SYBA English Indian Literature Semester III-munotes

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1UNIT -I
1
CRITICAL STUDY OF TWO ESSAYS
(MEENAKSHI MUKHARJEE’S “THE ANXIETY OF
INDIANNESS” AND URVASHI BUTALIA’S “MEMORY”
FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE: VIOLENCE
FROM THE PARTITION OF INDIA )
Unit Structure :
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Meenakshi Mukherjee : “The Anxiety of Indianness” from The
Perishable Empire : Essays on Indian Writing in English
1.3 Urvashi Butalia: “Memory” from The Other Side of Silence :
Voices from the Partition of India
1.4 Let’s Sum Up
1.0OBJECTIVE
The objective of this Unit is to introduce to the readers the
development of Prose in Indian Writing in English and how the
contribution of various eminent authors have made this genre a very
successful and preferred area of literary art.
The two essays Meena kshi Mukherjee’s ‘The Anxiety of
Indianness’ from The Perishable Empire : Essays on Indian Writing in
English and Urvashi Butalia’s ‘Memory’ from The Other Side of Silence :
Voices from the Partition of India on the one hand relates to the anxiety that
India n writers face because of their Indianness and on the other hand covers
the trauma and pain of partition through the untold tales of common folk,
especially the women. The narrations touch upon the mind and heart of every
Indian as they express the pain of identity crisis and the pathos of existence.
1.1INTRODUCTION
From the times of the British rule in India, English has acquired a
dominant position and has very swiftly moved away from its alien status
to an inner creative urge of expressiveness. The contributions of various
literary writers have brought out an overw helming and remarkable
impression in the history of Indian Writing in English. Starting from the
range of concepts like nationalism, freedom struggle, social realism,
individual consciousness and many more the writers have progressed with
a unique style of their own, gradually conquering the convolutions of themunotes.in

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2overseas language and blending in it the shades and savors of the Indian
sub-continent. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was the first Indian to commendably
express himself in black and white through English langu age followed by
Swami Vivekananda who displayed his mastery of the language through
his reminiscent prose that made the West sit up in awe and appreciation.
Rabindranath Tagore contributed noteworthy prose in the form of lectures
and his collection of spee ches, ‘Personality and Nationalism’, ‘Creative
Unity’ ‘The Religion of Man’ has brought forward the theme of divinity,
revealing him as an internationalist and a humanist preaching the gospel of
harmony. Sri Aurobindo produced voluminous prose writings bas ed on
religious, metaphysical, political, cultural, social and literary subjects. His
essays on the Gita, ‘The Life Divine’, ‘The Synthesis of Yoga’ and
‘Heraclitus’ presented the theme of affirmation of a divine life earth and
an immortal sense in mortal existence.
Mahatma Gandhi added to the evolvement of English prose with his
autobiographical writing ‘My Experiments with Truth’. The
contemporaries of Mahatma Gandhi who showed their mastery in English
prose were Rajagopalachari, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr. B . R. Ambedkar, Jay
Prakash Narayan, V. D. Savarkar, to name a few. Jawaharlal Nehru’s
‘Glimpses of World History’ and “Discovery of India’ became
masterpieces in Indian English Prose writing with simple but remarkable
choice of English words and phrases. S ir Radhakrishnan was also an
exponent of religious and philosophical prose and his works ‘Reign of
Religion in Contemporary Philosophy’, ‘Indian Philosophy’, ‘The Hindu
View of Life’, ‘The Future of Civilization’ expressed a comprehensive
account of philos ophical thought. Nirad C. Chaudhuri added to the
extravagance of English prose with his famous works like ‘Grand
Solitary’, ‘The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian’, ‘A Passage to
England’, ‘The Continent of Circle’, etc. Many more authors followed the
trend of English Prose Writing like Meenakshi Mukherjee, Urvashi
Butalia, Jasbir Jain, K. Satchidanandan. Arjun Dangle, to name a few; and
their contributions have augmented the concept and subject of prose
enrichment.
1.2MEENAKSHI MUKHERJEE : “THE ANXIETY OF
INDIANNESS” FROM THE PERISHABLE EMPIRE:
ESSAYS ON INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH
THE AUTHOR :
Meenakshi Mukherjee (died 16thSeptember 2009, aged 72), wrote
extensive Indian English Criticism and traced the rise of novel in India. Her
inspirin g opinions were judiciouslytheorized from a transgressive,
postcolonial and feminist lens and were not just restricted to literary studies
but also took into account cultural history. Famous for her colonial and
postcolonial studies, she often merges femin ist writing along with her other
works on varied subjects. Her book, ‘An Indian for all Seasons’ (a biography
of the historian R.C. Dutt) is a pioneer in Indian English biographical writing.
She received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2003 for her highly -appreciated
book, ‘The Perishable Empire: Essays on Indian Writing in English’. Hermunotes.in

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3book, ‘The Twice Born Fiction: Themes and Techniques of Indian Novel in
English’, made her a forerunner of contextualizing and positioning novels in
their historical and socia l framework integrating the various junctures such as
class, gender, culture and colonialism. She leaves behind a legacy in the form
of her inspiring profound work that will help the next generation readers and
researchers to walk hassle -free on the path o f writing.
SUMMARISING THE TEXT :
First published as ‘The Anxiety of Indianness: Our Novels in English’
in the Economic and Political Weekly (Vol.28. No.48; Nov. 27,1993) and
then included in the book, The Perishable Empire: Essays on Indian Writing
in English (2000), Meenakshi Mukherjee starts her essay with the positive
approach of how in a short period of time, since Indians have adopted a
relationship with English language, there has been a sudden e scalation and
prominence of English novels written by Indians. These writers whom the
Time Magazine calls “the new makers of World Fiction” take the raw
material of their novels from India but target the world audience so
vehemently that they are even read y to undertake journeys –either factual or
metaphorical. The major argument that is delved into is the identity of the
Indian writers –should they come out of their colonial hangover and focus on
their vernacular strength; or should they continue to focu s on the Queen’s
language and try to create a unique global forum; or should they develop a
new English language that will have the capacity to hold on and spread the
ethnicity of India.
Divided into six sections, the writer takes a reference from the
Foreword written by Raja Rao in his novel ‘Kathapura’, Mukherjee points out
that how Raja Rao not only experimented with language striving to make
English take on the rhythm of Kannad but also focused on the narrative mode
challenging the universal expecta tions of novel that was prevalent in Western
Europe during that time. He used the ‘sthalapurana’ form –the legendary
history of a village caught up in the Gandhian Movement as told by an old
woman –trying to assimilate myth with history. Raja Rao definit ely
addresses the problem of the encounter between language and culture in the
Indian perspective –the difficulty of conveying the myths, cultures and
legends in a language that we have acquired and not inherited. The English
language ensembles the brainp ower no doubt but fails to catch the local
emotions and thus it becomes difficult to write a regional novel in an alien
language and then finding an international audience.
Meenakshi Mukherjee then moves on to seek justification on why
when Indians write in English they are termed as Indian Writers in English
but when they write in their mother tongue they are not referred to as Indian
writer in Marathi or Bengali rather just considered as a Marathi writer or a
Bengali writer. It is indeed for wider audien ce and having a literary
competence only in English (apart from the language they speak at home) that
Indian authors prefer the language and delve into it. The second question that
she touches upon is regarding those writers who didn’t shift from their mot her
tongue to English, what would the children of those vernacular writers do –
would they continue to write in their mother tongue or would they be
compelled to choose differently? She believes that the Indian writers writing
in English also uses basic In dian themes like Mulk Raj Anand using the classmunotes.in

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4and caste inequities, Bhabani Bhattacharya’s religious exposure, Kamala
Markandaya’s concern for the suffering Indian women, etc. –all these reflect
the cases of the Indian anxiety manifested in the themes. She also refers to the
‘Indianness’ used by R.K. Narayan that evolved in and around the town of
Malgudi and points out how there is a difference in the setting, character and
culture between English writers and vernacular writers; for example the
powerful stories of tribal life by Mahasweta Devi. What Mukherjee believes
is that the English texts have a greater pull towards a homogenization of
reality, trying to flatten the complicated and conflicting outlines as the Indian
writers in English have other unst ated compulsions –especially the
uncertainty about their target audience.
Mukherjee assumes that because for a long time English writing in
India was destined to remain constricted as the normal condition of literary
production like culture and its varia tions, language and its dialects, oral
tradition and written literature, etc. networked to originate a new text; and this
was not the case with the English in India. And when these older generation
of novelists in English were handling the themes in India they remained
predictably pan -Indian –themes like national movement, partition of the
country, tradition and modernity, faith and rationality, east -west
confrontation, etc. –they were in a way defining ‘Indian’ concerns as against
local or regional issue s. As the history of English novel in Britain from
‘Robinson Crusoe’ to ‘Brideshead Revisited’ can be seen as a chronicle of the
nation –constructing the ideas and concepts associated with the national life
as well as differentiating it from what is not B ritish –similarly the Indian
novel in English also has a brief history of articulating national identity. From
the three pioneering writers, R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao,
who with their differences in ideology, background and narrative modes had
shared a common unspoken faith of projecting Indian reality through
particularized situations; to the authors like Amitav Ghosh and Vikram Seth
who brought in Asia and Africa into their writings –Indian writing in English
has seen major inclusions and exclusions now and again.
Meenakshi Mukherjee then traces back to the success of one seminal novel,
‘Midnight’s Children’ by Salman Rushdie where Rushdie celebrates the
plenitude of India –the novel constructing the idea of a nation, an India that is
inclusive and tolerant and, on the other side, the novel is plagued with an
anxiety about the fragility of this concept of India. Rushdie’s success became
a liberating factor for a large number of Indian writers at home and abroad.
Initially as Rushdie clone s and later the younger writers have been able to
enter the expansive space in literature which the western world has earlier
reserved for the privileged race. And at this juncture the writers had
overlooked the vast space that was available for them in In dia too. But of late,
Mukherjee notices, that some of the novelists who have gained fame abroad
are suddenly eager to connect with their origin and establishing a language
harmony.
Mukherjee then moves on to Timothy Brennan’s proposed new
category of nove lists–the ‘Third World Cosmopolitans’ –who emerge from
a non -western culture, but their exceptional hold over the contemporary
expression of the cosmopolitan meta -language of chronicle confirms their
encouraging response in the international centres of publication and criticism.munotes.in

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5The expectation from these Third World cosmopolitan writers, who are also
known as postcolonial writers, is that they will highlight the experience of
colonialism, making it as their theme or metaphor. She also feels that one of
the reasons why our ‘Bhasha’ classics, be it from the past or the present, and
even translated into English, do not get recognition because on the one side
they are more conditioned by other literature and on the other side they have a
constant local and c omplex pressure. She completely complies with the fact
that for those who live outside India, like Bharati Mukherjee, India is just a
metaphor being used in their novels but for those who stay in India it is a day -
to-day living. She clearly justifies –“India may be a ‘discursive space’ for
the writer of Indian origin living elsewhere, but those living and writing here,
particularly the bhasha novelist, would seldom make figurative use of
something as amorphous as the idea of India, because s/he has a multi tude of
specific and local experiences to turn into tropes and play with .”
Very specifically does Meenakshi Mukherjee say that if the anxiety of
Indianness in the past writers like Raja Rao, Mulk Raj Anand and R.K.
Narayan was seen in their desire to be r ooted, the anxiety of the new
generation of writers, who can very easily flourish with international
approachability in the present times, can be attributed to the pressures of the
global marketplace. In the recent times when we talk about the ‘New Indian
Novel’ or ‘Publishing in India’, English is only presumed as the language in
which publishing is done in India and today the language of the elite is no
longer considered an allegation that requires to be sidestepped. It is mainly
the demand of economy tha t has generated an amalgamation of cultures and
in India the language that has most effectively achieved this is English.
Though, with the emergence of globalization and the ‘MNC culture’ that has
continuously led to the establishment and dominance of the English language
culture in the work -place, the liability of mother tongue has not entirely
erased. So howsoever connected a writer is with the American and European
literary styles, the final recognition is through their national linkage.
1.3URVASHI BUT ALIA: “MEMORY” FROM THE
OTHER SIDE OF SILENCE : VOICES FROM THE
PARTITION OF INDIA
THE AUTHOR :
Urvashi Butalia (born 1952), an Indian feminist writer, publisher
and activist, is known for her exclusive work in the women’ s movement in
India and is also highly recognized for her books, The Other Side of
Silence: Voices from the Partition of India andSpeaking Peace: Women’s
Voices from Kashmir . Along with Ritu Menon, another Indian feminist
writer and publisher, she co -founded Kali for Women , India’s first
feminist publishing house in 1984 and founded Zubaan Books in 2003
which was an imprint of the previous publishing house. Butalia and
Menon were jointly awarded the Padma Shri in 2011 for their contribution
in Education an d Literature. Butalia’s major areas of interest are the
Partition and the oral histories from a feminist perspective and she has also
written on issues like gender, fundamentalism, communalism, media, etc.
Her intriguing writings have been a part of variou s newspapers andmunotes.in

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6magazines and her voice has touched upon difficult questions on
community, caste and gender associated with violence that accompanied
partition.
SUMMARISING THE TEXT :
The partition of the t wo countries, India and Pakistan, has caused
one of the massive human tremors in the history of mankind. With
millions of people displaced and dead, women abducted and raped,
children captured and lost; the horrific tales of the partition seep deep into
the hearts creating ripples of pain and suffering. Butalia in ‘Memory’ fills
the cavity by bringing in the individual experiences and their personal
agony and thus making everyone understand how and why certain
happenings become blanketed in silence. But bef ore venturing into the
experiences of others during this violent pandemonium, she traces facets
of her own emotionally distressingand partition -scarred family history.
And all those whom she interviews, disclose that though might be in the
private corners of their life, the painful voices of partition has not calmed
down and the bitterness still haunts. Throughout Butalia raises a very
significant question –what was partition meant to achieve and what did it
actually achieve? How can the unspeakable horror s that burdens the
survivors still be soothed? With a belief that only by remembering and
narrating their harrowing stories maybe the affected can start the course of
healing and forgetting, Butalia delves into this sensitive issue and
heartrending her mis sion to perceive the painful truth behind the engulfing
silence.
Butalia starts her essay with a number of deep rooted questions and
also feels that how much ever we come to know, there remains a lot to be
learnt about partition –in fact, she says she hardly had any idea about how
much she will learn when she started with her work. The ‘history’ of the
event is known by most of the Indians but hearing the pitiful stories of the
survivors she started feeling why the historians had no tattempted to
explore the ‘underside’ of history –the emotions, the pain and anguish,
the trauma, the sense of loss, the silences in which it lay shrouded? The
death, the displacement, the loss, the suffering, all that happened during
the partition was r evisited again in 1984 which acted as a turning point for
many historians. But 1984 had been preceded and was followed by various
equally disturbing developments and people watched in helpless horror the
swelling divergence of the Indian society on the cri teria of religion. The
1984 partition -like situation again brought back memories of the past and
it became significant for the survivors to speak and collect their
testimonies. Though for many it was still painful to speak, there were
many others who wante d their vocal narrations to be recorded for they felt
it was the right time to probe the past.
Butalia believes that though familiar with the history when we
research the past, it becomes an overwhelming anticipation as we get
nothing new maybe except the interpretation, and at times maybe not even
that and it is only how we train our eyes to look into the past that paves the
way. History is based on records and a lot of the past remain untouched asmunotes.in

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7it does not delve into the emotions and feelings attached with those
appalling events. Butalia finds this dig into the past to be an important
aspect for her as a feminist and someone very interested in history and as
she starts her research her main intention is to know how human beings
relate themselves to the ir past? Obviously she feels, as far as Partition
history is concerned, there is a vast gap between the history we have
studied and we know about and the history people remembered. So she
tries to reach out to the voices of those ordinary people so that s he can
touch the past in a different way, different from conventional history that
has marginalized the experiences of the common folk. She takes the
feminist historiography as her instrument because according to her that is
the most unheard area –the are a of silence. Undoubtedly there are reasons
to believe that there is a great crevice between speech and silence and
while framing the history of Partition the voices of women, children,
schedule castes and many others have been silenced on purpose by the
State as well as for the sake of writing history. She is apprehensive about
how much of what people said and unsaid could she bring in print form
and how far will she be successful in making people come out from
silence to speech. On her journey to recover the ‘voices’ she has reached
out to the people’s narratives and testimonies as well as extended to the
letters and documents.
As Butalia reached out to the people she found how difficult it was
to recover women’s voices as, firstly, they are all chained to a particular
hierarchy in the family; secondly, the families are fearful of letting their
members speak about partition without the presence of elders and thirdly,
it is always the men who speak and women, even when addressed directly
they direct it to the men. Even historians like Kathryn Anderson and Dana
C. Jack have pointed that how a woman speaking about her life might
present two separate and even contradicting standpoints –one reflecting
the dominant position of men and the other her experiences which do not
‘fit’. Hence women most often mute their thoughts and feelings and speak
the familiar voice that is publicly acceptable. To make a middle class
woman speak is still easier than a Dalit woman and Butalia says that there
was practically no way a t all in which she could speak to a woman who
had been raped or abducted as they held their stories close to them for the
memory of rape or abduction was shameful for them to be disclosed.
Butalia is very clear about her feministic approach and she feels t hat
though her book in not just directed to women but it is women and their
histories that lie at the core of any incidence.
Butalia’s writing speaks about everything –silence and speech,
memory and forgetting, pain and healing . She quotes Krishna Sobti, a
writer and a partition refugee, who had said ‘Partition was difficult to
forget but dangerous to remember’ and as she goes deep into it she
realizes that she has to explore it with caution as there are many
illustrations where silence is more important than speech. And there are
different types of silence –on one side, the historical silence and, on the
other, familial since where families would prefer hiding their histories.
Some are reluctant to speak as they find no sense in collecting stories;munotes.in

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8some had a fear of the sense of violence that they believe can work against
them. And at times silence was a form of protest –for example, a woman
married to a Muslim abductor took to silence as protest, a Punjabi refugee
witnessing the rape and murder of her neighbour’s daughter took silence
as her weapon, even the great author, Attia Hossain took to silence in
writing about partition as she refused to select between Pakistan and India.
For many it is a kind of resignation –they had adjusted with the trauma –
no one had come to any help at that time so why now? Some of the stories
of women were not known to the families even; now speaking about them
and making them public was not just opening up old wounds but exposing
them to consequences again, maybe another rejection, another trauma .
Partition had suddenly redefined identities; away from cultural,
linguistic, geographical, economic identities, the dominating factor was
the religious identity. And violence became so complicit that the victims
and the assailants became reluctant to remember it. Strangely in India
there is no institutional memory of partition –no memorials, no marks at
the borders, no plaque, no particular post –it was just the dark side of
independence. It was just the survivor families who commemorated the
martyrdoms and held remembrance rituals to pay homage to the lost souls.
A powerful and moving account of women martyrdom can be see through
the picture of Mata Lajjawanti who fearlessly led ninety women to their
deaths by ju mping into a well full of water. The ceremony of such
martyrdom continues and coming out from the stories of rape and
abduction they have transformed their history into courage and bravery.
As Butalia progresses towards the end of her writing, she finds o ut
how apart from the stories of violence and loss, there are also innumerable
stories on friendship and sharing and how, though the British had kept the
two countries apart, they had crossed time and again and how inspite of
the trauma opportunities have opened up to make something of the lives of
the people. Butalia also refers to the category of women who are termed as
‘Partition widows’ who were provided training and work by the State
government and now depended on their meagre pension. If widows could
stand on their feet it was obvious that other women also joined professions
like teaching and nursing or business and social work. All these women,
putting aside their own grief and loss, gave their selves to working with
the new nation, especially for its women. Butalia ends her narration with
the touching tale of Chaudhary Latifand Harikishan Das Bedi and the
special relationship that had grown between them through letters –
evidence of the fact that borders can be crossed and friendships built and
mainta ined.
1.4LET’S SUM UP
On the one side, Meenakshi Mukherjee’s elaborating the fact of
anxiety persisting among the novelists and how the dogma of Indianness
has played its role into the mind and writings of the authors are well
established. The concept o f traditional vernacular writing in contrast tomunotes.in

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9Indian writing in English has been focused upon and exemplified which
should be the proper mode of writing for Indians. On the other side,
Urvashi Butalia revisits the time of Partition delving into the lives of the
survivors and trying to reach out to that silence that the historians had
failed to capture. Trying to scoop out the trauma and the pain, she realizes
how tender that area is and how it should be carefully handled and well
preserved.
Works Cited
https://www.scribd.com › document › Meenakshi -Mukher.

munotes.in

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10UNIT II
2
CRITICAL STUDY OF TWO ESSAYS
(K. Satchidanandan’ s “That Third Space: Interrogating the
Diasporic Paradigm” and Jasbir Jain’s “Prologue” from
beyond post colonialism: dreams and realities
of a nation )
Unit Structure :
2.0 Objectives
2.1 About the author ( Jasbir Jain)
2.2 About the essay Prologue: from the personal to the political
2.3 Key arguments of the essay
2.4 Key points of the essay
2.5 Questions
2.6 About the author ( K. Satchidanandan )
2.7 About the essay That Third Space: interrogating the diasporic
paradigm
2.8 Key points of the Essay
2.9 Summing Up
2.10 Questions
2.0 OBJECTIVES
In this unit, we will study two critical essays by Jasbir Jain and K.
Satchidananda n. Students with be acquainted with the critical concepts
like the diaspora, colonialism ad post -colonialism, the third space and will
learn how a critical argument is logically advanced and presented in an
essay. The unit will help the students to understa nd and appreciate
academic papers and development of an argument.
Prologue: from the personal to the political
beyond post colonialism: dreams and realities of a nation
2.1 ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasbir Jainis a renowned academician. She is an Emeritus Fellow at
University of Rajasthan and is also the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi
Fellowship as Writer in Residence, K.K. Birla Fellowship and severalmunotes.in

