what is the irony in sahebs name how does sahib cease to be master of his own self

Irony is a figure of speech used to have some emphatic effect in a meaning. Words are used in such a way that their intended implication is entirely different from the actual implication. Here too, the name of Saheb is an irony. Saheb meant the lord of the universe. But in stark contrast to the meaning of his name, Saheb was a poverty stricken boy. Garbage for them was gold because sometimes they found one or two coins there. He did not even have the basic requirements fulfilled. As he was a rag picker’ he used to roam barefoot. Far from being a lord of the universe, he didn’t even have a proper identity.   As time gradually passes by, Saheb was employed in a tea stall. It was a job which he did not like at all because it snatched away his last bit of freedom. He did not have the courage to rebel against the society. He thus ceased to be the master of his own self.

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The name Saheb-e-Alam literally means the lord of the universe.Ironically, Saheb being a rag-picker is void of all kinds of leisures and comforts in his life.He is deeply trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty and child labour .Although his name refers him to be the lord of the universe, he even lacks the basic requirements of his life.In the end Saheb ceases to be his own master as he was forced to work in a tea stall which monthly paid him Rs.800 at the cost of his freedom. The steel canister seemed to be heavier than the plastic bag he used to carry as a rag picker. Thus child labour worsened his conditin even further and Saheb no longer remains to be the master of himself anymore

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