Deep Answer

Krishnan Rajeej Castillo

The Black Fort had been an important landmark in Balrams life for quite some time, it
represented his curiosity and desire to succeed as well as his cowardice. But despite the forts
importance to Balram, he had been unable to truly conquer it thanks to his cowardice. He had
attempted to enter it several times, but he did not succeed until the age of 24, when he returned to
Laxmangarh with his boss Mr. Ashok. While waiting for his boss and his wife, Balram decided to
finally surmount his cowardice and enter the Black Fort. Once he gets there, the Balram that is
writing the letter states that he killed Mr. Ashok 8 months after his conquest of the Black Fort.
This statement appears to be completely random, and so it takes the reader by surprise; what
does the conquest of the Black Fort by Balram have anything to do with the murder of his boss?
While it may appear like Balram wrote that there for no real purpose, the significance of the
conquest of the Black Fort is related to the death of Mr. Ashok at his hands.
From what is known so far, the murder of Mr. Ashok by Balram is an important event in
his life that allowed him to overcome his social position and have a better life. This is similar to
Balrams conquest of the Black Fort given that both events are about Balram overcoming an
obstacle and achieving something he had desired for many years. Furthermore, the return of
Balram to his home town of Laxmangarh after many years reflects Balrams return to his original
interest of entrepreneurship. Considering this, one can see that Balram mentioning the murder of
Mr. Ashok after his conquering of the Black Fort was not random. Balram mentioned it at a time
where he was doing the very same thing he accomplished when he killed Mr. Ashok: overcoming
an obstacle to achieve something he had wanted for a very long time. Balram couldnt have
mentioned it at a better time.