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11other awards. She has also taught at various universities abroad including
Copenhagen (Denmark) and Tampere (Finland).
Jain is an extensive researcher on varied range of subjects across
languages and genres and has contributed volumes in the field of academic
writing. Her books include -‘Indigenous Roots of Feminism’ (2011),
‘Theorising Resistance ’(2012), ‘ You Ask, I Tell’ -a translation of Hansa
Wadkar’s autobiography, with Shobha Shinde (2013), ‘ The Diaspora
Writes Home’ (2015), ‘ Forgiveness: Between Memory and History ’
(2016), ‘ Bridge Across the Rivers’ (2017) co -edited with Tripti Jain and
‘Sub continental Histories: Literary Reflections on the Nineteenth and
Twentieth Centuries’ (2018).
2.2 ABOUT THE ‘PROLOGUE: FROM THE PERSONAL
TO THE POLITICAL ’
The prescribed text –‘Prologue: from the personal to the
political ’ is the befitting beginning t o Jasbir Jain’s book -Beyond Post
colonialism: Dreams and Realities of a Nation’ .
Jain, in her book -‘Beyond Post colonialism: Dreams and Realities
of a Nation’ speculates into the nature of Indian novels across languages
after 1947 and enquires into the legitimacy of the framework of post
colonialism to apply to the term called Indian novels which is
characterised by multiplicities –of language, of experience, of themes and
subjects.
Jain says that Post-colonialism is marked by concentration of
power an d resistance to change and as a result of this post -
colonialismignores and erases the indigenous inheritance. It ignores the
fact that there is a constant revision into the past and there is a continual
dialogue with culture, politics and language.
Looki ng into the genre of Indian novels post 1947 across varied
Indian languages, Jain says that these novels are extremely varied in
respect to themes, subject -matter, experiences and languages and display
several shifts in narrative structures and their inter action with art
movements, with location and space as well as with the social realities of
caste and community, which continue to dominate our epistemological
frameworks. Although novel as a form is historical in its narrative style
and representation, it functions concurrently as a counter discourse
because the novelistic form is continuously opening out the hidden layers
of history with a continuous evaluation and dialogue with the on -going
socio -cultural and political worldviews. Working at these multipl e levels,
the novel is both political and personal. It is a powerful counter discourse
and a critique of cultural practices. The novels after 1947 passed through
the dreams of freedom actualised through the accompanying brutality and
violence of the partit ion. Passing through the violence of the partition and
the visions of independence, Jain traces the early diasporic writing, themunotes.in

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12gender issues and feminism, classical and experiential aesthetics including
the Rasa theory. Jain makes a powerful claim for ne w interpretative
strategies and the recognition of new tropes while describing Indian novels
after Independence.
2.3 KEY ARGUMENTS OF THE TEXT
Jain begins her prologue by saying that the post -1947 novel in
India is marked by multiplicities: multiplicities in terms of language,
themes and discourses, landscapes and perspectives and even memories.
Besides, post -independence novels in India freely move between oral
traditions and newer experiments associated with modernism and post -
modernism. Th erefore, it is not possible to include Indian novels after
Independence under a singular definition.
Post colonialism is the critical study of the state of affairs after the
Western Colonialism. It also means the simultaneous project to re -think
andreclaim the history of the subaltern -the people subordinated under
diverse forms of imperialism. The key goal of post -colonialism is
accounting for and combating the residual effects of colonialism. Because,
post-colonialism is driven by this ultimate goa l, it offers a perspective
which is imposed by the western position and market forces. Therefore,
post-colonialism as an ambit is insufficient to include the vast diversity of
the Indian novel. And defining Indian Novel within the convenient terms
would se rve as the reductionist strategy.
Jain makes it clear that the purpose of her book is to seek a
different pair of lens to explore the everyday revolutions taking place
everywhere and to work for an integrated concept of Indian Writing across
languages.
Jain says that the novel once displayed hierarchical control like
representing and glorifying the ascetic figure or the Gandhian image.
Those singular representations and the need to explain one’s culture to the
other is pushed to the background. Instead, the writers across Indian
languages like Amitabh Ghosh, Mridula Garg, Bama, Ashapurna Devi
display varied themes and strategies to defy any singular standard norm of
writing. The writer today explores the form of the novel for himself/
herself and talks of matters that were not spoken earlier. As a result, a new
kind of aesthetic, a new kind of realism has come into being that depicts
through a distant, objective narrative voice the ugly and the filthy like the
violence challenging the old RASA theory.
Jain then proceeds to explore the term ‘nation’. Defining ‘nation’
also has become difficult today because the constitutive elements of a
nation like religion, culture and geographical boundary have become fluid.
With religion, culture and power –the constit utive elements while
understanding the term ‘nation’ coming under scrutiny, the idea of the
‘nation’ has been under constant change. Duel -citizenship, duel national -munotes.in

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13identity after the partition and religion being challenged by political
realities have pos ed problems of defining nationhood on the basis of
geographical boundaries or religious ground or socio -cultural grounds.
Jain says that in the near future, the reformist writings of authors
like Jyotiba Phule and other writers who uncover and criticise the caste
histories may also be placed under review just like the way British
reformist activities are placed under suspicion. This is because the
intellectuals are always placing the past under scanner consciously and
unconsciously. The contemporary novel too is performing this role. Even
while saying that a writer is using the realist mode or writing about social
reality, we are problematizing the situation because the nature of ‘reality’
itself is illusionary.
While going back to the category of nation , Jain brings in the idea
of Diaspora, a non -ignorable phenomenon visible today. The mixture of
the ‘Host Cultures’ -the cultures of adoption, and the culture that is left
behind, problematize the representation of a pure iconic singular culture.
These di asporic writing with their multiple identities, pose the question
where it wishes to belong. The trope of dislocation demands the trope of
belonging. Jain contends that although the diasporic dislocation have
already earned a literary respectability, the d islocation and trauma caused
by the partition and other sub -continental strife is still to achieve the
desired academic space. Therefore, Jain focuses on writers for whom
dislocation is a constant happening and a constant reminder of all traumas
like Mumta z Shah Nawaz, Attia Hosain, Intezar Husain and Abdur
Samad.
The last part of the prologue throws light on the dominant tropes of
contemporary Indian novel.
Jain says that the dominant tropes are a reworking of the inherited
concepts like dharma and kar ma. These two concepts function at more
than one level and also need a re -evaluation at the same time. The
meanings of the concepts of the Dharma and Karma, functioning at the
level of the individual, the community and the nation, offer a wonderful
trope t o the contemporary writers. Although the writers can limit to
anyone of the meaning, the concepts have the capacity to expand to the
social and political realities.
The second trope is that of belonging. The contemporary Indian
novel suggests the problem atic where does one belong to in terms of
language, region, religion and nation.
The third trope is the engagement with violence and hatred.
Violence and hatred can manifest in different forms like social
discrimination, of personal, familial or societal persecution, communal
riots. The violence can be the results of hatred, aggression and prejudices
of the authorities. Being detonative by its very nature, Violence expresses
itself in far ranging directions.munotes.in

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14The contemporary Indian novel displaying the I nner conflicts of
being and belonging, the conflicting social relations, the national conflicts
of power demands a continuous dialogue with the fluidity of the present
moment.
2.4 KEY POINTS OF THE ESSAY:
The prologue is divided into three parts –Jain first discusses the
pluralities existing within the post -independence Indian novels that
drastically move away from the earlier hierarchical control of
representation to emerge into new forms of realistic fiction associated with
modernism and post -modern ism. The contemporary Indian novel stems
from the personal positions of the authors but consciously or
unconsciously builds up a dialogue with its own past. These revisionist
dialogues with the past offer a political position demanding new
frameworks to lo ok at these dynamic narrative structures.
In the second part, Jain focuses on the problematisation of the term
‘nation’ and contends that the idea of the nation also has been changed
completely today. It is no more a fixed, defined idea on the basis of
geographical boundaries, religion or culture. Nation too has become
indefinable and a fluid concept today and the idea of the diaspora further
complicates the issues of homeland and belonging.
In the third part, Jain focuses on the dominant tropes of
contem porary Indian novel –the reworking of the concepts of Dharma and
Karma, the problematic of belonging and the representation of hatred and
violence –pushes the contemporary Indian novel to demand a framework
to map the constant dialogue with the fluid momen ts of the present.
2.5 QUESTIONS
1.Write a note on the important concept discussed in the prologue.
2.Write a note on the key argument made by Jasbir Jain in the prologue.
2.6 ABOUT THE AUTHOR (K. SATCHIDANANDAN )
A pioneer of modern poetry inMalayalam and a bilingual literary
critic, K. Satchidanandan was born in 1946 in Kerala. His multifaceted
personality as playwright ,editor ,columnist andtranslator has earned him
an iconic position in Indian literary scenario. As a bilingual critic, K.
Satchidana ndan writes both in his mother tongue Malayalam and
English. He has served his tenure as the former Editor ofIndian
Literature journal and the former Secretary of Sahitya Akademi . A social
advocate, he supports causes like environment ,human rights and ri ghts for
free software. He is a well -known speaker on issues concerning
contemporary Indian literature. He is the festival director of Kerala
Literature Festivalmunotes.in

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152.7ABOUT THE ESSAY THAT THIRD SPACE:
INTERROGATING THE DIASPORIC PARADIGM
K. Satchidanandan in this paper poses to problematize the standard
notion of the diaspora. His primary argument is that the diasporic
experiences have undergone tremendous change today with the
advancement communication network and multi -media developments and
therefore, d iaspora cannot be viewed with the same standard framework of
homogenous exile -experience. He first unsettles the idea of the diasporic
immigration on the basis of different class, status in the job -market, class,
gender and minority -majority status. Then, he unsettles the idea of
Indianness as a singular phenomenon based on the concept of united
nationalism and cohesive culture. After unsettling the concept of diaspora
to an indefinable phenomenon that Homi Bhabha calls the third space, K.
Satchidanandan concludes the essay on a personal note by sharing his own
experience as a Malayali diasporic writer.
2.8 THE KEY POINTS OF THE ESSAY
K. Satchidanandan begins his paper with three small excerpts from
Panna Naik, Meena Alexander and Homi Bhabha and all the three
excerpts evoke the problematic of location and displacement associated
with diaspora. Diaspora refers to the scattered population of a country who
have left their indigenous territory, their homeland for various reasons to
differen t places of the globe. The last few decades have seen a tremendous
rise in writings by and about these scattered people of the globe. The idea
of diasporic subjectivity –the diasporic experiences of the subject as an
exile -had been an important topic of ac ademic research.
K. Satchidanandan begins his essay with the contention that the
phenomenon of diaspora has come to a stage where the concept needs a
revision and a fresh interrogation. He doesn’t deny the fact that diasporic
experience is a great source of creative inspiration because the dislocation
creates agonising pain mixed with the dilemma of new -subjectivity. The
experience of the exile, the memories of homeland and the complex
engagement with multiple identities contribute in a positive spring of
artistic stimulus.
But, the tremendous advancement of real -time cyber
communication today has definitely changed the agonising experiences of
the exile, of the pangs of dislocations and displacements of diaspora.
There is a contradictory pull when we ta lk about the exile experience of
the diaspora today because the advanced multi -media communication have
made possible of forming a little ‘real’ community of one’s own people, of
one’s own homeland and this community is not ‘imagined’. These shared
experie nces with one’s own people who possibly speak the same language
have changed the nature of the experience of the diasporic exile. The large
communication networks today have led to the obliteration of the national
boundaries and thus promoting intense tran snational communication.munotes.in

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16These smart multi -media communications fosters intense communication
network between the members of a diasporic community. Therefore, the
diasporic community remain local and at the same time, gain multinational
characteristics. The homeland has become both remote and accessible at
the same time.
Familiarizing Nalini Natarajan’sconcept of diasporic subjectivity,
K. Satchidanandan says that the world today is ruled by visual, auditory
and verbal images created by the multi -media. Th ese images play a crucial
role in shaping the diasporic experiences as these images as varied as
ranging from culinary to religious combine memory, experience and
desire. These images juxtaposing mythology with commercial
advertisements create new discours es. These discourses challenge the
media hegemony in the city which contradictorily strengthens other
hegemonies like caste or class or religion within the community.
After pointing out the need to look at diasporic experience as the
contradictory phenom ena of migration and cyber -communication, K.
Satchidanand anproblematizes the concept of diaspora on the basis of
certain assumptions about diasporic writing. The first challenge that he
poses is that the location of the writings in indigenous regional la nguage in
the conventional diasporic paradigm. Satchidanandan says that the term
diaspora is used as an umbrella term for immigrant workers evading the
differences in contexts as well as in background. The first general
assumption about diaspora is that it only refers to those writers who write
in English as presumed by Emmanuel S. Nelson in his book -‘Writers of
Indian Diaspora’ . In such context, where does one locate regional Indian
writers like a Malayalam writer in Oman or a Bengali writer in Paris?
Does writing in English become an inevitable precondition to be qualified
as diasporic writer?
The second general assumption about the diasporic writer is that
he/she occupies a ‘second space’ of exile and cultural solitude and Homi
Bhabha calls it a Third Space. The third space is a hybrid location of
perpetual tension and indefinability. Thereality of the body as a material
production of one’s local culture placed against the thoughts of the mind
as the sub -text of global experience s creates the unique hybrid existence of
the diasporic writer. These contradictory pulls of local and the global, of
material reality and the cognitive reality enunciates the indefinability of
the third space. Third Space acts as a vague area created after the
interaction of two or more individuals /cultures. The individual and local
experiences of the diasporic writer challenge our notions of the historical
identity of culture as a homogenous, unifying force. Bhabha says that the
inter-subjective and collective experiences of nationhood, of community
interest and cultural values are negotiated with the rise of the intervening
third space. This negotiation of cultural identity involves continuous
exchange of cul tural performances and these continuous exchanges cause
a mutual and mutable recognition of cultural difference. This recognition
of cultural difference is not the reflection of the fixed traditional cultural
traits.munotes.in

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17The context of immigration also change s the nature of diasporic
experience. The earlier Diasporas were the results of forced immigration –
of people who wanted to escape religious, social or political oppression.
But, the immigration happening after 1970s is the result of the hope and
promise of an enhanced life -style. People chose to immigrate for better
material and academic success. These immigrants didn’t have to burn the
bridges with the past. Rather, a new stronger bond with the past evolved
specially in the field of academics and working in the South -Asian
Departments. These new immigrants –the ‘resident aliens’ like Gayatri
Spivak and Amartya Sen, who became a new kind of coloniser without the
intention of ruling over the land but taking advantage of their position in
the labour -market. They had a home to go back and an identity to protect.
Satchidananda nthen brings in the knot of class difference in
diasporic experience. He says that one cannot ignore the difference
between a refugee worker and an academician working at a University.
And, just like the class factor, language and gender too come as
differentialising agents.
Apart from these qualitative factors, the quantitative factors like
the status within the majority and minority population contribute to the
intensity of exile exp erience. Besides, the experiences of the second
generation and third generation migrants are obviously different from the
first generation migrants. The concept of the distant homeland is unreal to
them. Home becomes an imaginative space rather than of nos talgic
remembrances.
Satchidananda nsays that this transposition, this switch of memory
to imagination in the second generation is noticeable in many second
generation migrants from Kerala. The second generation re -construct their
homeland from fragments of information from the hearsay or the internet.
Home is a place not to return to but to visit as a guest, as a tourist and a
place to fantasise about. Therefore, the idea of the home is related to time
transforming it into history or myth.
It is import ant, therefore to consider the different forms of
‘othering’ experiences within the diaspora along with the different levels
of identity.
After this, K. Satchidanandan begins with the second part of the
essay dealing with the concept of ‘Indianness’ in th e contemporary times.
He says that the idea of Indianness is being challenged today from diverse
perspectives of the Dalits, the tribals, of women, of gay and lesbian and
minorities to give few examples. These diverse perspectives make it
impossible to pin down the concept of Indianness to any singular,
essentialist notion. He says that the essentialist concept of India is derived
from the Orientalist discourses. But, today the essentialist idea of
Indianness is challenged and gives way to the idea of a pol yphonic India -a
mosaic of various cultures. But, Satchidanandan observes that critical
discourses on Indian Diaspora seem to hook on to those essentialist exoticmunotes.in

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18ideas of India combined with the diasporic writer’s own conception of his
country. Satchidanan dan quotes Homi Bhabha to bring in the idea of the
shifting boundaries disrupting the existence of a single monologic
discourse. Bhabha says that the people occupying that third space, the
diaspora mark a shifting boundary that distances the borders of mod ern
India. The single discourses of modern cities with memories of the
imperial rule are unsettled to give way to multiple shifting notions. The
diaspora creates a moment when the imperial inheritance is thrown back
and as a result, challenges the single n otion of modern Western nation.
But, it can also foster cultural nationalism like Hindu hegemony pulling
down another religion. Religion, patriarchy, class –structure, ethnic
conflicts can be reproduced and reinforced by diasporic ideologies.
Reinforcement s happen when the nostalgia of the lost golden past makes a
diasporic writer to impose the past structure to create a Promised Future.
After challenging the old singular concept of a nation and its
unified culture, Satchidanandan then goes on to extend t he concept
diaspora happening within the country like the Malayali diaspora in Delhi,
or a Santhali diaspora in Kolkata. These diasporic migrants are
concentrated basically in the cities and give the cities a multi -cultural
cosmopolitan character.
Being a Malayalidiasporic writer in Delhi, Satchidanandan says
that he can talk about Malayali diaspora with authenticity. He says that
Malayali diaspora has been contributing significantly since 1960s to
Malayali literature producing specifically new genres of w riting reflecting
the diasporic consciousness. He gives example of the ‘military fiction’ –
products of writers in the army like Kovilan, Parappurah, Vinayan and
Nandanarreflecting the complex life in the barracks. Many of the writings
of Malayali Diaspora r eflect cosmopolitanism in their pan -Indian themes,
characters, language and even in linguistic structures.
Satchidanandan declares that Modernism in Malayali literature,
especially fiction, is a product of Malayalidiasporic writers living in Delhi,
Mumba i and Kolkata. They reflect in their writing an influence of urban
life by which they express their perspectives –the distrust in the system,
fear of the crowd, the experience of boredom and nostalgia for the lost
villages of Kerala.
Satchidanandan concludes his unsettling essay on a personal note
by sharing his experience as diasporic poet. He says that there is no way of
knowing whether he would have written the poems if he had continued to
live in Kerala. But, he admits that some po ems definitely bear the mark of
exile like the series of poems on Saint Poets which are the product of his
interaction with the Bhakti -Sufi movement after his arrival in Delhi. His
interest in Bhakti -Sufi movement is the result of his search for alternativ e
to contest the hegemonic versions of politicised religion.
Besides, Kerala began to appear on his poems in all its diverse
forms -birds, flora and fauna, contemporary cultural icons in movies. Hismunotes.in

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19distance from the homeland has advantaged him to experie nce the anxiety
of being in the Third Space of the homeless providing him with the
stimulus for creative expressions.
2.9 SUMMING -UP
Thematically the essay can be divided into three parts. The first
part dea ls with problematizing the general concept of diaspora as a
homogenised concept. He evokes the contradictory pull created by
diasporic migration and advanced cyber -communication. The advanced
multi -media communication system has helped a diasporic person t o
experience the homeland as local while being a transnational citizen. This
has created a shifting hybrid identity of global and local at the same time.
Besides, there are the differences within the migrant workers –their class,
their status in the labour market, gender, language and the generation -all
vary to such an extent that it is impossible to pin down diaspora to one
single monolithic concept. It is that indefinable hybrid space that Homi
Bhabha calls the third space. K. Satchidananda nbringing in the concept of
the third space as postulated by Homi Bhabha says that diaspora must be
viewed keeping in mind the different forms of othering experiences in
terms of class, gender, ethnic identity, status majority -minority.
The second part of the essay deals with the idea of Indianness and
the impossibility of arriving at a monolithic idea of the same. The idea of
the nationhood, of Indianness has also become fluid and eternally hybrid.
The concept of Indianness based on the concept of united India with a
single unified culture, is pulled down to create the notion of a polyphonic
India which is impossible to define with a single essential attribute.
Satchidananda nthen talks about the regional diaspora, the inter -state
immigration happening within the co untry. He says that the writers from
these trans -regional diaspora have been contributing to the regional
literature of their own native state with the same fervour and zeal as with
the transnational diaspora.
The third part of the essay deal s with the writer’s own personal
experience as a diasporic writer. After problematizing the standard notion
of diaspora, K. Satchidananda nconcludes the essay with his personal note.
2.10 QUESTIONS
1.Discuss key points the essay That Third Space: in terrogating the
diasporic paradigm .
2.Write a note on the key argument made by K. Satchidananda n’s essay.
munotes.in

