Games at Twilight

Ravi is the protagonist of this story. He is among the younger siblings, though not the youngest. He is portrayed by the author as being at a complicated age, torn between childish behaviors and the desire for the respect and freedom that come with being older.

When Ravi is first introduced in Paragraph 19, he is hiding behind the garage on an upside-down flowerpot, picking his nose as he anxiously waits to be discovered by Raghu. This childish behavior emphasizes his youth. As a very young child, Ravi lives in his imagination, with fears and fantasies exerting an equally powerful hold on his mind. He dreams of triumph in the game—“so much victory, such laurels” (Paragraph 27)—as vividly as he imagines the “unspeakable and alarming animal life” inside the shed (Paragraph 22). After a while in the darkness, he considers giving up a potential victory in the game just to return to the comfort and familiarity of his family. However, he ultimately decides to stay in the shed as a way to prove to his siblings that he can best them at something. This shows his desire to be taken seriously, to be treated with respect, and to be seen.