreover, the wind permeates through the windows while the rain interrupts power supply. The writer in the midst of all these, he paints the judge as a resilient man who is keen on dispensing justice without being deterred by the pandemic circumstance. The writer depicts a complex society which has borrowed the judicial system of the colonial master which it has directly transplanted as its own. Tuan Hakim Mohammed Ibdin Bin Din is the resident second class magistrate; he is assisted by his court clerk Rukumam Devi who has been bestowed upon a plethora of roles (Thomas 2008). There is also a court bailiff, and at the opening paragraph, he announces the presence of the presiding officer and everyone rises on their feet, bows and takes a seat after the magistrate.

The authors employed the flashback to the events of 14th January 2017 when he was representing a client, the accused, in the traffic offense case, to reveal the deplorable state of the courthouse. Full of enthusiasm the lawyer was keen to prosecute his case amid the eerie circumstances and events which are happening in the court. First, he faces an overzealous prosecutor, an impatient court clerk who is more worried about the rain at the expense of dispensing justice (Thomas 2008). A vile primate that is also keen on disrupting the proceedings and a note-taking magistrate who cannot multi-task, stopping presentations from taking down notes. The lawyer is actually in a dilemma. He is even called upon by the magistrate for banter in his chambers with the aim of having him procure tiles for his wife. When the proceedings resume the magistrate being a resilient man is not deterred by the monkey occupying his station or the rains that result in power outages. He conducts his hearing at the station of his court clerk while he mandates the bailiff to rid the court of the primate. The bailiff after sneaking upon his nemesis fails to annihilate him and ends up damaging the magistrate's desk. The coincidence is when the judge hands down the verdict and the same turns out to be the same verdict that was 'prophesized' by the court clerk (Thomas 2008).

Rukumani Devi, the shy and pretentious court representative, needs to manage an obstinate monkey that squats on a judges' seat, anxious to cheer the waiting cases. The puritanical Rukumani who prides herself on unbending effectiveness hates and grimaces her way into everything notwithstanding boasting on an ideal forecast for a judge's reluctant fine at a traffic offense. In his works, Thomas doesn't attempt to awe anybody, and his ability lies on his uniqueness. He usually is smart in styles and can only be liked to a legend (Thomas, 2008). Thomas proceeds to portray the judge and to discuss the court tenants, ascending as one, just a lot later in an alternate section. Except if he had explicitly stated, they ascended, before bouncing to the following idea of portrayal including the judge's entrance, no outside reader is probably going to comprehend that term casually.

Another dazzling quality about Matthew Thomas' Stories from the Court and different stories are the wonderful delineations outlined all through the book, with which to characterize an invented character or plot. His mindful illustrations sublimely supplemented his dad's smart composition create (Thomas, 2008). The author highlights the plight of colonies in the postcolonial era in terms of the progress and strides made in improving what the colonialist left behind. He refers to how colonies have succeeded in adopting their procedures without any modification whatsoever. He indicates how the wooden courthouse once served as an animal barn, and the wooden structure cannot even keep a monkey which wondered from the neighboring forest into the court disrupting the sessions.

The author also uses the feminist theory of equality of sexes since the court clerk Rukumani Devi who is a lady is used to show the empowerment of the female gender (Thomas 2008). The feminist theory seeks to understand the issues arising from gender inequality; the roles played by men and those taken by women in all spheres of life, be it political social or economical. In this case, the gender bias is overlooked and her roles and all those duties bestowed upon her shows a community that seeks to empower women through this, in reality, is paradoxical looking at how the Hindu community has always looked down upon women (Thomas, 2008). Of most importance is the author tries to relieve the tension and fear that people have developed about courts even introducing an uninvited guest who is keen to preside and witness the proceedings.

The paradox is that the court does not apply itself to its rules to determine whether the acts of the monkey were adverse in such a way to warrant such action as sanctioned by the judge. The court attempts to employ trial by ambush, but the monkey is quick to tell since the evil acts of the attacker and evade the same swiftly (Thomas 2008). The author paints the picture of a resilient judge who is keen to dispense justice regardless of the situation. The judge loves what he does even if he already had an idea on the outcome of the case he is keen to dispense justice to its entirety without looking at the prevailing circumstances such as a monkey invading his court or weather interrupting the lights and the air conditions.

Thomas's Tales from the Court has effectively acquired fame among readers due to its humored nature that extend with alleged quiet happiness. The story is dressed with slight magnificence, customized to an agreeable posture suggestive of the cartoonish picture of a lady with - her-dark bun-in-majestic sitting that is present on the cover. The author's movements once managed sharp eagerness with clever and mocking perceptions from diverse Malaysian neighborhoods and beyond (Thomas, 2008). This story would thus be recorded with adroit industriousness; therefore the author would secure his first major distributed work of fiction in Kuala Lumpur after resigning from the law.

Conclusion

Thomas uses his story to paint a grim picture of how postcolonial judicial systems have superseded the traditional Hindu dispute resolution mechanisms and that fines are seen as a suitable remedy and punishment for omissions. The law has evolved to the extent that it adapts to the current occurrences that have been introduced as a result of colonization. Most importantly, the coincidence that the court clerk could predict the outcome indeed compounds the fact that she is the confidant of the magistrate. The psychic prowess displayed by her is a right connotation that not only is she competent as a court clerk but she is capable of presiding over disputes.

Reference

Thomas, M. (2008). Tales from the court and other stories. Kuala Lumpur: Silverfish Books.