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20UNIT III
3
CRITICAL STUDY OF ANITA DESAI’S
FASTING FEASTING -PART I
Unit Structure :
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Anita Desai
3.3 Fasting, Feasting
3.4 The Structure of the novel, Fasting, Feasting
3.5 Summary of the novel, Fasting, Feasting
3.6 Questions
3.0 OBJECTIVES
This unit aims at making the students familiar with:
Anita Desai, a well -known Indian Novelist
Fasting , Feasting, the novel by Anita Desai
The narrative structure and style of the novel
Indian Diaspora writing
3.1 INTRODUCTION
Indian literature in English has a history of about two hundred
years now. With the introduction of English educational system in India
by Lord Macaulay, English became the medium of instruction of
education in India. Three modern universities were establi shed in India in
1857 to cater to the educational needs of Indian students and also to fulfil
the requirement of cheap labour force to run the British Raj. Soon the
Indians started to show their immense interest and liking for English
language and literatu re. It initially started with the writers from Calcutta
and soon they were followed by the young minds from all over the
country. At present the number of books written in English in India is
more than the books written in all Indian languages put together .
The history of writing in English in India has numerous well -
known names of writers like Rabindranath Tagore, Bibhutibhushan
Bandopadhyaya, Sarojini Naidu, Raja Rao, R. K. Narayan, Nayantara
Sahgal, and a host of others, who have won international acco lades.
Amongst them Anita Desai is one of the very important and successful
writers.munotes.in

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213.2 ANITA DESAI
Anita Desai, a child of German Indian mother and Bengali father,
is an Indian author known for her novels, short stories and also for her
multilingualism as she speaks several Indian and foreign languages
including Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, German and English. As a child, she was
brought up in Delhi, where she picked up English and started writing in it
at an early age of seven. She completed her graduation in English
Literature from University of Delhi. She is married to Ashvin Desai and
has four children. Her daughter, Kiran Desai is also a well -known Indian
English writer, who has won Booker Prize for literature. She has been a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and the American Academy of
Arts and Letters. Besides an active and prolific writer, she also taught
creative writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has also
taught at Mount Holyoke College, Baruch College, and Smith College.
Anita Desai is also Padma Bushan Awardee of Govt. of India.
Anita Desai’s 1978 novel, Fire on the Mountain, won her Sahitya
Academi Award. She is also awarded with the British Guardian Prize for
herThe Village by the Sea . She is a prominent Indian writer writing in
English, who has been shortlisted thrice for Booker Prize. Some of her
prominent works include Cry the Peacock (1963), Voices in the
City (1965), Bye-bye Blackbird (1971), The Peacock Garden (1974),
Where Shall We Go This Summer? (1975), Cat on a Houseboat (1976),
Clear Light of Day (1980), shortlisted for Booker Prize, In
Custody (1984), adapted for a film named, In Custody that won President
of India’s Best Picture Award and also shortlisted for Booker Prize,
Fasting, Feasting (1999), shortlisted for Booker Prize, The Zigzag Way ,
(2004), and The Artist of Disappearance (2011).
3.3FASTING, FEASTING
Anita Desai’s novel, Fasting, Feasting (1999) is a Booker Prize
shortlisted novel that won the novelist international recognition. It
basically tells the story of two families –one each from India and
America. It introduces the readers with a host of characters –Papa -a
magistrate, Mama -his wife, their children -Uma, Aruna and Arun, Lila
Aunty and Bakul Uncle, their children -Anamika and Ramu, Mira -Masi -
an unmarried distant relative of Papa, their neighbor -Mrs. Joshi, Uma’s
teachers, Mr. & Mrs. Patton, their children –Melania and Ro d, etc.
The novel mainly narrates Uma’s story, in which Uma is found
entrapped in her family under the strict surveillance of her parents. Her
Mama -Papa are closely attached with each other, Mama always play the
secondary role and tak escare of all the de mands of her husband. Inthis
family, daughters have very little value in family affairs. They are
supposed to play their roles meekly and support the men in all their works.
The same is seen happening in the family of Lila Aunty and Bakul Uncle.munotes.in

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22Mr. and M rs. Patton is one more family in the novel. In this family also,
Mrs. Patton plays secondary role to her husband. Almost all women
characters in this novel, except Mira -Masi and Dr. Dutt, are bound to their
homes and perform their duties faithfully. There are also some incidents in
which the readers are told about the differences between Indian and
American ways of life. Thus, it can be observed that Fasting, Feasting by
Anita Desai is a remarkable work of art that deals with varied human
emotions and relat ions
3.4 THE STRUCTURE OF FASTING, FEASTING
The novel is set in India and America -two geographically and
culturally distant places. The novel has 27 chapters and does not follow
chronological order in its story -line. The novelist has used third person
narrative technique with flashbacks and flash -forwards that makes the
novel an interesting read. The first half of the novel primarily deals with
the family of a magistrate in rural part of India and then along with Arun,
who gets admitted to a University in Massachusetts in America, shifts to
urban background in America where the readers meet Mr. & Mrs. Patton
and their children –Melania and Rod. With the help of her characters and
their inter -relations, Anita Desai unravels their minds and hearts thatmake
her novel successful.
3.5 SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL, FASTING, FEASTING
When the novel opens readers find Uma taking orders from her
parents to pack a box to be sent to Arun in America. The way they give
her instructions makes it clear that they were more concerned about Arun,
their son and neglect the feelings of Uma. They fe el that Uma should learn
and be very careful in doing each and every household chore. Their
incessant orders to Uma with very minute details like putting a warm
sweater and tea in the box for Arun shows that they think only of their
own demands and needs. It makes Uma feel that she is being neglected
thereby affecting her personality negatively.
The novel seems to be a story of Uma and Aruna, two sisters, who
follow the traditional ways of life in a typical Indian household. It is seen
that Uma’s parents, Mama and Papa, are patriarchal by nature, who
strongly believe that their daughters should master the works that are
traditionally meant for girls like sweeping, cleaning, cooking, caring, etc.
However, Uma, who is a kind of representative of new women, l ikes to
attend the school rather than doing household works. Apparently, Papa is
the decision maker of the family. He works as a middle government
magistrate and Mama was proud of her husband and was more than happy
to submit to all his decisions.
Uma’s d estiny takes a negative turn with the birth of Arun, the
youngest member of her family, because her parents want her to
discontinue her schooling in order to take care of the baby boy. But Umamunotes.in

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23doesn’t want to give up her schooling. She vainly tries to requ est Mother
Agnes to convince her parents to allow her to continue to attend the
school. Uma has a cousin named Anamika. In case of Anamika also it is
seen that her parents -Lily Aunty and Bakul Uncle -do not allow her to
continue her schooling. Instead o f allowing her to get educated from
Oxford University, they arrange her marriage with a Bombay -based
educated man with the hope that she will be happy in her married life. But
unfortunately, the readers come to know that Anamika is ill -treated by her
husba nd and her mother -in-law. Though Anamika was educated and her
in-laws were well -off, she is forced to work like servant in the house
failing to which she is cruelly beaten.
Uma usually looks at her parents as inseparable as her mother
always seen followin g the footsteps of her husband. That is why Uma calls
them as Mama Papa. There were only few incidents Uma remembers of
her young days when her Mama would step outside her home and visit the
women in her neighbourhood to play cards. On those occasions Uma had
seen her laughing loudly and showing her coy and playful side. She would
never tell her Papa that she had left the house. It was the time when Papa
was still working as an attorney. Uma also remembers the days when Papa
played tennis. He used to make a ll the family and the servants be present
during the game. Mama used to take the care that everything is properly
ready for him like washing his tennis suit and keeping lemonade ready for
him to drink after the game was over. Papa as a magistrate always tr iesto
show himself very serious at home and also at social gatherings ,trying to
establish his superiority and social status. Though Mama feels proud of
Papa and his status, she is not allowed to follow her hobbies openly. It
shows the patriarchal structu re of their family as well as the society. The
occasion of peeling the orange and feeding it to Papa shows the kind of
unequal gender status in the family.
The writer has narrated the event of Arun’s birth in this novel.
Uma was asked by her parents to di scontinue her schooling as she was
required to take care of the baby boy. Uma as a teenager could not
understand why she was being treated like this. Even she tried to take help
of Mother Agnes, the head nun of her convent school, in convincing her
parents to allow her to attend the school. But Uma is shocked to know that
even after Mother Agnes’ hard efforts, Uma’s father could not be
convinced. She tells Uma that it would be better for her to learn household
work. It was at this time that Uma suffers her first epileptic seizure. Now it
was mandatory for Uma to take care of her brother Arun. Uma observes
that her parents were very much concerned about Arun and his progress.
She is perturbed particularly by the behaviour of Mama as she takes pride
in being a mother of a son and a wife of a socially important person.
Uma feels that there was no love between Mama and Papa. They
were just liketwobodies living together. Uma is seen bewildered by the
way her mother submits herself completely to the demands of her husband
as if she was not an independent individual. It was during such occasions
that Uma’s rebellious nature is seen as she thinks she will never marrymunotes.in

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24without love. Arun as a little boy was sickly and weak. But the kind of
superior treatment he was getting at home makes him feel that he has a
place of importance in the family. So whenever he gets an opportunity, he
is seen threatening Uma even for a small issue.
Uma’s idea of independence was different from her mother. She
feels that she is an indiv idual having her own likes and dislikes, her own
needs and demands. Though it was difficult for her to nurture her free
spirit in the dominating presence of her parents, she is seen expressing her
individuality whenever she gets an opportunity. On one of s uch occasions
Uma is seen getting angry and scolding Ayah for beating Laxmi, her
daughter. It was when Ayah tells Uma about laxmi’s running away from
her arranged marriage. Laxmi did not want to get married and preferred to
find some work as a servant and earn her livelihood. Ayah tells Uma that
it was because of Laxmi that she has suffered a lot in her life. She has
sacrificed all her pleasures for Laxmi. But Laxmi did not understand the
concerns of her mother. Uma tries to convince Ayah that it would be b etter
for her if she allows Laxmi to have her own way. Uma’s anger against
ayah is actually the result of her own frustration of her life. Her parents
have not allowed Uma to live her life in her own way for which she feels
very angry with them. But as she could not express her anger against
them, she does it against Ayah.
As a child, Uma is seen very much under the influence of Mira -
Masi, a distant relative of the family. Mira -Masi was a widow, who led a
lonely but free life, travelling all over the count ry. She had dedicated her
life to Lord Shiva whose company she likes the most. She was well -versed
with Hindu scriptures. Uma’s parents did not like Mira -Masi for being old
fashioned in the matters of religion. In fact, they were more worried about
Mira -Masi‘s free nature and her sense of freedom, which was a threat to
their own social beliefs. However, Uma very much liked Mira -Masi and
her free nature. She used to insist that Mira -Masi narrate her wonderful
and magical stories of Gods and Goddesses. The wr iter tells the readers
that though Mama Papa did not like Mira -Masi, one day they allowed their
children -Uma, Aruna and Arun -to accompany Mira -Masi to go to the
river for her religious bathing. They had warned all the children not to
enter into the rive r owing to its filthy water and the big currents. Though
Aruna and Arun follow the warning of their parents, Uma jumps into the
river as she wanted to experience how it feels when the water washes over
her.In fact, this act on the part of Uma was her longc herished desire to
have her own freedom, not only physical but also an inner freedom that
would make her to fulfill her own desires.
Like Mira -Masi, Uma was also influenced by Ramu, the son of
Lila Aunty and Bakul Uncle, as he was known for his free spiri t. It was
Ramu, who had persuaded Uma to return home from an Ashram, where
she had lived for a month as a pilgrim and wanted to continue living there.
Mama -Papa did not like Ramu from the beginning as they considered him
to be the black sheep of the family . Though they did not want Uma to go
out with Ramu for a dinner, he convinces them and takes her to themunotes.in

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25Carlton Hotel. Here Uma drinks and laughs and enjoys the moment at its
fullest. After coming back home, Uma tries to narrate her experience to
mama. But Mama did not like it and on the contrary blames Uma.
Uma belongs to typical Indian family where young girls were
required to get married at a certain age. Uma had reached to her middle
age and now it was almost impossible for her to get a proper match. T he
writer has made this point clear with the help of an incident in which the
local jeweler asks, “Am I to make Baby’s wedding jewelry this year?”
Actually the jeweler used to come to Uma’s house every year and every
time he used to ask the same question. He had realized that Uma has
passed her marriageable age but keeps on asking the same question every
year. The same social attitude towards women is made apparent by the
writer by introducing Anamika, Uma’s cousin. Anamika was gracious,
beautiful and intel ligent and had several suitors. She had won the
scholarship to Oxford. But her parents –Lila Aunty and Bakul Uncle –did
not allow her to the scholarship. They preferred to get her married instead
of sending her to Oxford. Though Anamika was beautiful and could not
have got a good husband, her parents marry her off to a much older man
who was socially equal to them. This marriage proves to be a failure
because Anamika’s husband was more concerned about keeping his own
mother happy than taking care of the w ishes of his wife. It results in
Anamika’s frequent beatings at the hands of her husband and mother -in-
law. Finally, Anamika becomes a kind of servant in her own home. Once
when she was pregnant, she was severely beaten that leads to her
miscarriage making her unable to bear a child permanently in future. It
means a women like Anamika had to suffer only because of the social
customs to which she falls a victim.
The similar social custom is seen disturbing the life of Uma. On
one occasion Mrs. Joshi, Uma’s neighbour is seen trying to find a match
for Uma, though Uma was not much interested in it. But Uma’s parents
invite the Syal family to see Uma. After two weeks they sent a message
that instead of Uma they liked Aruna as their daughter -in-law. Mama is
enraged to receive such a message as it was not customary to get the
younger daughter married before the elder one. She blamed Uma for it
because she thinks that Uma never paid proper attention towards making
her suitable for marriage. Because of Uma’s love fo r education and
playing, she did not learn womanly works at home properly.
In another incident the Goyals came with a marriage proposal for
Uma, which is liked by Mama Papa. However, the Goyals demanded the
amount of dowry in advance as they wanted to bu y a property. As Mama
Papa wanted their daughter, Uma to get married at the earliest, they accept
the demand for dowry and give the amount to the Goyals. But soon they
realize that Goyals have deceived them as they tell them that their son
wanted to pursui ng education than getting married. As the money was
already spent for buying the property, Mama Papa could not do anything.munotes.in

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26After Syals’ message accepting Aruna as their would -be daughter -
in-law, it is seen that Aruna’ s attitude towards Uma has changed. She has
started considering herself superior to Uma. Even the other members of
the family start to withdraw their sympathies from Uma. This changed
attitude of her family members makes Uma feel like an outcast. She
doubt s whether the family protects its members properly. Like herself,
Uma has also witnessed similar treatment given to Anamika by her own
parents. This disbelief in the institution of family makes Uma feel more
and more isolated. She feels that the parents of the girl children were only
concerned about getting their daughters married off without paying proper
attention towards the needs of their own daughters. This attitude of the
parents is seen in the cases of both Anamika and Uma.
In their desperate attem pt to get Uma married, Mama Papa accept
the marriage proposal which they receive through the newspaper
advertisement. But at the time of marriage, Uma is horrified to see that her
husband was old, fat and had no interest in her. After the marriage, Uma
enters into her new house. But her husband immediately leaves for Meerut
as he works there. At home, nobody cares for her. On the contrary, she
was given directions about cooking and other household chores. After
some days Papa comes to know that Uma’s husban d had another wife in
Meerut and he had married Uma only because he wanted money to save
his business. So the marriage is broken and Uma is forced to get back to
her maternal home. This incident coupled with others throws light on how
the families of the s ons of marriageable age take disadvantage of the
helplessness of the women’s families.
The readers are further told that Aruna is married to the
handsomest and wealthiest young man, Arvind and got shifted to Bombay.
She was very particular regarding all t he rituals of her marriage that take
place in the Carlton Hotel. There were elaborate arrangements made for
the wedding. However, Uma suffers an epileptic seizure during the
cocktail party that Aruna had arranged for the family and her in -laws the
night be fore the marriage. Aruna feels that Uma’s “fit” had spoiled the
party and threatens Uma to be careful on the day of her marriage. During
the entire ceremony, Uma feels ignored and isolated. The local doctor has
suggested that Uma should be taken to the spe cialist for her treatment but
Aruna objects to it by saying that it would be too costly and there is no
need to spend a lot of money on Uma’s illness.
Whenever Aruna comes to visit her family it is observed that she
keeps criticizing not only Uma but also her mother. She calls them
‘villagers’ having no manners of social behaviour. This makes Mama to
get united with Uma in disliking Aruna. Even Aruna’s children, Aisha and
Dinesh, are seem to be different in their nature. Once Aruna had come to
her maternal home with her in -laws to have a holy bath in the river. On
this occasion, Uma jumps off the boat into the river. Somehow she is
saved. It is shocking that nobody including her parents was interested in
getting Uma treated by a specialist. It shows the ind ifferent nature of the
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27This indifference further leads Uma feeling more and more lonely
and isolated. Once Uma is invited to a coffee party thrown by Mrs. O’
Henry. Though Mama Papa did not want Uma to attend the party, Uma
goes out. During the party, Uma helps Mrs. O’ Henry in taking care of her
guests. This helping nature of Uma makes Mrs. O’ Henry think that Uma
has a potential to get converted into Christianity and so she invites her to a
Christion retreat in the Mountai ns of Landoure. For Mama Papa it was
unnecessary for Uma to accept invitations and go out. They feel that
socializing is a bad thing and one should do it only if one has no any other
choice. This hypocritical behaviour of Mama Papa is criticized by Uma.
During the school days of their children, it is seen that Mama Papa
paid more attention towards the education of their son, Arun. They hired
tutors to drill words, rules, facts and formulas into Arun’s brain. Papa
wanted Arun to get best of the education s o that he can move ahead in his
social life. After the hard studies, Papa wanted Arun to go out and
exercise. But Arun used to get exhausted and did not like exercise. The
continuous hammering from his parents for better performance does not
allow Arun to give some time for his own hobbies. It seems that his life
was meant for his parents than for himself. That is why when he receives a
letter of acceptance to the University in Massachusetts, he does not feel
excited but exhausted. Even at the time of his d eparture to America, he
was not happy. As Mama Papa never asked whether Arun wanted to go to
America to pursue his higher studies, similarly they never asked Uma
whether or not she wanted to marry. They kept on forcing their children to
fulfill their own d reams.
The incident of Uma’s writing a letter to Arun on behalf of her
parents informing him that he was invited by Mrs. Patton, the sister of
Mrs. O’ Henry, to live with them during the summer throws further light
on how Papa was concerned only about Aru n and not about Uma whose
even basic needs are ignored. Uma was facing some problem with her
eyes for quite some time now, but her Papa shows no interest in taking her
to a specialist.
When Uma gets a call from Mother Agnes inviting her to help
Mrs. O’He nry to run her Christmas booth during the Christmas Bazaar,
she happily accepts it. This incident shows Uma’s yearning for the life
outside her house. She was always interested in helping people, getting
familiar with them, and socializing. It was Uma’s in tense desire to pursue
a career of her own which was not liked by her parents, who thought
marriage to be the only destination for a woman.
It is seen that Mama Papa never liked Uma’s going out and getting
mixed with the people outside home. The only exce ption was Mrs. Joshi,
who had come to live in the neighbourhood after her marriage. Actually
Mrs. Joshi’s was a marriage based on lovethat made her mother -in-law
punish her. Mrs. Joshi had developed closed affinity and friendship with
Mama. After the death of her mother -in-law, Mrs. Joshi had taken over themunotes.in

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28change of the household and always allowed to have free and joyous
atmosphere at home. Her children could pursue the careers of their own
choice and hence became successful in their respective careers. M rs. Joshi
is unlike other women characters in the novel, who are seen meekly
submitting to the dictates of their families and leading unhappy lives. In
this sense, Mrs. Joshi can be looked upon as a model to be imitated by
other women.
Uma’s liking for Mr s. Joshi for her progressive attitude is infact
her own desire to lead similar life. Even though Uma lived with her
parents, she usually felt lonely. Her parents had never allowed her to
pursue her own likes and dislikes. Even she had no any close friends and
relatives except Mira -Masi and Ramu. Her parents did not like both of
them. Mira -Masi recently had almost stopped her visits. Uma remembers
Mira -Masi’s last visit to her family. Once the idol of Lord Shiva was
stolen from her altar. But when Lila Aunty visited the family, she told
them that Mira -Masi has found the idol of Shiva in a shop that sold
brassware. She further told them that Mira -Masi had come to know about
the idol through her dream which excited Uma.
Uma and Dr. Dutt were close to each othe r. Dr. Dutt wanted Uma
to take up a job of running a dormitory for nurses in training. But Mama
Papa opposed it even though Uma was really interested. Mama sent Uma
to the kitchen to take a tray and told Dr. Dutt about Uma’s seizures. It
meant Uma herself required medical assistance so she cannot take up the
job. One day when Uma called Dr. Dutt to know about the possibility of
her taking the job, Dr. Dutt told her that her Mama was not well and she
wanted Uma to work as a nurse for her. This incident shows that Mama
Papa did not want Uma to be independent so that they can make her work
for the family.
One late night after the dinner, the electricity went out. At that time
a telegram came announcing the death of Anamika. The family came to
know that Anamika had committed suicide by burning her outside her
home. But the neighbours were whispering that it was Anamika’s mother -
in-law, who dragged Anamika out of the house in the midnight and put on
kerosene on her body and burnt her alive. Anamika’s ashes were d ispersed
in the sacred river. Papa arranged a large wooden boat to carry all of them.
It was at this time Uma thinks of Anamika’s life. In fact, it was Uma who
had tried twice to get drowned in this river but still she was alive and
Anamika was dead. This thought disturbed her mentally. Anamika’s death
made Mama Papa feel love for Uma, especially Mama gets closer to Uma
and for some time Uma feels at home in Mama’s company.
Then the novel suddenly shifts to Massachusetts, America, where
readers meet Arun w alking by the road noticing the neatly trimmed green
lawns and speeding cars and closed houses. He feels that Americans were
rich and loved to exhibit their richness. But they could not enjoy it as they
were forced to be either inside their cars or their h omes. They were more
individualistic than community oriented, which Arun does not like. Whenmunotes.in

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29he entered the house, he saw Mr. Patton trying to locate a can of stewed
tomatoes, which she wanted to serve Arun for his dinner. Arun found Mr.
Patton as an autho ritative person like his Papa, who always tried to
dominate the other members of the family. It is made clear by the kind of
anger Mr. Patton expresses when nobody shows any interest to eat the
steaks which he himself had grilled for them. His children -Melanie and
Rod -did not join the family for the dinner. On the contrary, Melanie is
seen eating a bag of peanuts sitting alone at the bottom of the stairs.
Though Mrs. Patton also does not like to eat the steaks, there was no
choice for her. She tells Mr. Patton that Arun was vegetarian and he must
respect his religious beliefs. But Mr. Patton does not approve it and says
that how it was possible for anybody to refuse a good steak. This small
incident shows that though the Pattons live together, there was a lack of
family bonding amongst them.
After his coming to America, Arun had witnessed strangeness in
the place and people around him. He did not like the loud music, weekend
parties and smoking habits of the students in his college. Even he did not
like to participate in the cooking nights and movie hangouts arranged by
Indian students. Actually, Arun had been brought up in an atmosphere that
was surrounded by his family. He had witnessed that his parents always
worried about him and paid much attention even to the smallest of his
needs. This t oo much care of his parents made Arun yearn for solitude.
That is why Arun always tried to keep himself away from getting involved
with anybody either in India or America. On the contrary, Uma was
always neglected by her parents and hence she is found crav ing for
company.
Actually, Arun had tried to find out a room for him just before his
first summer in America. He had rejected the offer of his Indian
classmates for renting a house for them for the summer. At that time he
received a letter from his Papa i nforming him that Mrs. Patton has offered
him a room for the summer. In fact ,Arun did not want to live in a family
because he felt that the members unnecessarily interfere in the lives of
each other. Arun wanted to live an independent life, but unfortunat ely he
had not mastered the skills required for independent survival. It is
observed that he was habituated to having all his needs met by his family
when he was in India and by his University in America. That is why, he
was required to accep t the help of others.
At Patton house, Mrs. Patton is seen developing close relation with
Arun. She was told by her sister, Mrs. O’ Henry from India that Arun has
different food habits and would like to continue with them. She tells Arun
that she would al so like be vegetarian like him. But Arun says that he
would prefer to take his meals outside though he realizes that it was not a
permanent solution. In fact he did not to share her enthusiasm as he would
prefer to be alone. Arun had observed that Mrs. Pat ton buys a lot of things
from the market but fails to use them to prepare the food at home.
Everything at home was packaged without much nutrition. Mrs. Patton’s
attempt to be vegetarian is ignored by Mr. Patton, who usually forcedmunotes.in

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30others obey him submissi vely and not to challenge his authority. Arun
could draw a parallel between his own family in India and the Patton
family in America.
Arun had observed how the Patton family lived together as if they
were all independent entities and had nothing to do wit h each other. It
becomes clear when readers observe Mrs. Patton nibbling at the steak
reluctantly as she does not like it. Arun being a vegetarian refuses to have
it, Melanie prefers a bag of peanuts, Rod, the son of the family, did not
join them for the d inner as he came very late at night and ate the remnants
of the meat off the grill. Melanie even doesn’t like Arun looking at her
when he was on his way to his room. It means all the members of the
family just lived together for the sake of living no more no less.
While returning from the library, Arun meets Rod, who invites him
to join him jogging but Arun refuses. At home, Mrs. Patton invites Arun to
cook Indian food. As Arun had never cooked before, he mixes all the
ingredients together. Though the food was not good, Arun eats it in order
to please Mrs. Patton. Melanie could not eat this food and prefers to eat
Hershay’s. At this Arun feels guilty as he thinks that he has spoilt the
food. Mrs. Patton attempts to spend more time with Arun. But it is also not
liked by Arun as he feels that she silently wanted him to make her feel like
a good mother. Mrs. Patton told Arun that few years ago she used to take
her children -Melanie and Rod -for shopping and they used to buy a lot
of things. At home they used to finish it off within a week’s time. But
now, Mrs. Patton buys the things for the family and stock them in the
freezer so that they would take them off whenever they liked. After
witnessing the incidents happening around him, Arun had realized that the
Patton family was not only having some problems with their eating habits
but they were disjointed from each other in every aspect.
When Arun saw that American men are trying to build their body
with lot of exercise, he also beings jogging. He strains his b ody so much
that he feels tired. At home, when he tells Rod that Melanie seems to be
sick, Rod shows indifference towards his sister’s health. He says that
Melanie is destroying her health by eating too much junk food and then
throwing it out to keep her s lim. Arun wonders at the American obsession
for their bodies. It seemed to him that they blur the line between health
and sickness, which, according to Arun, was unnecessary. Arun’s stay
with the Pattons has made him aware of the fact that the Pattons were
facing the problem of family dysfunction. Nobody really cared about
anybody else. When Arun notices Melanie’s swollen face, he asks Mrs.
Patton if she was ill. But instead of considering the issue of Melanie’s
health seriously, she says that she was all f ine and needs just to have
scrambled eggs. Even Mr. Patton fails to understand the seriousness of
Melanie’s health. Arun realizes that both the Pattons consider Melanie as a
small child and ignore what actually she wanted as a young woman. When
Arun accomp anies Mrs. Patton to the super market, she feels offended by
the cashier’s remark. Arun feels embarrassed by the awkward situation as
Mrs. Patton wanted him to reassure her that she was neither fat nor old.munotes.in

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31The incident at the cashier’s counter had made M rs. Patton behave
little strangely. It is noticed by Arun when he saw her in a bikini
sunbathing in a front yard. She is seen inviting all to accompany her for
the sunbathing but all of them keep themselves away from her. Arun
notices that Melanie was actu ally neglected by her family. He remembers
Uma behaving in the same way as Melanie does. Like Mama Papa the
Pattons fail to understand the emotional needs of Melanie. All the time
they treat her like a silly child. Arun feels that Melanie needed love and
understanding of her parents like Uma who always craved for the love of
Mama Papa. Mrs. Patton’s hobby of sunbathing puts the entire household
in disarray. The changed atmosphere at home made Arun stay longer in
town eating sandwiches and watching movies al l by himself.
One Saturday, Mrs. Patton takes Arun and Melanie with her at the
swimming pond in the woods near their home. Melanie begins to eat
chocolate candy bars while her mother shades the clothing over her bikini
for sunbathing. The near nakedness o f Mrs. Patton makes Arun feel
uncomfortable. So he jumps into the water feeling peaceful and content.
After he comes out of the water, he saw that Melanie has disappeared.
When he attempts to explore the woods by himself, unexpectedly he
comes across Melan ie who was lying face down in her vomit. But Melanie
asks him to go away. Arun feels like saving her like the hero but realizes
that it was impossible for him because Melanie’ s pain and hunger were
real. Mrs. Patton comes there but fails to show her real love and concern
for her daughter. For Arun Melanie was like Uma who needed to come out
of the sense of her loneliness.
Now it was the time for Arun to return to college. He f eels normal
as the town was lively due to the return of the students. Mr. Patton had
sent Melanie for the treatment at a temporary recovery home in the
Berkshires. The reports of her recovery and leading a normal life make the
Pattons happy and relieved. M rs. Patton had stopped sunbathing. Now she
gives more attention towards Melanie’s room than the kitchen. Rod had
won a football scholarship. Before Arun leaves the Patton family, he
receives a box with a brown shawl and tea from his parents. He gifts both
the items to Mrs. Patton and leaves the house.
3.6 QUESTIONS
1.Write a brief note on the life and career of Anita Desai.
2.Discuss the plot -structure of the novel, Fasting, Feasting .
3.Write a brief summary of the novel, Fasting, Feasting .
4.Discuss the relationship between Mama and Papa.
5.What kind of relation was there between Uma and her parents?
6.Comment on Anita Desai’s use of narrative technique in her novel,
Fasting, Feasting.
munotes.in

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32UNIT IV
4
CRITICAL STUDY OF ANITA DESAI’S
FASTING FEASTING -PART II
CHARACTERIZATION AND THEMES IN
FASTING, FEASTING
Unit Structure :
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Characterization in Fasting, Feasting
4.2.1 Uma
4.2.2 Aruna
4.2.3 Arun
4.2.4 Mama
4.2.5 Papa
4.2.6 Anamika
4.2.7 Mira -Masi
4.2.8 Ramu
4.2.9 Mrs. Patton
4.2.10 Mr. Patton
4.2.11 Melanie and Rod
4.3 Critical Issues in Fasting Feasting
4.3.1 Socio -cultural patterns in Fasting, Feasting
4.3.2 Institutions of marriage and family in Fasting, Feasting
4.3.3 Individuality vs. social constrains in Fasting, Feasting
4.3.4 East vs. West in Fasting, Feasting
4.4 Questions
4.0 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this unit are to know about:
Anita Desai’s art of characterization
The characters of the novel, Fasting, Feasting
Anita Desai’s thematic concerns in Fasting, Feastingmunotes.in

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334.1 INTRODUCTION
Anita Desai is a critically acclaimed Indian novelist writing in
English. Her skilful handling of her art has brought her many national and
international laurels. Her novel, Anita Desai’s novel contains a multitude
of lively characters, both major and mino r.It revolves mainly around the
characters of Uma and Arunbut also touches upon the lives many others
during its course. Anita Desai’s treatment of her characters, particularly
women characters, helps the readers to understand the male -dominated
social st ructure both in India and America. The characters of this novel are
ordinary human beings and exhibit the common qualities that are found
amongst the people around them. Her realistic characters all the time
attract the attention of the readers and make th em come alive in front of
them.
The characters of Uma, Aruna, Arun, Mama, Papa, Anamika,
Mira -Masi, Mrs. Patton, Melania, etc. are beautifully drawn by the
novelist. So to understand the novel in better manner it is essential to
analyze its characters.
4.2 CHARACTERIZATION IN FASTING, FEASTING
4.2.1 Uma :
The character of Uma is perhaps the most important character in
the novel as most of the events revolve around this character. She plays
the roles of a daughter, sister, and an independent adventurous pe rson that
longs for freedom. The readers look at Uma as the heroine of the novel,
who is oppressed by her parents and is forced to submit to the familial and
societal pressures. The constant unending pressures from her family had
negative effect on Uma’s p ersonality that pushes her towards life -long
illness of seizures.
Uma is the eldest daughter of the family and hence her parents
wanted her to shoulder the responsibility of her younger brother, Arun.
Though, Uma wanted to continue with her schooling, she is removed from
the school so that she can take care of Arun. Actually she requests Mother
Agnes to convince her father to let her attend the school but to no avail.
Rather than going to school, her parents wanted her to pay close attention
towards domest ic works so that she can be married off in a good family.
But Uma was of the opinion that if there is no love there should not be the
marriage. So she deliberately ignored their instructions.
Uma’s negligence towards herself and her responsibilities make
her misfit in the world of marriage, where a bride is required to be
beautiful and obedient. Naturally, her parents could not find her a proper
match till she passes a marriageable age and hence they are left with no
choice than to get her married off hur riedly without much initial enquiry
about the groom. It leads to the failure of her married life and her parentsmunotes.in

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34bring her back home, where she has to live for entire of her life taking care
of her parents.
Uma is a free spirited girl. She wanted to exper ience the life from
the front. That is why, she accepts Ramu’s invitation for a dinner and
enjoys the time out with him. Even, she accompanies Mira -Masi to an
Ashram and stays there for a month. It was because of Ramu, who
succeeds in convincing her, that she had come back home. Her
adventurous nature can also be seen from her jumping into the river when
she had gone there with Mira -Masi. When Dr. Dutt asked Uma if she
would like to work in the hospital, Uma was very much delighted and
wanted to accept the offer. But her parents did not want her to work and
hence she misses this opportunity.
Thus, Uma, the heroine of this novel, is a lively character that
attracts the attention of the readers towards her. It is her free and
adventurous spirit that makes her appealing and unforgettable.
4.2.2 Aruna:
Aruna is Uma’ s younger sister. She is described as a beautiful
young woman having gracefulness in her personality and social behavior
for which her parents like her more than Uma. Her beauty, gracefulness
and self -confidence, they feel, are the required qualities that a young
woman should have to get a suitable husband. That is why, Aruna is seen
considering herself superior to Uma and disliking her for her being simple
and careless in her familial and social behavior. It is seen that her sense of
superiority increases when the Syals sent a message saying that they prefer
Aruna to Uma as a daughter -in-law.
As a young eligible woman, Aruna receives many marriage
proposals. But she chooses to marry Arvind, the handsomest and
wealthiest young man from Bombay. During her m arried life, Aruna is
found trying to emulate the manners and mannerisms of high class society
in Bombay and be a perfectionist in them. However, her changed ways of
behavior physically and emotionally distance her from her maternal
family. It is seen in h er criticism of her family during her visits, which
gradually become very less. So Aruna, a girl who was loved and admired
by her family, gets disintegrated from them because of her over -emphasis
on social mannerisms.
4.2.3 Arun:
Arun is the younger brot her of Uma and the only son of the family.
Naturally, he is the darling of the parents, who take care of all his needs.
In fact, Mama Papa doted on Arun and saw to it that he leads a
comfortable life. It is because of Arun that Uma is removed from the
school. For Mama Papa, taking care of Arun was much more important for
Uma than attending the school. As per his parents’ desire, Arun attends a
good school and gets assistance from tutors to learn different subjects.
Though Arun studies hard and wins a seat i n a University in
Massachusetts, America, it is observed that he did it under the pressure ofmunotes.in

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35his parents. This pressure is seen when Arun expresses his liking for
vegetarian food. His father is annoyed by it as he thinks that non -
vegetarian food was essen tial for strength. Even Arun did not like to
exercise as he used to get exhausted after his studies. So he preferred to be
at home than going out to play.
In fact Arun wanted to free himself from the overpowering
atmosphere at his family. Too much interf erence into his life from his
parents makes Arun dislike the family as a unit and the familial
atmosphere. So when he comes to America, he wanted to rent a flat for the
summer. But his parents force him to live with the Patton family. Though
Arun goes to s tay with the Pattons, he tries to keep himself away from all
the members of the Patton family as much as possible. It is seen from the
fact that though initially he refuses to accompany his friends to go to
watch movies, now during his stay with the Patton s, Arun begins to eat
outside and go to watch the movies all alone. This behavioral change in
Arun is his reaction to the familial pressure through which he goes during
his life in India.
4.2.4 Mama:
Mama‘s character is one of the important characters in the novel.
However, her importance in a way is ignored by the novelist as she is not
given any proper name. So throughout the novel, she is just a Mama for
her children, other characters and also the readers. M ama is the proud wife
ofPapa and shares almost all his views and opinions with reference to her
family and the outside world. She is the mother of three children -
Uma ,Aruna , and Arun . She wa s so closely connected with her husband
that Uma usually calls her Mama Papa. She is a submissive wife and
hardly questions her husband and faithfully obeys all his commands.
With her husband, she is found controlling the lives of her children
so much so that on many occasions the poor souls suffer a lot. For
example, Mama does not oppose Papa when he decides to remove Uma
from the school so that she can take care of the baby boy. Uma was not
very brilliant student but she wanted to continue her schooling . The
decision of removing her from school negatively impacts her personality
growth and all her future life. It actually was one of the chief reasons that
lead Uma to suffer from seizures. Mama also does not play any significant
role in Uma’s marriage. Wh en Papa was trying to find out suitable match
for Uma, Mama remains passive and allows him to do whatever he wanted
to do resulting in the failure of Uma’s married life. Even when Dr. Dutt
offers Uma a job in the hospital, Mama does not allow Uma to accept it.
On the contrary, she tells Dr. Dutt about Uma’s inability to accept the job
as she was suffering from seizures.
However, it doesn’t mean that Mama does not speak her mind at
all throughout the novel. For example, Mama is seen visiting Mrs. Joshi,
playing cards and enjoying those moments about which she does not tell
anything to her husband. Even readers witness Mama telling Papa that she
wanted to terminate her late pregnancy as it will be painful and dangerousmunotes.in

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36to her health. But Papa does not listen to her and it results in the birth of
Arun. Mama also is seen sympathizing with Uma in her later life after she
comes to know about the death of Anamika. Thus Mama’s character can
be judged as a character exhibiting all the essential qualities of an ideal
India wife.
4.2.5 Papa:
The character of Papa is introduced to the readers early in the
novel as a magistrate, who behaves like the one even after he gets back
home. He is an undisputed leader of his family, who wanted all the
members to follow his comma nds without raising any doubt. It is seen
when he makes all the family and servants to play an audience whenever
he plays tennis. Besides a magistrate, Papa plays the roles of a husband of
a submissive wife and also a father of three children. Mama, his wi fe has
been his faithful companion, who helps him to control the destinies of
Uma, Aruna and Arun.
Mama kn ows how Papa was against the idea of freedom of women
even though he is highly educated and belongs to the modern age. In his
social circumstances, Papa observes how women enjoy freedom and lead
their lives on their own terms. However, he represents the ol d generation
that believed in unconditional submission of women to the dictates of the
men. That is what he expects from his own wife and children. It is seen
that Mama meekly submits to him and even does not dare to tell him how
much she liked to mix up w ith other women and enjoy her life.
In case of Uma, too, Papa takes all decisions that show his
patriarchal attitude. He forces Uma to give up her schooling in favour of
his son. Similarly, Uma is not at all consulted when Papa thinks of the
marriage pro posals for her. Papa dislikes all those women who are seen
defying their traditional roles and exhibiting their sense of individuality
and freedom. That is the reason why Papa dislikes Mira -Masi, a woman
who remains unmarried and wanders all over the count ry in search of her
Lord. Similarly, Papa detests Dr. Dutt as instead of getting married, she
pursues her career. Such women, Papa thinks, are the threats to the
traditional Indian society and its culture.
It is not only the women who are dominated by Pa pa but Ramu and
Arun also suffer at the hands of Papa. Ramu, the son of Lila Aunty and
Bakul Uncle, was considered as a black sheep of the family and never
liked by Papa for his outward, careless behavior. Even in case of Arun, it
is found that Papa takes all the decisions regarding his life. During Arun’s
school and college days, Papa makes him do whatever he feels good for
him. He makes Arun study hard that exhausts the little boy. And after that
he used to ask Arun to go out and play, which physically wa s very
difficult for him. He also criticizes Arun’s liking for vegetarian food, as he
believes that non -veg is required for Arun to make him physically strong.
Even when Arun goes to America, Papa forces him to live with the Pattons
for his summer though A run did not want to stay in the family. Thus Papamunotes.in

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37is the true representative of Indian patriarchal mindset that wants all to be
subservient to it.
4.2.6 Anamika:
Anamika is the beautiful daughter of Lila Aunty and Bakul Uncle.
As a student, she was brilli ant and had won the scholarship to go to the
Oxford. Like all other girls of her age, she was eager to pursue her higher
studies. But her parents did not allow her to do so. Instead they wanted her
to get married and settle in her life. Accordingly, she is married off to a
man who was an obedient son of a dominating mother. Naturally,
Anamika’s married life becomes a nightmare for her. The readers are told
that Anamika is regularly beaten by her husband and mother -in-law. But
instead of opposing their cruel treatment, she keeps suffering silently. It
seems that she was sure of the fact that she won’t get any support from
anybody including her parents. The constant inhuman treatment at the
hands of her husband and mother -in-law, finally forces Anamika to take
the final step. Though the readers are told that Anamika commits suicide,
it is also mentioned that her neighbours whispered something else. Thus,
Anamika, a brilliant student, an obedient daughter, a submissive wife and
above all a finest human being los es her life because of the familial and
societal pressures.
4.2.7 Mira -Masi:
Mira -Masi was a relative of the magistrate’s family with whom
Uma was very closely connected. The readers are told that Mira -Masi was
an elderly unmarried woman. In Indian soci al structure, marriage is
believed to be the sole and final destination of a woman’s life. But Mira -
Masi defied this social tradition and remained unmarried. She had devoted
her life to spirituality and so she used to wander all over the country
visiting d ifferent places of pilgrimage in search of her Lord Shiva.
Naturally, she was unwelcome guest at the Papa’s. Papa, the believer of
Indian traditions, never liked Mira -Masi and the ways of her behavior
probably because he considers her to be a threat to his authority that has
bestowed upon him by the tradition. But Mira -Masi was liked by Uma.
Whenever, she visits the family, Uma used to be her constant companion.
Uma, actually, liked the free and adventurous spirit of her Mira -Masi and
that is why Uma jumps into the river when she had gone out with Mira -
Masi. Even once Mira -Masi convinces Papa to allow Uma to go to an
Ashrama with her, where Uma stays for more than a month. If Ramu
would not have convinced Uma to return home, probably Uma’s life
would have be en quite different than what it is. Thus Mira -Masi’s
character is delineated on a different social plane than the characters of
Mama, Anamika and Aruna by Anita Desai.
4.2.8 Ramu:
Ramu was the son of Lila Aunty and Bakul Uncle. He was
considered as a blac k sheep of the family because of his careless and out -
of-the-box ways of behavior. Naturally, he is not liked by Mama Papa. But
Uma was very close to Ramu. That is why, against her parents’ wish, she
accompanies Ramu for a dinner in a city restaurant and e njoys hismunotes.in

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38company. Even earlier, Ramu plays a vital role in bringing Uma back
home from the Ashrama, in which she had lived for more than a month
and from where her parents were afraid that she won’t return. Thus, Ramu
is a lovable character so far as his relationship with Uma is considered.
4.2.9 Mrs. Patton:
The readers meet the character of Mrs. Patton along with Arun
when he goes to stay with her during his summer break. The readers are
told that Mrs. Patton is the sister of Mrs. O' Henry , who was an
acquaintance of Arun’s family in India. It was because of O’ Henry’s
close connection with Uma, whom she considers as a person easy to be
converted into Christianity that makes it possible for Arun to stay with the
Pattons. Mrs. Patton plays different role s of a wife, a mother and a host.
Soon after Arun’s arrival at the Pattons, the readers come to know
that Mrs. Patton was a house -wife, who tries to play her role as faithfully
as possible. But it is also observed that she had her own ideas regarding
playing her role that unfortunately makes her get disintegrated from her
family. She feels that she has to buy a lot of groceries to fulfill the needs
of all the family members. However, she fails to understand that it was not
only the food items that people a round her wanted from her. Her daughter,
Melanie, actually wanted her mother to pay attention towards her
emotional and physical problems. But Mrs. Patton fails to understand her.
Similarly, Mrs. Patton fails to make her husband understand that she
prefers vegetarian food to that of non -veg. But she never tells him so
fearing that he will disapprove of her food preference. In this way, though
she lives in a family, she leads a lonely life as she could not get
emotionally united with her family members. That is why, probably, she
tries to befriend Arun and make him feel at home by taking him for
shopping and providing him vegetarian food. So as a character, Mrs.
Patton remains in the minds of the readers as a woman who fails to
understand her own self.
4.2.10 Mr. Patton:
The readers know Mr. Patton as a workaholic pers on, who focuses
more on his work than his wife and children. He has devoted his life to his
work and wanted all the members of his family to be equally productive
like him. Like the head of the family, Mr. Patton is not seen taking much
interest in the day -to-day activities of his family. He is happy with his wife
taking care of the household responsibilities like shopping and cooking.
However, he likes to grill the steak and serve it to his family. Like many
American men, he also likes to exercise and buil d his physique. His self -
centered nature does not allow him to gauge what actually his wife and
children want from him.
4.2.11 Melanie and Rod:
Melanie and Rod are the children of the Pattons. Like any other
American children, they were more interested i n pursuing their own
individual goals. Rod, for example, liked to exercise a lot and build his
body as strong as possible so that he can get selected in the football team.munotes.in

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39He comes home late at night and eats his dinner all alone. Melanie was
also very muc h conscious of her body but did not pay attention towards
her eating habits. So she is seen preferring the junk food to that of healthy
and nutritious food prepared at home that often makes her ill. She is found
emotionally disintegrated from her family an d wanted her mother to pay
attention towards her emotional needs, but surprisingly, she fails to tell her
mother so.
4.3 CRITICAL ISSUES IN FASTING FEASTING
A close and critical reading of Anita Desai’s novel, Fasting,
Feasting brings forth many of the thematic concerns of the novelist. It is
observed that Anita Desai is deeply rooted in the social structure around
her. She keeps an open eye towards various issues that affect the lives of
her characters, particularly her women ch aracters. Therefore, it is essential
to discuss the themes of her novel in order to understand why her
characters behave in certain ways throughout their lives.
4.3.1 Socio -cultural patterns in Fasting, Feasting:
Anita Dasai’s Fasting, Feasting is a novel that deals with the lives
of characters coming from two different social set -ups –India and
America. However, most of them are seen following the set socio -cultural
patterns of behavior and fulfilling the gender -specific roles assigned to
them by their r espective societies. According to these patriarchal social
conventions, men and women are required to act as per certain set
standards. In such a society man is considered to be superior to woman
and is expected to engage in active external activities wher eas woman is
passive and required to work inside the four walls of the house. It is
expected that man should work hard, earn the livelihood, and be
independent and successful. Woman is expected to be submissive,
dependent and engage in household chores inc luding child birth and child
rearing. And she is required to follow these social dictates without uttering
a single word against them as Hardy says, “ It is difficult for a woman to
define her feelings in language which is chiefly made by men to express
theirs.
Accordingly, most of the characters both men and women in
Fasting, Feasting are found to be following these set social standards of
behavior and playing their gender roles.
It is observed that Papa is the breadwinner of the family and
controls every household activity including the education of the children,
their marriages and their careers. He dominates the lives of all women -
Mama, Uma and Aruna -and also the only son of the family, Arun. When
his relationship with Mama is concerned, it is observed that Mama had
almost no independent existence. She speaks the same language and
expresses the same feelings as that of her husband. Mama, in fact, follows
Simone de Beauvoir’s words when she writes: “ Man is defined as a humanmunotes.in

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40being and a woman as a female -whenever she behaves as a human being
she is said to imitate the male.”
She is not allowed to indulge in her hobbies. She unconditionally
follows all the wishes, opinions and commands of her husband. She, in
fact, has almost whole -heartedly accepted her subservient role and
supports her husband in all his decisions. She has nothing else to say when
Papa decides to discontinue Uma’s schooling and make her take care of
the baby boy. Even in a way she consolidates Papa’s patriarchal views. It
can be seen from her words, when she says, “Inmy day, girls in the family
were not given sweets, nuts, good things to eat. If something sp ecial had
been bought in the market, like sweets or nuts, it was given to the boys in
the family”.
It was actually unfortunate for Uma as both of her parents think
that the only option for Uma as a girl child of the family was to get
married with a suitab le man and lead a settled married life. But when Uma
fails in her married life, they have the next role for her, i.e. to take care of
her old parents. And that is what she is forced to do throughout her life.
The only thing that Mama dared to say in her life was expressing
her desire to terminate her late pregnancy as she felt that it would be
painful and also dangerous to her life. But her husband did not pay any
attention to her and forced her to go through the ordeal. Without the
knowledge of her husba nd, Mama was also seen visiting Mrs. Joshi’s
house in the afternoon and playing cards, laughing loudly and showing the
coy side of her personality. It doesn’t mean that Mama did not like to be
independent and follow the desires of her own mind and heart. B ut she
prefers to follow the set social conventions of her society which wanted
her to forget her individuality, be subservient to her husband and follow
his dictates without any complaint.
Mama’s similar attitude is again seen in her attempts to keep he r
husband happy and satisfied when he played tennis. Actually playing
tennis was a kind of ceremony for Papa in which he wanted his family and
servants to play an audience. Mama is seen exhibiting a lot of pride in his
games and getting angry if his tennis suit hadn't been washed perfectly or
if his lemonade wasn't ready as soon as the game was over.
Papa is also seen dominating the life of Uma. Though Uma wanted
to attend the school and choose a career of her own, Papa discontinued her
education and forc ed her to take care of Arun. He is seen worried about
getting Uma married as he thinks that marriage was the only destination of
a woman’s life. But when Uma failed to receive suitable marriage
proposals, Mama Papa blamed it to her being untidy and neglige nt. He
became so desperate to get Uma married that he even did not enquire
properly, when Uma received a proposal from the Goyals and paid the
dowry in advance and got deceived by them. In his next attempt, he
actually succeeded in getting Uma married but at the time of marriage it
was found that the groom was an old man. After the marriage, it was learntmunotes.in

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41that Uma’s husband was already married and had a family in Meerut. He
married Uma only because he was in need of money to save his business.
So the marria ge was broken and Papa brought Uma back home. Here Papa
is seen following the set patriarchal social standards according to which
‘marriage’ is a must for a woman. Hence he forces Uma marry an old man
and fulfill his duty as a father.
Actually, Uma’s char acter is little rebellious. It is seen that Uma
does not like to follow the societal norms laid down for a woman. As a girl
child, Uma is often seen trying to resist to be bound by those norms. She
likes her school more than her home. After the birth of Ar un, when her
parents decide to remove her from the school, she meets Mother Agnes
and requests her to convince her Papa to allow her to continue her
educational career. Even after she is removed from the school, we see
Uma trying to remain outside the hous e as much as possible. She was not
much worried about all the minute instructions she receives from her
parents regarding various household chores. However, in her
rebelliousness, she does not receive any support either from her mother or
sister. In Gloria Steinem’s words, Uma seems to have forgotten that “Any
woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned
that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke.
She will need her sisterhood.”
Aruna, the younger d aughter of the family is seen playing the role
assigned to her by the society. She takes care of her beauty and other
womanly qualities and gets qualified in the social structure that considers
beauty as an important quality for a woman. And so she receive sm a n y
marriage proposals and selects the handsomest and wealthiest groom for
her. After marriage she is shifted to Bombay and gets mixed up with the
mannerisms of city life. Whenever she visits her parents, she is seen
displaying those qualities. Even her children –Aisha and Dinesh –also
follow their mother faithfully in this respect.
The decisions regarding Arun and his education are also taken by
Papa. And since his early childhood, Arun is seen playing the role that his
family wanted him to play as f aithfully as possible. Being the only son of
a magistrate, society expects Arun to excel in his studies and so all the
facilities for the same like appointing tutors for all his educational needs
are made available for him. Papa takes every care that he st udies properly
and applies to various scholarships. Accordingly, Arun wins a scholarship
and gets admitted to the University of Massachusetts. Even when he was
in America, he follows the instructions of his parents in staying with the
Patton family, though he did not want to live in a family unit. As a child,
the only expectation of his Papa that Arun could not fulfill is that he fails
to exercise and remains a weak child.
In case of Anamika, she is observed following t he family and
social expectations by getting married with a man chosen by her parents.
She completely submits herself to the demands of her parents and also of
her husband and in -laws. But unfortunately she is abused by her husbandmunotes.in

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42and mother -in-law who often beat her. When Uma comes to know about
the suffering in Anamika’s married life, she says that it would be better for
Anamika to return to her parents’ home to which her mother objects by
saying that “How can she be happy if she is sent home? What will people
say? What will they think?”
From Mama’s words it becomes clear that society wanted
Anamika to suffer silently at her in -laws’ and should not think of coming
back. This societal pressure ultimately leads Anamika to her death.
Anamika’s case can be considered as a female role model in Indian social
context as most of the women in India are forced to lose their individual
freedom and unconditionally submit to the familial and social
expectations.
It is not only his own wife and children that Papa is seen
dominating but he also tries to dominate the lives of Mira -Masi and Dr.
Dutt, who actually represent the women independent of family and men.
Whenever Mira -Masi visits the family, it is observed that Papa doesn’t
like her for being independent, indifferent towards the societal norms
meant for a woman and following her own ways of living her life. Mira -
Masi has her own views and principles and she never compromises them
even though the society does not like them. Similarly, Papa doesn’t like
Dr. Dutt as she leads an independent life free of any social constraints.
Mr. and Mrs. Patton are also seen trying to fulfill their social roles.
Particularly, Mrs. Patton attempts to play multiple roles of a wife, a
mother, a host and also a woman belonging to a free American society.
When Arun come s to stay with the Patton family during his summer
break, Mrs. Patton is seen faithfully playing the role of a good host. As
Arun belongs to an Indian vegetarian family, she provides him vegetarian
food during his stay. Even she herself wanted to eat veget arian food but
Mr. Patton who does not believe in vegetarianism, makes her eat steak that
he has prepared for all. Mrs. Patton takes Arun with her whenever she
goes for shopping so that he can buy whatever he wanted. When the girl at
the Cashier’s counter comments about the looks of Mrs. Patton, she
immediately becomes conscious of her body and starts to take its proper
care. That is why, she is now often seen sunbathing. Mr. Patton and his
son, Rod are also conscious of their bodies and hence they are busy in
maintaining their physique by jogging and playing football.
Thus, almost all the characters in Fasting, Feasting are seen
playing the gender roles assigned to them by their respective societies.
Anita Desai has herself experienced these social norms from close
quarters, hence she has succeeded in exemplifying how the men and
women characters in her novel follow these social norms. At the same
time she has also shown that there are also some people who nurture their
own individual identities and try t o defy the roles their society wants them
to play.munotes.in

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434.3.2 Institutions of marriage and family in Fasting, Feasting:
The institution of family is considered to be very important for the
overall development of its members. It takes care of their needs and
provides a kind of safe and secure environment that leads to their smooth
natural development. Marriage is a social institution that allows a man and
a woman to live together as per the socially set terms and conditions and is
a pre -requisition to form the institution of family in any civilized society.
Though there have been some differences in the meanings of the concepts
of family and marriage in different ages, regions, religions, castes, classes
and races, they are very subtle and do not affect much to the basic
premises of these institutions. That is why, both of them are found to be
present in one or the other form for hundreds of years in human society
and have reflected in their arts and literatures.
In Indian context, marriage and family are very i mportant social
institutions that influence the personality development of all the concerned
members. In fact, even today marriage is considered to be a must for a
man and a woman to live together in Indian society. Though there have
been stray instances o f live -in relationships and though they have been
legally accepted, they are not socially accepted by fairly large number of
people in India. Naturally, Indians prefer to follow the traditional social
norms of marriage to get united their children into mar ital relations. The
same has got reflected in Indian literature.
Following the same line, Anita Desai has dealt with the themes of
family and marriage in her novel, Fasting, Feasting , which is basically a
story of two families –the family of a magistrate from India and the
Patton family from America. Besides, there are also references to the
families of Mrs. Joshi, Lila Aunty, Anamika, and Aruna.
The readers come across the family of Mama and Papa, which like
almost all other families, follows the patriarchal norms in which the man
is always dominant and takes the central position and rules his house and
controls the lives of all other members. So Papa, the magistrate, is the
centre of all activities and takes all the decisions. He is so dominant that
his wife, Mama seems to have lost her self -identity as an individual and
submits to all his expectations. The wife is so dependent on her husband
thatmost of the times, Uma is seen using the word Mama Papa to refer to
her parents. As a family, though Papa lives together with his wife and
children, he considers himself to be responsible to take the decisions
regarding the lives of all the members of his family. Mama has already
lost her individuality to Papa and is always seen following his dictates
willingly. As the head of the family, Papa removes Uma from school and
makes her to take care of her younger brother, Arun. He considers
marriage as an indis pensable aspect of a woman’s life and hence forces
Uma to get married with an old man thereby spoiling her life. Papa also
compels Arun and Aruna to behave as per his expectations.
The family of Lila Aunty and Bakul Uncle is also seen following
the set no rms. Their daughter, Anamika was a brilliant student and wins amunotes.in

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44scholarship for Oxford. But for the parents, Anamika’s marriage was
much more important than her education and career. So they did not allow
her to accept the scholarship and force her into a marriage that turns to be
a disaster for Anamika. After her marriage, Anamika, like any other
obedient daughter -in-law, tries her best to get adjusted with the new
family. But her husband and mother -in-law treat her as a servant and beat
her very often. Th ough Bakul Uncle and Lila Aunty come to know about
the sufferings of their daughter, they do not interfere in her married life.
Anamika, though, tries to cope up with the miseries of her married life, the
atrocities increase day -by-day and finally she comm its suicide.
Atmosphere at Mrs. Joshi’s family is comparatively better than the
other families in the novel. The readers are told that there was much love
in the married life of Mrs. Joshi. Though as a newly married bride, she
suffers at the hands of her mother -in-law, after her death, Mrs. Joshi takes
the control of her house. She creates conducive atmosphere in her house
that enables her children to grow in free air. It allows them to think
independently and pursue the careers of their own choice.
Aruna has understood the value of marriage for a woman quite
early in her life and so makes her ready for it by preparing properly. She
takes utmost care of mastering all those qualities that make a woman fit
for marriage. That is why she receives many marriage proposals. It is
observed that Aruna’s behavior towards Uma is changed when she comes
to know that in place of Uma, she was chosen by the Syals to be their
daughter -in-law. It makes her think highly of herself. But Aruna prefers
Arvind, the handsomest and the wealthiest of all her suitors for marriage
and gets shifted to Bombay and leads a happy married life.
Compared to their Indian counterparts, the members of the Patton
family in America seem to enjoy more individual freedom. Mr. Patton, the
patriarch o f the family, controls the lives of his wife and children. Though
he allows them individual freedom to certain extent, he sees to it that all of
them perform to their fullest to achieve their goals. He believes that
everybody is required to work hard for w hich non -vegetarian food is the
must. He himself grills the steak for all but it is observed that not all eat it
together. He forces his wife, Mrs. Patton, to eat the steak, who unwillingly
munches it. His daughter, Melanie, prefers the junk food to his st eak
whereas Rod comes late and eats his dinner all alone. It seems that the
family structure of the Pattons is not as closely knit as their counterparts in
India. Yet, both Mr. and Mrs. Patton try to play their parents’ roles as
responsibly as possible.
Thus, it is observed from the above discussion that the novelist,
Anita Desai has given prominence to the discussion of marriage and
family in her novel Fasting, Feasting as both of them are closely related to
the human life. With the help of the characters like Papa, Uma, Mama,
Lila Aunty, Mrs. Joshi, Mr. and Mrs. Patton and others, Anita Desai has
shown that the institutions of marriage and family are very vital in human
life and they enable the characters keep emotionally connected with each
other and also help them to grow in whatever way possible.munotes.in

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454.3.3 Individuality vs. social constrains in Fasting, Feasting:
Human society for ages has been a place that takes care of all the
essential needs of its members with the help of its social institutions like
family, community, education, religion, etc. All these social institutions
enable the individuals to grow by fulfilling their various personal, familial,
social, and psychological needs. Even the members of the society are
dependent upon these social insti tutions. Thus, both the individuals as well
as the social institutions are interdependent and influence and in turn get
influenced and changed by each other.
Anita Desai’s novel, Fasting, Feasting is a good example where
the readers come across the comple x web of various social institutions that
influence the development of the characters and their personalities. Family
is perhaps the most important social institution that has been dealt with at
length by Anita Desai in this novel .There are the families o f Mama Papa,
Joshis, Pattons, Syals, etc. about whom Desai has written here. Though it
is believed that family takes care of all the emotional and material needs
of its members and helps them grow, it is also true that it creates hurdles in
the smooth and positive development of its members as they are required
to follow certain customs and traditions of that family leading to the
compromise of their individual freedom. The same is seen in Anita
Desai’s novel, where the family creates various obstacles in t he growth of
its members as they are not allowed to pursue their own individual
freedom.
Uma, for example, in Fasting, Feasting is the eldest daughter of
the family. Her parents, Mama Papa are seen forcing Uma to follow their
instructions carefully and gi ve up her own desires. As an individual, she is
not allowed to follow her own heart and mind. After the birth of her
brother, Arun, her parents force her to discontinue her schooling and take
care of the baby. In fact, Uma wanted to continue her education. That is
why, she meets Mother Agnes and requests her to convince her father to
allow her to attend the school. But Papa is not convinced and Uma has to
give up her passion for education.
Even afterwards it is observed that Uma is forced to compromise
with her individual desires and follow the dictates of her family to fulfill
its customs and traditions. It is seen with reference to Uma’s views about
marriage. As a young girl, Uma strongly believes that love should be the
basis of any marriage. She was of the opinion that the marriage succeeds if
both husband and wife respect each other’s individuality, which was
possible if there exists love for each other. However, for her parents,
marriage was just a ritual and was to be performed as a social need. That is
why, they keep trying to arrange Uma’s marriage in a family which they
think suitable as per their own social status. But when it becomes difficult
due to Uma’s growing age, they finally marry her off to an old man, who
was already having a wife. Thus, Uma is forced to forget what she wanted
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46Such kind of oppressive atmosphere at home has made Uma little
rebellious from her early childhood. Actually, it was Uma’s sense of
individual fr eedom that makes her speak and act against her parents.
Therefore, instead of meekly submitting to the demand of her father to
remove her from school, she tries to convince him through Mother Agnes.
Not only this but Uma’s love for individuality and freedo m can also be
observed when she overlooks the instructions of her parents regarding how
she should behave and work at home. Uma’s affinity to Mira -Masi and
Ramu can also be regarded her act of defiance to the dictates of her family
as Papa does not like an y of them. That is why, Uma is seen
accompanying Mira -Masi and Ramu whenever they visit the family.
Uma’s acts of jumping into the river, her staying at an Ashram for almost
a month, her desire to accept Dr. Dutt’s offer of working in the hospital,
and her going out with Ramu for dinner and drinking wine are some of the
examples that show Uma’s love for her freedom.
Mira -Masi, a widow, is also seen following her own desires by
defying the social traditions that force a person compromise with his
freedom. S he has decided her own ways of behavior which she follows
faithfully throughout her life. For her, Lord Shiva was everything and she
keeps wandering from one place to the other in His search. It was Mira -
Masi, who further enkindles the light of freedom in Uma’s heart and takes
her away to stay in an Ashram, where she thinks Uma can lead her life
freely.
Similarly Ramu, the son of Bakul Uncle and Lila Aunty, is a
person who prefers his own individual freedom to the likes and dislikes of
his family an d society. That is why, he is regarded as the black sheep of
the family. To fulfill his desires, Ramu is seen venturing into the sea and
visiting different places though his family does not like it. Dr. Dutt, an
unmarried middle -aged woman, is one more cha racter that loves her
individuality more than the societal norms.
Like Uma, Anamika and Arun are also found caught into the web
of societal expectations, who lose their individuality. In Anamika’s case, it
is observed that she meekly submits to the dictat es of her family and gives
up her individual choice of studying at Oxford, even she marries with a
man of her parents’ choice and pays for it by literally sacrificing her life.
However, the sense of freedom and utmost individuality in American life
and soc iety changes Arun’s outlook towards his own life. Till the time he
was with his parents in India, Arun is found following the commands of
his family as sincerely as possible. But once in America, he defies them
and tries to live as he wishes. Even all the members of the Patton family in
America are seen leading their lives as per their own likes as much as that
it even affects their family life. Though Mrs. Patton tries to hold the
threads of her family together, it becomes difficult for her as the sense of
individual freedom seems stronger than the feeling of togetherness as a
family.munotes.in

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47In this way, it can be said that though the characters in Anita
Desai’s Fasting, Feasting are the products of the social institutions like
family and community, many of them are found nurturing their individual
sense of freedom and working to attain it. Though Uma fails to attain her
complete freedom, her words and acts of defiance and her attempt to find
her freedom in her loneliness present her as a person who is in search o f
her individuality and freedom.
4.3.4 East vs. West in Fasting, Feasting:
Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting is set in two diverse backgrounds
–India and America. Naturally, it represents Indian as well as American
ways of life. India is a place where trad itional ways of life are given more
importance, whereas America is known for its modernity. Family,
community, and society come first in India. America gives preference to
individuality and individual freedom. So whenever these two opposite
ideologies come together there is a conflict between the two.
At the beginning of Anita Desai’s novel, the readers are introduced
to various characters and their families in India. There are Mama Papa, for
example, who belong to the traditional Indian society with its roots in rural
background. Naturally they are found following traditional beliefs with
reference to the concepts of family, marriage, social prestige, etc. That is
why, for them Uma’s education is not important. Uma was supposed to
take care of her duties and responsibilities as a daughter of the family. So
she is removed from the school and made to look after her younger
brother, Arun. She is not allowed to follow her own desires and forced
into a marriage with an old man.
Throughout the novel, it is see n that Uma is hardly treated as an
independent individual having her own likes and dislikes. Uma’s parents
even did not want Uma to accept Ramu’s invitation for a dinner in a
restaurant because they feel that the city life might spoil Uma.
Aruna, the you nger daughter of the family, has accepted her role as
a woman and so she prepares herself for a marriage, the ultimate
destination for an Indian woman. She is then married off with the person,
who was rich and having social prestige. Similarly, Mama has al so lost her
independent existence and is seen obeying all the commands of her
husband. She has become one with Papa and so the couple is usually
referred as Mama Papa as if they were one person.
In America, there is Patton family, the members of which are seen
following their own individual freedom and hence there are very loose
familial ties amongst them. The free urban background allows them to
pursue their own minds and hearts. They represent western life style. It is
observed that they have their own f ood habits and all of them try to keep
them intact. Though Mr. Patton, as a patriarch, tries to control the lives of
the members of his family, it is seen that he does not succeed much. For
example, he wanted the entire family to dine together and eat stea k. But
Mrs. Patton does not like the steak and prefers vegetarian food. Melania,munotes.in

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48the daughter of the family, does not join them for the dinner and keeps
eating junk food. Rod, the son, comes late in the evening and eats his
dinner all alone. All the member s of this family are seen following modern
urban ways of behavior, which allow them individual freedom. All of
them are very much conscious of their bodies. That is why, they are found
taking utmost care of their physiques. Rod, for example, is seen joggin g
and playing football so that he will become strong. Similarly, Melania is
also seen neglecting proper food and trying to be as slim as possible. Even
Mrs. Patton is found sun -bathing as she was also conscious of her looks.
Thus, Mama Papa in India and the Pattons in America represent
the eastern and western ways of life respectively. However, it has to be
taken into consideration that there are no watertight compartments
between the two. It can be observed from the gender roles assigned to the
members o f the respective families. For example, though Mr. Patton
belongs to the western world, he plays the patriarch and tries to control the
behaviour of his wife and children. For him, refusing to eat steak and
preferring vegetarian food is not tolerable in hi s house. In this respect, he
is more traditional than modern. Similarly, Mama Papa, in Indian situation
are supposed to follow the Indian traditions but they tend to show
themselves progressive by disapproving Arun’s liking for vegetarian food.
Like Mama, Mrs. Patton is also found playing a role of an ideal mother
and does not approve Melania’s behavior. Tradition -bound Mama Papa
also try to show that they are educated and so progressive in their outlook.
But they fail to approve free behaviour of Mira -Masi , who had remained
unmarried and was roaming all over the country in search of her Lord.
Therefore, it can be said that though India represents old traditional
ways of life and America stands for modernity, individuality and freedom,
it is difficult to draw a line between the two. There have been overlapping
instances in which the opposites ar e also true. But the gender roles are one
similar aspect found to be present in both eastern and western societies.
Males and females more or less play the similar gender specific roles in
both the societies.
4.4 QUESTIONS
1. Discuss the theme of social expectations in the novel, Fasting,
Feasting.
2. Do you think that society plays a significant role in the way the
characters behave in the novel, Fasting, Feasting?
3. “Society and its traditions are the forces that drive the characters in
the novel, Fasting, Feasting to behave in a particular manner .”
Discuss .
4. “Gender and social roles assigned to the characters in Fasting,
Feasting show Anita Desai’s overall attitude towards the society
around Fasting, Feastin gher.”
5. Discuss marriage as a theme in Fasting, Feasting.munotes.in

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496. “Anita Desai deals with marital issues in her novel, Fasting,
Feasting.” Discuss.
7. To what extent is the theme of marriage successfully handled by
Anita Desai in Fasting, Feasting?
8. “It seems that Anita Desai is preoccupied with the institutions of
family and marriage in her novel, Fasting, Feasting. Discuss.
9. Discuss the theme of individual freedom versus societal constraints
in Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting.
10. “Though there are numerous obstacles in their ways, many
characters are seen striving for individual freedom in Anita Desai’s
novel, Fasting, Feasting”. Discuss .
11. Do you think that the character of Uma in Anita Desai’s Fasting,
Feasting is the embodiment of free spirit entangled in the net of her
family? Support your answer with examples from the novel.
12. Discuss the theme of East vs. West in Anita Desai’s novel, Fasting,
Feasting.
13. “Anita Desai’s novel, Fasting, Feasting is an att empt of the writer to
show the diverse ways of Indian and American life.” Explain.
14. “InFasting, Feasting Anita Desai succeeds to prove that gender has
its peculiar role in Eastern as well as Western society.” Discuss.
WORKS REFERRED
1.Bande Usha. The N ovels of Anita Desai :A Study in Character and
Conflict . New Delhi: Prestige Books, 1988.
2.Beauvoir, Simone de. The Second Sex. Trans. H. M. Parshley. Vintage
Books, 1953.
3.Bhatnagar, Manmohan KandMRajeshwar M.Novels ofAnita Desai:
ACritical Study .New Delhi: Atlantic Pub.2008.
4.Desai, Anita. Fasting, Feasting . London: Vintage, 1999.
5.Dodiya, Jayadipsing Ed. Critical Essays on Anita Desai’s Fiction .
New Delhi: Publishing House, 2007.
6.Hardy, Thomas Far from the Madding Crowd. London: Penguin
Books. Rpt. 2003.
7.N. Raj Gopal. A Critical Study of the Novels of Anita Desai .N e w
Delhi: Atlantic Publishers & Distributors , 1995.
8.Selvadurai, Shyam (ed.). “Anita Desai: Winterscape”. Story -Wallah: A
Celebration of South Asian Fiction. New York: Houghton Mifflin,
2005.
9.Steinem, Gloria. "Sisterhood" in New York Magazine . 20 December
1971.
10.Tiwari Shubha. Critical Responses to Anita Desai . New Delhi:
Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, 2004.
munotes.in

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50UNIT V
5
CRITICAL STUDY OF SARADINDU
BANDYOPADHYAY’S NOVEL THE
QUILLS OF THE PORCUPINE
(TRANSLATED BY SREEJATA GUHA)
PART -I
Unit Structure :
5.0 Objectives
5.1 Introduction of the novel
5.2 Mystery Novel, Crime Fiction and Detective Fiction: An
Introduction
5.3 Sarad indu Bandyopadhyay : Biography and Literary Contribution
5.4 Characterizations in The Quills of the Porcupine
5.4.1 Major Characters
5.4.2 Minor Characters
5.5 Adaptations for various Serials and Movies
5.6 Important Questions
5.0OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, the students will be able:
a.Tounderstand Mystery, Crime, and Detective Fiction as popular sub -
genres of the novel as a literary form.
b.To know the literary merits of Saradindu Bandyopadhyay as a
successful Bengali novelist.
c.To acquire a critical understanding of the prescribed novel.
5.1INTRODUCTION OF THE NOVEL
The Menagerie and other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries is a
collection of stories written by Saradindu Bandyopadhyay and translated
into English by Sreejata Guha. It contains four mysterious criminal cases
solved by Byomkesh Baksh i:The Menagerie ( Chidiyakhana ), The Jewel
Case ( Monimondon ), The Will That Vanished , or The Elusive Will (Khuji
Khuji Nari) and The Quills of the Porcupine ( Shajarur Kanta ).This
English interpretation by Sreejata Guha is skillfully done and she figures
out how to catch the substance of contemporary Bengal .Her portrayalsmunotes.in

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51make a psychological image of when life was not as confused and yet
crime and culprits were similarly as shrewd as today.
The Quill of the Porcup ineis amystery novel written by S aradindu
Bandyopadhyay in 1967. It is also called a novella ,a short novel , due to
its short length .Itwas first published in Bengali and later translated into
English and other languages. The killer slaughters the three persons from
the different strata of the society using the porcupine quills pushedfrom
behind into the heart , three killed and one remains alive .This story was
initially published in Bengali as Shojarur Kanta . It is a story composed in
one hund red-odd pages and the secret accepts a backward setting or
arrangement of the plot. Bandyopadhyay investigates the marital existence
of a miserable couple where the spouse ne eded to run off with her lover.
She faces difficulties in her adolescent life andlater, the unben ding nature
of her family compels her to marry a man of her own family posit ion. In
the background of this ‘ Sentimental Mystery ’,we have a crazy person
killing a Beggar, a worker, a shopkeeper, and later a half murder of a
businessman.
Shajarur Kanta (The Porcupine’s Quill) is adapted for movie and
television serials and became famous in India. It is being directed by
Saibal Mitra is perhaps a rare instance of a ‘Byomkesh Bakshi ’story. It is
a perfect blend of murder sand mystery with a triangular love story. Saibal
Mitra says:
Besides, Byomkesh in Shajarur Kanta is sixty -plus and is drawn
almost from voluntary retirement to solve a series of murders the police
cannot solve. It is said to be Sarandindu’s weakest Byomk esh mystery but
Ir e a l l y wanted to make it into a film.
The story is about a series of mysterious murders where the quill of
a porcupine pierces the heart of the victim s, killing them instantly. One
victim does not die and Byomkesh is summoned to solve th e mystery
behind the murders .
5.2 MYSTERY NOVEL, CRIME FICTION AND
DETECTIVE FICTION: AN INTRODUCTION
A. Mystery Novel:
Mystery fiction is a kind of writing that centers on somebody
comprehending a riddle or a crime. It is likewise normally alluded to as
crime fiction .The genre includes novels and short stories that are written
for a target audience who expect s the writing with a standard of the genre.
It includes a stunning and sensible plot with a twist of turns and
wrongdoing, hinting proof, false leads, criminologist appearance, an
unexpected rogue , a very late goal to the plot and a desire that the
circumstance would work itself out.munotes.in

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52From time to time, myste ryfiction or stories have been separated
into some ofthesub-genres. Hardboiled secrets are those that are lumpy
and vicious. Delicate bubbled mysteries are as reasonable as hardboiled,
yet incr easingly hopeful and silly, without violent subtleties. Comf ortable
mysteries are light and less rough, with novice offense solvers in little or
tight-weave towns. Police Procedural mysteries dependably pursue an
expert criminologist or cop who explains transgressions. Bolted Room
mysteries appear to be difficult t o have been submitted. T he latest release
tothe class is the spine chiller or convincing puzzles where the hero is s et
facing remarkable chances that keep watchers on the edge of their seats.
B. Crime Fiction :
Crime fiction is a form of writing that nov elizes violations and
offenders. What makes this type so animating is the psychological combat
that follows among the author and pursuer. As the essayist uncovers
information and works through the crime riddle, pursuers attempt to
understand it for themsel ves before the criminal and it is uncovered
toward the end of the story. Created in the mid -nineteenth century, crime
fiction has become incredibly prevalent, and the class has needed to
develop into numerous subgenres. A portion of the more typical subgen res
is mystery fiction where the most widely recognized structure and
pursuers are given pieces of information that in the long run uncover the
criminal, legitimate spine chillers. Characters are normally legal
counselors, cops, and a rearranged investigat or who uncover the deeds of a
criminal toward the start and after that, the story works back to it.
Despite the fact that each sub -genre ha s its tweak, all crime fiction s
share essential components. A critical crime is a way to any great crime
story. The offens e is the thing that impels the story forward. It is the thing
that persuades the characters and the pursuers .The protagonist of the
crime story is a detective by profession or a typical criminologist or the
individual who attempts to fathom the secr ets of criminal acts. The
suspects of the crime story are important to the story's anticipation and
interest. On the off-chance that the pursuers know who the cr iminal is
from the primary sign. A t that point ,there is no reason for proceeding with
the stor y.The criminal is afundamental character to any great crime
fiction. The criminal must be an all -around coordinated person against his
or her adversary –thelegend of a story .Additionally, a reasonable or
conceivable story is important to make crime fi ction worth reading.
C. Detective Fiction :
Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction
in which an investigator or a detective –either pr ofessional, amateur or a
retired government official investigates ac r i m e story ,often murders. The
detective stories began around the same time as speculative fiction and
other class fiction in th em i d -nineteenth century and have remained
incredibly popu lar, particularly in novels. Some of the most famous
detective si n fiction incorpo rate C. Augu ste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes,
Hercule Poirot and Byomkesh Bakshi .munotes.in

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53In spite of the long history of detection in writing, detective fiction ,
as an undeniable class ,initially showed up in the mid -nineteenth century
in the detective stories. Speci fic political, social, and ideological powers
exceptional to the nineteenth century are regularly referred to by such
people as elements that add success to the development of detective fiction
during this period. With the approach of average social orders , criminals
in the famous creative mind, the notoriety of chivalrous radicals became
seen as a danger by a social class keen on shielding its property.
Simultaneously the police, viewed in the eighteenth century as an
association devoted to securing dictat ors, rose in well -known regard. Once
censured as specialists of degenerate rulers, individuals from the police
power were currently esteemed for the assurance they gave, and the figure
of the law implementation official turned into an adequate hero in writ ing.
In the scholarly domai n, the Enlightenment realized significant regard for
the intensity of thinking, just as mind -boggling confidence in the capacity
of science to take care of social issues. This made ready for the
advancement of another abstract le gend, the detec tive-researcher. These
heroes have regularly refined men had such appreciated attributes as
logical information and unrivaled insight, and they evoked a lot of
excitement among nineteenth -century readers. In the twentieth century, the
readin gof detective fiction uncovered the class' unpredictability, alarming
people of the class that these writings contained more than splendid
scholarly capacity.
5.3 SHARAD INDUBANDYOPADHYAY: BIOGRAPHY
AND LITERARY CONTRIBUTION
Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was born in Purnea, Bihar on March
30, 1899 ,where his father was working. H is fam ilial home was in
Baranagar in N orth Kolkata. He was destined to Tarabhushan and
Bijaliprabha Bandyopadhyay at his maternal grandparents' home in
Jaunpur. The family hailed from Purnia, Biha r, India. He joined
Vidyasagar College in Kolkata in 1915 for his studies .W h i l e
concentrating there, he published his first work, “Jaubansmriti ”, an
accumulation of ballads atthe age of twenty. H e passed the B.A.
examin ation in 1919 .H e completed his studies in L aw in Patna and
afterward commit ted his opportunity to compose . He was thirty when he
surrendered his training and began filling in as an essayist. In 1928,
Himangshu Roy welcomed him to Bombay to try his best in composing
screenplays. Till 1952 ,he composed for movies, and after that set tled
down in Pune to seek an undenia ble profession as an essayist.
Saradindu Bandyopadhyay's collection was shifted. He was
similarly quiet with short and long stories. He creat ed the character of
Byomkesh Bakshi many decades ago who remained a famous detective in
Indian Writing in English Translation. He is essentially known as the
maker of Byomkesh Bakshi, the quintessential Bengali analyst inthe
hearts of Bengali pursuers andreached to them through interpretations,
TV and film s.The abstract brightness of his authentic fiction staysmunotes.in

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54unparalleled. Set in various times of Indian history, directly from the Pre -
Aryan days to the Gupta, Mauryan perio d till the age of the Mughals,
these are an extraordinary mix ture of glimmering wanders aimlessly, of
sentiment, experi ence, portrayals enlivened by a kind offigure of speech
and vocabulary to suit the ethos of that former time.
Sunil Gangyopadhyay ,anIndian poet and novelist in Bengali ,
rightly says about the literary merits of Saradindu Bandyopadhyay .H e
states how the taste of his writing has a variety altogether:
[...]Among contemporary writers of Bengali –nobody could write a
historical fiction quite like him. Who can crea te that atmosphere, who else
has the wit and humour…his prose had a different taste altogeth er–Ia m
rather fond of it... ( Gangyopadhyay)
Bandyopadhyay composed short stories, short novels, social books,
sonnets, melodies, articles, and stage plays. He has also composed a few
screen plays, some of which depended on his variety of works .
Amusement , mind and parody are common elements in his literary
writing .T h e fundamental subject of the majority of his works is sentiment.
He was exceptionally specific and a stickler. He surrendered histies with
the film busi ness in 1952 and moved to Pune to focus on writing more
fruitful works . He composed a few phantom stories, authentic sentiments
and youngsters' accounts in Bengali throughout the following 18 years.
Some of his novels in this genre are Gourmalhar, Tungabhadra’r
Teere, Kaler Mandira and Jheender Bandi. Saradindu's books continue to
be among the bestsellers in Bengali literature, primarily because of the
unabated popularity of his detective Byomkesh.
Saradindu died on September 22, 1970.
5.4 CHARACTERIZATIONS IN THE QUILLS OF THE
PORCUPINE
5.4.1 Major Characters:
ByomkeshBakshi :When Saradindu Bandyopadhyay created his
amateur sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi in 1932, there was no t much of a
homegrown tradition o f detective fiction in Bengali ormore broadly in
the context of Indian writing. It was tended to be highly derivative of
the w estern tradition o f writing .Byomkesh Bakshi is an evergreen
character of a Bengali tradition who represents Indian detective
figures. He disdained "detective" to portray his profession yet rather
preferred to consider himself a " Truth Seeker". Appearing in the story
like S herlock Holmes, he can be better called the Indian Sherlock in a
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55Byomkesh Bakshi appears in the prologue of The Quills of the
Porcupine where he is seen sitting at his home when Inspector
Rakhalbabu enters the scene to discuss the serial murders that happened in
the city by applying the porcupine quills as weapons. As a detective,
Byomkesh has a different viewpoint to see towards each and every case.
In this novel, he is seen resolving the cases of three murders and one -half
murder . In the epilogue, he again enters the scene to investigate the matter.
He, along with Rakhalbabu, talks with Dipa, Debashish, Nripati and his
friends and the Mukherjees. To solve the case and catch the actual culprit,
he spreads the news of uncovering the mystery behind three murders to
kill Debashish. Probal Gupta comes with a threat that he would be caught,
he decides to kill Byomkesh in the same way he committed murders
previously. Byomkeshgets a fish in the net and applies a Bullet -proof
jacket for his safety. He decides to meet Probal at Rabindra Sarobar and
catches him red -handed. In this way, he resolves the mystery behind the
serial murders where the quills of the porcupine were used as weapons.
Debashish Bhatta –Debashish istall, slim and fair -complexioned, with
a handsome face. He is about twenty -seven year sold. He is the son of
an elderly man, Late Subhashishbabu Bhatta , who had built the house
around five years back where he leaves at present. Hecompleted his
M.Sc. degree at the University of Delhi. He is the owner of Butterfly
Cosmetics Ltd. which is established by his father. Later he married
Dipa Mukherjee .Usually, h is evenings are spent up at home byreading
the latest business magazine sand texts on scientific subjects. He does
not believe in match -making but stars stayed out of the equation to
marry Dipa. He is smitten upby Dipa. His experience of women is
virtually nil, but he likes the way she looks. He feels she would make
him a good wife.
Along with amusement, Debashish textures a pinprick of surprise.
The words struck a false note, quite unlike the natural coyness one might
have expected from a new bride. It takes some time for the exact me aning
of the words to sink in. T hen the f lames of jo y and desire that have been
burning in his heart are stuffed out one by one when he comes to know
about Dipa’s affair with another unknown man. He feels as though the
electric lights in the room have dimmed gradually, casting him into the
gloom that surrou nds an oil lamp. His life has also been struck by a
sudden calamity. He would have to keep his head and work out a
reasonable solution to the problem. He behaves like a level -headed man
and immerses himself in his thoughts.
Debashish’s experience of women is very limited but he begins to
feel that women are extremely selfish creatures. He comes to this
conclusion because of his wife’s selfish behaviour and affection towards
her lover even after her marriage. According to him, they value nothing
but their o wn interests, to the exclusion of all else. His life after marriage
continues to run along the same channel which had been confined to
during his bachelor days, the only difference being the addition of another
member to his household, his wife Dipa. He st arts feeling restless. He is amunotes.in

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56thorough gentleman with a pleasant disposition. But unfortunately, Dipa
does not love him but just marries him on the wish of her parents. It is
hard to be blamed for it but he accepts it and continues to proceed in life
with a hope of a glorious sunrise.
DipaBhatta :Dipa is the wife of Debashish Bhatta . There was
something appealing about her languidly casual look. She could be
descri bed as fair -complexioned and has an attractive face. She is a
beautiful lady with theintellectual ability to handle the situation and
act accordingly in an anticipation of expected results . Whenever alone
at the house, she listens to music and leans back on the chair to spend
her afternoons every day. She shares with her the strange conjugal l ife.
She is a traditional Indian woman who prefers to eat after her husband
just like her patriarchal habits. But she tries to manage herself to sit at
the same table for dinner with her husband.
Dipa belongs to an old orthodox Bengali family which was
wealthier and powerful in the past. At present, their circumstances are
greatly reduced. She is the only one girl child in the family. She has
cleared her Senior Cambridge Exam ination from a Girl’s School in
Calcutta. She is the finest example of a victim ofpatriarchal sufferings at
her house as she has no freedom at all to go out of home alone. Shestays
at home and helps her mother with the household. In her spare time, she
reads novels and listens to the radio. She does obey all the rules of a
Bengali p atriarchal family without such complaint sbut her heart remains
despondent. In her patriarchal days, she is allowed to talk with herfamily
friends under the supervision of her parents .
Dipa is a brave girl but her courage is shot with a st reak of
stubbornness. Her relationship with her grandfather is rather usual. She
falls in love with a local boy and wishes to marry him but does not get
permission from her parents so far. Her boyfriend is likely one of her
brother’s friends –Probal Gupta. Apart from Dipa, nobody knows the
identity of her secret lover. Her slim form has a virginal quality that lent
her a childlike innocence. But her face betrays a firm mind, the graceful
features capable of expressing powerful emotions. Her feeling of
appre hension originates less from her natural shyness than from being
caught in a controversy created by unusual circumstances. Her life is
caught in incredible upheavals.
After marrying Debashish on the wish of her parents, Dipa starts
living with him as a me re formality. Nripati presents her with a gift –a
gold wristwatch. Kapil offers her an expensive fountain pen. Kharga
Bahadur gives her a kukri, the traditional dagger of Nepalese. Probal gifts
her a few records of his own songs while Sujan presents her w ith a silver
idol of the goddess Saraswati. Debashish’s colleagues and factory staff
also give the couple a variety of gifts appropriate for the occasion.
As soon as she enters her marital life with Debashish, Dipa
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57spend the rest of her life with her lover. She often sits at the place that
belongs to her. As suggested by Debashish, she starts flourishing her
interest in gardening art. But she is not at all fully interested in this. For
the benefit of Nakul, she chats with her husband about her garden
development activity to avoid any further suspicion of her mutual
separation with Debashish even living together in the same house. She
starts getting echoed her husband’s words: “Dipa, you may not love me,
but I have fallen in love with you”. At the end of the novel, she settles
herself with her husband when Probal Gupta gets into prison for three
murders and a half murder of her husband.
Probal Gupta :Probal is a friend to Nripati and a member of the
Social Chat G roup at Nripati’s house every evening. He lives near Gol
Park in an old, two -storeyed house in three rooms on the ground floor.
He is the old tenant of the house, paying low rent. He is a couple of
years older than Debashish. He is of medium build and has a muscular
physique. His face is unexceptional but gives off an an imal magnetism.
His eyes betray displeasure. He is disorganized by nature.
Probal has a reputation as a gifted singer. He plays the piano in a
desultory fas hion and behaves like he is not related to Debashish. Some of
hisgramophone records have become popular and he is often invited to
perform over the radio. His career in music is barely keeping his family
afloat after his father’s death due to a heart attack .His wife too dies of
congeni tal heart disease. He prefers not to say anything about it to
anybody, however, his sentiments are always visible to everybody. He
merely comes to Nripati’s house and plays the piano in such a manner that
suggests he is comple tely lost in his thought. He keeps aloof from the
crowd and tinkered with the piano keys.
Probal comes from an affluent family and the vagari es of fate,
without warning, have reduced him to a state of penury. His plight has
soured him. Of the seven deadly sins, two are intrinsic to his nature –
greed and envy. Compounded by his dire financial situation, these two
failings are instrumental in maddening him. However, those born to
wealth go thro ugh untold suffering if they suddenly lose it. He belongs to
this breed of individuals. After his father’s death, he goes through terri ble
financial hardships and avaricious nature. He has been able to earn a
decent living as a singer, but that brings litt le joy to his tormented soul.
His life is further burdened by his marriage to a woman suffering from a
terminal disease.
Probal always plans to elope with Dipa and marry her. But he does
know that the old man, Dipa’s grandfather, would not permit them to do
so as per their aspiration. As an unsuccessful person, he tries to set a
platform to kill Debashish and marry Dipa grabbing the property by
killing three other people not related to Debashish or Dipa. Afraid of being
caught by the police, he also tries to murder Byomkesh to close the file of
serial murders. He is easily caught in Byomkesh’s plan and he is finallymunotes.in

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58arrested by Inspector Rakhalbabu when he attempts to apply the porcupine
quills in Byomkesh’s chest.
Sujan Mitra :Sujan Mitra is a twenty -seven -year-old man. Clean -
shaven, bright -eyed, and exceedingly fair, he is blessed with features
that would have put Apollo to shame. He is a rising star of the silver
screen. With a couple of hits under his belt, he begins to make a name
for himself. He is equally comfortable in serious and comic roles.
What is particularly remarkable, however, is his level -headedness in
the face of sudden fame and fortune. He is completely devoid of
conceit. Little is known about his private life. No one knows about his
origins nor whether he has any relatives to speak of. But it is clear
from his choice of friends that whatever his origins might be, Sujan’s
tastes incline towards the educated, the well -mannered and the upper -
middle class. He demons trates no particular weakness for the fair sex.
No one even knows about his marital status. He lives alone in a small
house at one end of South Calcutta and mostly eats outevery day. The
house is a small one but it comes with an attached garage.His life is
unremarkable and devoid of complexity.
Among the nubile actresses, there are many who are attracted to
his handsome newcomer face. However, he evades them all by mastering
the art of slipping away as skillfully as an eel. Outside the film fraternity,
hissocial life is primarily focused on the friends he gets together with at
Nripati’s house for a social chat. He has been unlucky in love because the
woman he loves has married someone else a year earlier.
Nripati Laha :Nripati isa thirty -five-year-old wh o has lost his wife
even before she could conceive. He is a widower. He does not focus
on remarriage and prefers to stay in isolation. He is highly educated,
with a string of university degrees to his name. His lineage is a
distinguished one. He is an acknowledgeable man. But at present, he is
the only scion of his family. He likes to spend his time in the company
of books. After sundown, it is the tea session at his place which keeps
him busy. He is very close to Dipa’s brother Bijoy . After dinne r, he
welcomes Debashish regularly at his house for a tea and chat session.
He satirically comments on the mindset of the Mukherjee family on
the issue of finding a groom for their daughter from the community
they belong. He is a master at matchmaking, del iberately broaches the
topic of marriage negotiations while sipping his tea. He has a mistress
with whom he occasionally arranges nocturnal trysts.
Bijoy Madhav Mukherjee :Bijoy is Dipa’s sibling who is five year s
elder than her. He is a Master in San skrit and decides to try a job in the
teaching field. He is a forceful personality like his father who is
nourished under the patriarchal school of his grandfather. He always
enjoys with his friends at his house .He keeps an open eye on the
movements of his si ster, Dipa . One day after being reprimanded by his
grandfather, he catches hersister heading towards the station of
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59letter laying near the telephone about her elopement with her low cast e
lover. Then, h ebecomes a hurried brother for Dipa. He is a reluctant
man and feels the shame of his sister’s aborted elopement with a
stranger more keenly than anyone else. His hunt for the right groom
again begins in real earnest. He considers him as a good friend to
Nripati and regularly visits his house for social chit -chat. He gives a
task to Nripati to find out a suitable guy for Dipa. In the later part of
the novel, he is in an inactive role.
KhargaBahadur :Kharga is a Nepali by birth but his mother was
Bengali. Therefore, his mother tongue is Bengali. He is about twenty -
three years old. He is as tall as he is fair and very handsome. He lives
in a tiny flat that is smaller in size but enough for h is need for survival.
The suggestion of the Mongol in his features is so slight that it is
barely noticeable. He is a well -known football player by profession
who represents the most famous soccer club in the city. It is true about
his perfection in the ga me because a ball at his feet transforms him
into a magician. Millions of spectators gather to watch him play. Yet,
despite his skill, and his eminently respectable background, his manner
remains unassuming. He has no truck of women. He is just a footballe r
and a gambler as well who is always defeated by his fellow partners in
the game.
Kapil Bose :Kapil Bose is a twenty -four-year-old and seems to be a
person with a mind of his own. Clad in a suit, he is a handsome fellow
with the stamp of refinement on hi s distinguished features. He is a
good sort. His father is unimaginably rich, but he is not worthy of it.
He does not have any serious vice. He is educated and spends his days
on the tennis court and at the billiards table and looks through his
telescope a t night to count the stars. He has a flaw to refuse to get
married. He lives in a three -storeyed building. The ground floor has
been rented out to the branch of a bank. He along with his family lives
on the two upper floors. He has a truck with no women. H e is a man of
ideas and his mind explores the sky more freely than it does the earth.
Nakul: Nakul is a short and sto ut man with a strong built. He is am a n
of few words but his eyes are always wary a nd inquisitive. He serves
the Bhatta couple as both cook and servant. He is with them for the
lastyear. He gives his sudden opinion to Nripati to have a proposal of
marriage to Debashish without wasting time. When he comes to know
about the news of Debashish’s marriage with Dipa, he cleans all the
rooms as well and changes the sheets on the bed. On this auspicious
occasion, he does not want to leave a single corner of the house untidy.
He always prepares an elaborate breakfast for two of them. He has
seldom done as much for Debashish when h e was living alone.
An entire household chores fell to Nakul. He helps to initiate the
new bride into the ways of his house, keep an eye on her meals and attend
to her comforts. Since no women have lived in the house for years, it has
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60mistress. He explains to her how men and women sit together for meals
every day.
Uday Madhav Mukherjee: Uday is the grandfather to Dipa and the
head of the patriarchal family. Once, he was the principal of a reputed
college but thesudden onset of paralysis forces him to take early
retirement from his service and sets himself in the four walls. He rules
the famil y with an iron hand and shamelessly flaunts his family pride
to the world at large. Even after staying at home, he always meets his
professor friends at his house and still at the age of seventy, he
manages to talk like a roaring tiger. He uses to call his granddaughter
as Dipankari instead of Dipa.
5.4.2 Minor Characters:
Nil Madhav –He is the father to Dipa and a college professor who is
a strict man like his father, Uday Mukherjee. He has already heard
about Debashish from Bijoy and has already made inquiries about the
young man on his own. He feels that Debashish would be a suitable
match for Dipa and has come to see for himself whether he is right. He
studies Debashish keenly and then nods to Nripati to indicate his
approval.
Subhra Ghosh –Shubhra is a few years older than Dipa. She has got
married last year. A plump and jovial young woman, she is with her
good singing voice. She is a very close friend to Dipa who comes to
the house of Debashish to meet Dipa first time after their marriage.
She beg ins to narrate anecdotes about her own obsession with her
husband as a newlywed. She tries to behave more friendly with Dipa
to tell her life after marriage. She offers her to go on a movie which
she rejects and leaves the house with a promise of meeting s ome other
day.
Ajit: Ajit is the brother of Byomkesh Bakshi. He does not play a big
role in the plot of the novel. In the prologue, he has been shown
listening toa conve rsation between Byomkesh and Inspector
Rakhalbabu over the three murders and one half -murder in the city
using the porcupine quills. He again appears in the epilogue of the
novel when Byomkesh narrates each and every facade of investigation
of the case and how he catches the killer by setting the net at Rabindra
Sarobar.
Satyabati: Satyabati is the spouse ofByomkesh Bakshi who appears
only at the en dof the story in the epilogue. She also listens to the
investigation part of the murder case by Byomkesh Bakshi. She
appreciates the way his husband handles the risks and catches the
murderer. When Debashish reaches to invite theBakshi family for a
dinner to celebrate a new beginning of married l ife, he especially asks
Satyabati to come an d have a conversation with Dipa.munotes.in

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61Dr. Ramprasad Dutta: He is the senior -most chemist in the Butterfly
Cosmetics established by Subhashishbabu, Debashish’s father. He is in
the factory since its establishment. He is of Dipa’s father’s age and his
affectionate welcome in the fac tory put Dipa at ease. Debashish
considers him as a real driving force of the factory since its
establishment.
Dr.SuritSen :Sen is the physician to attend the Mukherjees. He comes
to Dipa’s house when Debashish fell sick and informs Dipa
surprisingly that his husband’s heart is on the right side of his body.
Gautamdev and Ramola :Gautandey is the oldest in the family. He
runs the family business and is an aloof sort of person who consciously
keeps away from domestic matters. His wife Ramola is however quite
the reverse. She could not have been more than thirty, but she is bright,
efficient in managing her household duties and very involved in
anything that smacked of the domestic. Moreover, the hint of acid in
her temperament persuades everyone to take pains not to rub her the
wrong way.
Ashoka and Sailenbabu :Ashokais Kapil’s sister who is approaching
thirty. Her only son, a seven -year-old is at boarding school. To claim
that she is a rich man’s daughter and a rich man’s wife is enough to
sum her up. She looks upon most living creatures with disdain and
distances herself from most people. Her husband Sailenbabu is partly
animal -like who loves to hold forth at a gathering. He is inclined to be
argumentative and, given a chance, he does not hesitate to o ffer
unsolicited advice.
Dr.Gupta :He is a middle -aged man of average build. He seems to be
blessed with inexhaustible reserves of energy despite the battle he has
been waging against death on behalf of his patients for the last twenty
years. In fact, he looks stronger for it. He is a doctor at Rashbehari
Hospital where Debashish is admitted by the three strangers. He
informs Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu that it is a strange case he has
been operating in his entire career. He tells them surprisingly that the
reason for Debashish’s survival is the place of his heart on the right
side, instead of the left. He hands over the porcupine quills to the
police for further investigation and cures Debashish very fast.
Dinanath: Dinanath is a valet at Nripati’s house who used to serve
especially daily the discussion group every evening. He is loyal to his
master. He knows that Nripati sometimes goes out for a nocturnal tryst
but he keeps that with himself only. Even the other servants in the
house are in darkness.
Ratan Singh : Ratan is a valet and compatriot to Kharga Bahadur. He
is short and stout with typical Nepali features. He lives with his master
and works as a cook for him. He is quite famous for making excellent
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62Padmalochan: Padmalochan is an elderly gardener who was
appointed by Debashish to help Dipa in gardening work. He is an old
hand at the job of gardening which is entrusted. One funny thing about
him is he always refers to the bougainvillaea as the ‘baigon billi’.
Faujdar Singh: He is a watchman at the factory of Debashish whose
face is selected to apply face cream to know the results.
5.5ADAPTATIONS FOR SERIALS AND MOVIES
The story was also adapted for a film named “Sahika Kanta” which
was released in 1974.
"Sahi kaKanta" wasan episode in the Hindi t elevision serial Byomkesh
Bakshi directed by Basu Chatterjee was broadcasted on Doordarshan
during 1993 to 1997.
A television serial named “Byomkesh ” was broadcasted on Bengali
channel ETV Bangla in 2014 .
The film Detective Byomkesh Bakshi was appeared in 2015 that was
starring by the actor Sushant Singh Rajput
5.6IMPORTANT QUESTIONS
1.Write a critical note on the literary merits of Saradindu
Bandyopadhyay as a typical Bengali novelist in the context of The
Quills of the Porcupine.
2.Critically comment on the characterization in Bandyopadhyay’s novel
The Quills of the Porcupine.
3.Write short notes on the following:
b.Byomkesh Bakshi
c.Debashish Bhatta
d.Dipa Bhatta
e.Prabal Gupta
f.Sujan Mitra
g.Nripati Laha
h.Bijoy Madhav Mukherjee
i.Kharga Bahadur
j.Kapil Bose
k.Nakul
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63UNITVI
6
CRITICAL STUDY OF SARADINDU
BANDYOPADHYAY’S THE QUILLS OF
THE PORCUPINE (TRANSLATED BY
SREEJATA GUHA) -PART -II
Unit Structure :
6.0 Objectives
6.1 Plot–summary of the novel
6.2 Prologue in the novel
6.3 Epilogue in the novel
6.4 Symbolism in the Novel
6.5 Significance of the t itleThe Quills of the Porcupine
6.6 Major Themes in the Novel
6.7 Important Questions
6.0OBJECTIVES
After studying this chapter, the students will be able:
a.Tounderstand the plot structure of The Quills of the Porcupine
b.To understand how The Quills of the Porcupine is a Crime and
Detective Fiction.
c.To know the prologue and epilogue introd uced by Saradindu
Bandyopadhyay as a successful Bengali novelist.
d.To acquire a critical understanding of the prescribed novel.
e.To elucidate the significance of the tile of the novel.
f.To elaborate on the symbolism in the novel.
6.1PLOT –SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL
The prologue opens up the story in Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s
short novel The Quills of the Porcupine . This novel comes under the
literary subgenre of mystery or crime fiction. Therefore, this prologue is a
kind of additional dropping cement to taste or read the novel with the
climax elevated at the beginning. In the prologue, the readers have been
made acquainted with the three mysterious murders and one half -murder
at the crowded place of South Calcutta. The victims of the story were from
the different strata of the society which stands as a kind of climax till the
end of the novel. It informs the murders of Phaguram, an old beggar, a
poor labourer and Gunamoy Das, a shopkeeper and a half murder of amunotes.in

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64person from upper -class society, Debashish . The common thread in all
these sinful acts was the use of the porcupine quills as a weapon to kill the
people mercilessly.
The story is set in South Calcutta where Debashish Bhatta and his
newly wedded wife Dipa live in atwo -storeyed house, located in at i n y
lane. They are married just two months before. This house is maintained
by the Improvement Trust. It is a well -flourished house which is built by
an elderly man, Subhashishbabu –the father of Debashish Bhatta, around
five years back. His father is passed away.
Debashish and Dipa’s married life is quiet and unhappy as it
happens against the wish of Dipa. She always keeps spending her days
listening to music and leaning on the chair while Debashish keeps himself
busy in his factory work. Both barely spare time with one another. She
prefers to have dinner after him. As soon as he finishes his dinner,
Debashish leaves for Nripati’s house where all his friends gather for a
social chat session over a cup of tea.
Nakul is both a cook and only one servant in the Bhatta family and
always takes care of the household very nicely. Dipa never shows interest
in Debashish’s thoughts and just insists on making yes / no formalities.
She belongs to a patriarchal Bengali Mukherjee family which is controlled
by her gr andfather, Uday Madhav Mukherjee. He is forced to take a
sudden retirement from his service as the principal of the college because
of paralysis, but he rules his family from the four walls. Her mother is a
simple woman busy with her household worries. Dip a always helps her
mother as she does not have such freedom of going out and doing things
as per her wish. Nil Madhav is her father who is a college professor. Bijoy
is Dipa’s only sibling who is a Master in Sanskrit and desires to try his
best in the teac hing field. All three male members in the family represent
the patriarchal mindset. She is always available at the house to serve the
family friends and guests all the time and mixes with them. She does obey
all rules of the patriarchy but her heart remain s despondent. She sits in
front of her grandfather hoping her head in a paroxysm of appreciation and
self-consciousness.
One day, Dipa gathers her entire strength and expresses to her
grandfather that she wishes to marry a man of lower caste with whom she
is in love. Irrespective of his roaring nature, she makes it clear to marry
him if he (Grandfather) does not have any objection. Then, she is locked
in a room as she has committed any serious offense. One day, she gets an
opportunity to step out of the ho use and heads towards the station a
Ballygunge. Unfortunately, Bijoy catches and brings her at home
forcefully. He also finds a letter written by Dipa informing them about her
elopement with a secret lover.
Bijoy, in severe tension, requests Nripati Laha , his friend, to find
out a suitable groom for his sister. Nripati is helpful but satirically
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65them with cockroaches. On the request of Bijoy, Nripati reaches to
Debashish’s house with a pro posal of marriage because Nripati did know
his father very well. He puts Dipa’s proposal to him and invites him for a
tea at his house the following evening. At the house of Nripati, Debashish
meets Probal Gupta, a musician and Kapil Bose. The very first ti me, Probal
declares his wife’s death due to a conjugal heart attack last month. After
listening to this sad news, Nripati and Debashish remain stunned.
Debashish decides to take a leave and further promises to join them again
the next day.
On the next ev ening, Debashish meets Bijoy where he finds
Debashish a perfect match for Dipa. Meanwhile, Kharga Bahadur, a
Nepali origin footballer, and Sujan Mitra, a rising star of the silver screen,
come into the scene. Debashish seems happy. A few more evenings pass
by in this similar manner. After exchanging their visits to one another’s
places, their wedding gets finalized after matchmaking.
After the wedding, the family friends and relatives present them
with a variety of gifts appropriate to the occasion. Debas hish seems in a
mood to make their first wedding night memorable but he does not find
any interest and response from Dipa. By gathering her strength, she
expresses her love for another man in front of him. He feels a sudden
electric current appears in his body and his entire dream world is shattered
in a fraction of a second. She pleads with him to give her a corner of the
house instead of throwing her out. He is a level -headed man and finds no
interest in knowing about her lover. He roams around the garden to
comfort himself. He suddenly encounters Bijoy and exchanges words
about the happenings after marriage. Bijoy tells him that they thought that
everything would be fine once she marries a wise man.
Debashish wants to settle down the problems and talks w ith Dipa
by putting the three solutions one after another –first, divorce; second, to
go back to her parents’ house; and third, to continue playing the role of his
wife publically. She agrees with the third option. He wants to even hide
this separation fr om the eyes of Nakul and warns her to act accordingly.
One afternoon, she receives a call from her lover who inquires whether
she is acting as per his instructions or not and takes a promise to hide his
identity. Meanwhile, Nakul tries to address Dipa abou t a tradition of the
Bhatta family of eating meals together. Debashish also tries to take her for
an outing that she refuses as per their (lover’s) plan.
Debashish sees Kapil approaching him very hastily to find out his
cigaret te case and rushes to Nripati’s house with him. Nripati asks
Debashish about his newly married life which he could not answer from
the bottom of his heart. SujanMitra arrives to join a daily discussion and
asks Nripati whether he has read the news of the m urder of a beggar,
Phaguram near Gol Park or not. Everyone joins the discussion over the use
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66Debashish is worried about Dipa’s strange behaviour with him. He
insists her on the invitation from his employees to join the party on the
occasion of their wedding. She agrees and reaches the factory where Dr.
Ramprasad Dutta, a senior -most chemist and actual driving force of the
factory, welcomes her. He sets her over the factory visit and on the dais
where the function is org anized. On the return journey, she gives a very
casual reply to the question of Debashish. But she makes true use of the
gifted roses to decorate the house by arranging them in the vases. He
becomes surprised when he sees that. He appreciates her skill in flower
decoration. All this while, she reserves an intimate form of addressing him
publically. At home, she could address him formally.
Considering her interest in flowers decoration in her leisure time,
Debashish steps forward to ask her to develop readi ng and gardening
activities. He makes everything available including a gardener,
Padmalochan. Without any interference, he observes her increasing
interest in gardening but one call from her lover brings her back on the
reality. Meanwhile, Shubhra Ghosh, h er close friend, suddenly enters her
house and pushes her to remember the days they had lived together. She
asks her about a newlywed life experience and then leaves promising her
to meet again. Dip’s interest in gardening again increases as she shows her
husband the development of gardening.
Sujan brings a piece of news again of the second murder in the
city. The paltry labourer is killed this time using the porcupine quills. The
discussion starts intensely where Nripati, Sujan, Probal, Kapil and
Debashis h also participate. On his return journey, Debashish catches
himself in sudden stormy rain and the next day feels sick. After getting
treatment by her family doctor Surit Sen, she decides not to keep
everything on Nakul. Debashish also comes very close to Dipa these days
and expresses his love for her. She becomes unanswered. One day, he
invites all his friends for coffee and snacks at his house. They discuss the
third murder in the city which is of a shopkeeper using the quills of the
porcupine. When she s ees Bijoy, her brother, she feels unease and goes to
rest in her bedroom. Bijoy, with the permission of Debashish, asks Dipa
forcefully to reveal her lover’s identity and threatens her that he would kill
her lover.
The story turns on to a highly exaggerat ed stage. Every man has
two facets like day and night. The author here uncovers the masks of the
characters by focusing on the duality. In the first story, Nripati, wearing
his wardrobe and shoes, goes out at night silently. In another story, Probal
who is a singer and an old tenant at Gol Park, goes out around eight -thirty
and takes a bath in a lake and settles down there till midnight. The third
story is about Kharga Bahadur who makes his way out by informing his
valet about the arrival of three guests at his house to play cards. He insists
on serving them a good quality breakfast and tells him that he would flow
blood if he loses today in gambling. After losing in the game, he leaves the
house at midnight, wearing his cowboy hat. In the fourth story, Kapi l,
along with his brother Gautamdev, his brother’s wife Ramola, sistermunotes.in

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67Ashoka and father Sailenbabu, discusses his marriage. It is a deep and
long discussion held among them. After this, Kapil wears his night suit
and leaves around eleven -thirty with his t elescope.
In the penultimate story of a particular night, Sujan is in his studio
for a shoot. The focus is on the limitlessness of an actor’s life. He is not an
exceptional case for this. After the shoot, he always goes out for dinner
and lunchat differen t locations. Then he comes to the house to take a sip of
wine and gazes at a picture of a girl. He leaves the house at eleven -thirty.
He settles down near a lake with an absent mind and heads back towards
his car, commenting on women.
The final tale is a bout the bizarre life of Debashish and Dipa. She
behaves well to hide the truth from Nakul. She also discusses her
gardening work with Debashish. Both are aware of their fake relation.
Sometimes he is shown behaving like a husband standing out of her room
but suddenly heads towards his room. The entire story till now is a
flashback and continues from the point when she refuses to go on a movie
with him. Two months pass away after their marriage. He could not
concentrate on reading and avoids to go at Nripat ’s house.
Dipa, that day, does not go to the garden but a sudden change in
her behaviour is visible. He goes into Debashish’s room and asks him for a
cup of tea. He, surprisingly, gazes at her and nods his head. She herself
prepares and serves the tea in the drawing -room. She realizes her mistake
and again requests him for a movie which makes him happy. Suddenly,
the telephone rings and he leaves the house at eight o’clock in the evening
without informing her where he is going. After one hour, Dipa and Nak ul
seem tensed over Debashish. She receives a call at nine o’clock. It is from
her lover to inquire about her husband’s behaviour.
It is exactly nine -thirty, the phone again rings a third time. This
time the call is from the Rashbehari Hospital and she i s informed by the
woman at another end that Debashish is hospitalized in the emergency
ward. She, along with Nakul, rushes towards the hospital.
An epilogue continues the story where the prologue was ended.
Inspector Rakhalbabu and Byomkesh reach the hosp ital. Dr. Gupta
surprisingly informs them of the story of the half -murder. He explains that
Debashish is lying in an unconscious state near Rabindra Sarobar, on a
bench under a tree. He is brought to the hospital by three strangers and one
of them is his e mployee. Dr. Gupta also astonishingly tells them that the
porcupine quills are removed from his left chest. He is still alive because
his heart is on the right side. He hands over the quills of the porcupine to
them and continues telling the details. Accor ding to him, it is an attempt to
kill Debashish.
Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu make an attempt to convince Dipa to
go home and come back the following morning again as Debashish is out
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68the corner of the hospital. Both of them reach the Mukherjee’s residence
and inform them about their son -in-law’s hospitalization. Nil Madhav and
his wife leave for the hospital to accompany Dipa. Bijoy gives information
about his sister’s aborted affair and suspects her lover for this attempt to
murder.
At two -thirty, Debashish wakes up and informs Dipa that he wants
to eat something. She sits with him on the corner of the bed which makes
him happy. At ten o’clock in the morning, Byomkesh and Rakhalabu e nter
the hospital and start inquiring from Debashish about the incident that
happened with him. He tells them that Kharga calls him up there to lend
him some money which he agrees. He informs them that as soon as
Kharga leaves for another discussion, someb ody enters something in his
chest mercilessly while sitting at the bench. It makes him suddenly
unconscious.
In the evening on the same day, all the friends congregate at
Nripati’s house. Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu enter to interrogate them all
in a separa te room about Debashish’s case. They inform Bijoy to be ready
with Dipa’s notebooks the next morning for a special investigation. Both
of them arrive at Mukherjee’s house to find out certain clues in Dipa’s
room and Byomkesh quickly drops the personal note book in his pocket
and promises Bijoy that everything is set to arrest the culprit and leaves
the house.
In a separate room of the hospital, Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu
interrogate Dipa and ask a series of questions about her husband and his
friends who gather at Nripati’s house. Rakhalbabu declares concluding
that she is innocent. Later on, Byomkesh alone visits Nripati’s house in the
evening and interrogates them all with his theory to catch the culprit. He
expresses that the three murders from different strata of the society, using
the porcupine quills, are just a move to escape from the crime. It is just a
drama set to show Debashish’s murder as a serial killer’s job.
Inspector Rakhalbabu arrives at Byomkesh’s house to give an
update about a bulletproof jacket asked by Byomkesh. Rakhalbabu leaves
and the phone rings. On another end, somebody informs Byomkesh to
come near Rabindra Sarobar claiming to have a secret over the murders in
the city. This call is expected by hi m and he tells Rakhalbabu that the fish
has taken a bait. He tells Rakhalbabu that he will be there to meet that
person and then he takes off his shirt to wear that bulletproof jacket. He
meets that person at the bench located under a tree by the edge of t he
water. The man sitting in front of him makes him careless and tries to fix
the porcupine quills in the chest of Byomkesh. Suddenly, the man
becomes bewildered as he gets failed because of a bulletproof jacket.
Byomkesh’s iron fist hands landed on his ja w like a heavy -duty weapon
and lays his face down. Rakhalbabu hastily appears and catches that man.
He is none other than Probal Gupta.munotes.in

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69A fortnight later at Byomkesh’s house, Ajit and Satyabati ask him
how he deduces that Probal Gupta is the culprit. He speaks in a leisurely
manner that the keywords in this tale are ‘the porcupine quills’. He
explains that the actual target was Debashish Bhatta. He also narrates how
he reaches the culprit by interrogating each and every member who visits
Nripati’s house. He explains how he fixes up his eyes on Dipa’s lover. He
understands the traditional mindset of the Mukherjees who don’t allow an
unknown to be mixed up with their female. So, he comes to the conclusion
that Dipa’s lover is among the friends of Bijoy and r eads the line of a
poem written and signed by Probal Gupta on her secret diary:
“In the lightening radiance of your eyes,
Thunderous clouds flash in my heart.”
Byomkesh explains further the development in this direction. He
tells that Dipa is fond of mu sic like Probal Gupta. Both fall in love with
one another and he wishes to marry the only daughter of the Mukherjee
family to solve his problems. He tries to elope with her but Bijoy catches
her red -handedly and brings her back. Probal knows that her grand father
would not allow them to marry as he is a low caste widower.
Byomkesh explains to Satyabti and Ajit that Probal wanted to kill
Debashish and marry his widow in a simple way. He would be the king of
Debashish’s property and his queen as his own in o ne swipe. On the day
when Kharga Bahadur calls Debashish for a meet at Rabindra Sarobar,
Probal plans to kill Debashish using the porcupine quills which he always
carries in his pocket. Unfortunately, he didn’t know that the heart of
Debashish is at right. He also explains his planning to kill him to prove
him wrong and divert attention from his possible involvement by killing
him. But he has no idea that he has laid the tray solely for his benefit.
At the end of the story, Debashish reaches Byomkesh’s ho use to
invite them all for a party on the occasion of his real wedding night. He
requests Satyabati to come to the party and bring Dipa out of her self -
consciousness. The story ends in the hope of happy days in the lives of
Debashish and Dipa.
6.2 P ROLOGU EI NTHE NOVEL
A prologue is a preamble or an introduction or an opening to a
story that sets up the specific circumstance . It also gives foundation
subtleties, frequently some prior story that integrates with the principle
one, and different incidental data. Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s short novel
The Quills of the Porcupine begins with a prologue. This novel comes
under the literary subgenre of mystery or crime fiction. Therefore, this
prologue is a kind of additional dropping cement to taste or read the novel
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70This prologue serves as a kind of introduction that is required to
understand the course of action through which the readers would be
transported in the world created by Bandyopadhyay .I ti n forms the setting
of the novel or story that is South Calcutta. The author’s intention here is
to create awareness about the place and society which is used here to
narrate the story. The setting is apt to describe an absolutely traditional
Indian life of the working class. The prologue begins with the routine
activities of the people near the crowded place –a tea stall where
Phaguram, an old beggar, is shown on his usual activities.
In the prologue itself, the readers have been made acquainted with
the three mysterious murders and one half -murder at the crowded place of
South Calcutta. The victims of the story were from the different strata of
the society which stands as a kind of cli max till the end of the novel. It
informs the murders of Phaguram, an old beggar, a poor labourer and
Gunamoy Das, a shopkeeper and a half murder of a person from upper -
class society, Debashish Bhatta. The common thread in all these sinful
acts was the use of the porcupine quills as a weapon to kill the people
mercilessly.
The author makes the readers acquainted with the central figure of
the novel –Byomkesh Bakshi, a detective. In the prologue, Rakhalbabu
comes to know the murders in the city and discuss es it with Byomkesh to
proceed further in the action with the clue of the use of a common weapon
–the quills of the porcupine. And the actual detective story begins with
this maiden clue for Byomkesh Bakshi.
6.3EPILOGUE IN THE NOVEL :
The Cambridge Dict ionary describes an epilogue as
“aspeech orpiece oftextthat is added to the end of a play orbook ,often
giving a short statement about what happens to the characters after
theplay orbook finishes ”. It is said that a well -entwined plot must have a
beginning, middle and end to make the text more effective. Epilogue
serves as an operative ending for the texts.
Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s short novel The Quills of the
Porcupine has a strong plot which is comprised of the prologue, the middle
story and the epil ogue. It begins with the prologue where Byomkesh and
Inspector Rakhalbabu are shown discussing the series of murders in the
city using the porcupine quills as a weapon. In the middle part, the author
narrates the story of Debashish and Dipa along with the friends who gather
at Nripati’s house. This part ends exactly where the epilogue starts to
continue the story started in the prologue.
Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu only appear in the prologue and the
epilogue. In the epilogue, they continue investigating the murder case
which has become a mystery in the city. To increase the level of tension
and climax, the author narrates the other dark sides of the characters whomunotes.in

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71leave their houses at night including Nripati, Kapil, Probal, Kharga and
Sujan. In the epilogue, Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu have a big role to play.
They interrogate each and every member of the chat group and focus on
tracing that the actual target was Debashish, other three people were killed
to cheat the police and escape from the clutches of law ski llfully. It was a
deliberate act Byomkesh did to channelize the activities of the culprit.
Finally, Probal Gupta, the culprit, does a mistake and decides to kill
Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu catches him red -handed.
At the end of the epilogue, Debashish invite s Byomkesh, Ajit and
Satyabati for a small celebration at his house. An epilogue ends the
sufferings of Debashish and Dipa and ignites a light of hope that would
bring changes in their married life.
6.4SYMBOLISM IN THE NOVEL
a.The quills of the porcup ine:This is the significant title of the novel.
From the beginning of the novel till the end, the climax raises over the use
of the porcupine quills for all murders instead of the traditional weapons
like knife or chopper. In the end, Probal Gupta was cau ght by Byomkesh
and Rakhalbabu and the use of the porcupine quills was uncovered. An
untraditional weapon like this is appropriately used by the author to raise
the climax in the mystery novel.
b.The South Calcutta City: There were hordes of lunatics pro wling the
streets of South Calcutta. Although it was not at all usual in a city like
Calcutta for people to live next door to each other and never meet. In these
modern times, religion was spared little more than lip service. Places like
Gol Park and Rabin dra Sarobar have been highlighted with their
specialties. These are the two places where all murders and one half -
murder happened. The area around the main gate of Sarobar was fairly
deserted; rarely did a bus or car whiz past along Southern Avenue.
c. Nripat’s House: Nripat’s house is popular in his locality for a tea and
chat session. Bijoy, Kapil, Kharga, Sujan, Probal and Debashish are the
regular members to gather at every evening. They discuss the current
happenings in the city and express themselve s with the knowledge they
have. All the members were interrogated by Byomkesh and Rakhalbabu at
this place after an attempt to murder Debashish using the porcupine quills.
d.The Mukherjee Family :The Mukherjee family was stau nchly
conservative in its ways and Dipa, the only daughter of this family, was
not allowed to socialize with men who were not known to them. Uday
Madhav is the ruler of this family who follows patriarchal practices. Every
member of Dipa’s family, including Bijoy Madhav, was obviously aware
of her illicit love affair. They force her into marriage with Debashish with
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726.5SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE THE QUILLS OF
THE PORCUPINE
Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s short novel The Quills of the
Porcupine is asuitable titleto its theme. Throughout the entire story, the
climax reaches its peak over the series of murders in the city, South
Calcutta. The city observes the three murders and one half -murder in a
row. Th ese three murders and an attempt to kill were from the different
strata of the society –Phaguram, a beggar; a poor labourer; a shopkeeper
and an industrialist Debashish Bhatta. The killer kills the first three people
to set the story to be shown as it’s a job of a serial killer. But the actual
target was Debashish. It was Probal Gupta, a rising singer and musician
who was the secret lover to Dipa, who wanted to marry her. Dipa’s family
belongs to the upper -class. Therefore, it was not possible for Probal t o
elope with Dipa and marry her because he was a lower caste widower. For
his own benefit, he decides to kill Debashish and marry his widow and
grabs his entire property. It was his actual plan that he executes with the
help of the porcupine quills as a we apon.
To kill Debashish, firstly, he kills three innocent people using the
porcupine quills as a weapon instead of a knife or any other tools. And he
also fixes the porcupine quills in the chest of Debashish but fortunately, he
survives because his heart was on the right side. In the entire city, it was
like a mystery that Byomkesh solves with the help of Inspector
Rakhalbabu and arrests the culprit. The story narrates the ways why the
quills of the porcupine are used instead of the traditional weapons ea sily
available. An identity of a culprit is revealed at the end who uses the quills
of porcupine intentionally which is a rare story. Therefore, the title of the
novel is significant to its story.
6.6MAJOR THEMES IN THE NOVEL :
a.Marginaliza tion of women in a patriarchal s ociety –Marginalization
of women is a major theme highlighted in this novel. Dipa is the
representative character who is a victim of the patriarchal mindset of the
Mukherjee family. She was without any kind of freedom. She tr ies to pave
the way for her freedom but is unfortunately caught by her brother Bijoy.
Negligence of women’s health is a kind of aspect of this marginalization.
Maximum male characters are shown as widowers that shows the place of
women in contemporary soci ety.
b.Dual Human Personas –Duality is a human character is another major
feature of the present novel. This duality is shown by the author
highlighting the day and night activities of the characters especially males.
Nripati, Probal, Kharga, Sujan and K apil usually go out of their houses till
midnight for doubtful activities. Therefore, the words like dark and light
describe the duality in human personas. Even Dipa, who was secretly in
love with a man, marries Debashish only for the sake of saving hersel f.munotes.in

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736.7IMPORTANT QUESTIONS :
A) Explain Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s short novel The Quills of the
Porcupine in the light of a Mystery and Crime Fiction .
B)Comment on the plot -construction in Saradindu Bandyopadhyay’s The
Quills of the Porcupine .
C)Critically comment on the symbolism in Bandyopadhyay’s The Quills
of the Porcupine .
D)Explain the m arginalization of women in a patriarchal Society in
Bandyopadhyay’s The Quills of the Porcupine .
E)Short Notes:
i. Prologue in The Quills of the Porcupin e
ii. Epilogue in The Quills of the Porcupine
iii.Significance of the Title The Quills of the Porcupine
iv. Dual human characters in The Quills of the Porcupine
Works cited:
Abrams, M. H. A Glossary ofLiterary Terms . New Delhi: Akash Press
(8thEdition), 2007.
Bandyopadhyay, Saradindu. The Menagerie and Other
ByomkeshBakshi Mysteries . Trans. By SreejataGuha. New Delhi:
Penguin Books India, 2006. Print.
Bandyopadhyay, Saradindu. Picture Imperfect and
OtherByomkeshBakshi Mysteries . Trans. By Sreej ataGuha. New Delhi:
Penguin Books India, 1999. Print.
Chatterji, Shoma. “Another ByomkeshBakshi Mystery”. The Indian
Express . Mumbai, June 6, 2014.
https://i ndianexpress.com/article/entertainment/screen/another -
byomkesh -bakshi -mystery/
“SaradinduBandopadhyay –Bengali Author’s Biographical Sketch”.
www.parabaas.com . January 2011.
https://www.parabaas.com/translation/database/authors/texts/saradindu
.html
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/epilogue and
prologue
munotes.in

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74UNIT VII
7
CRITICAL STUDY OF SHORT STORIES
BY BHISHAM SAHNI’S “PALI ”AND
VILAS SARANG’S “A REVOLT OF THE
GODS”
Unit Structure :
7.0 Objective
7.1 Introduction: Bhisham Sahni
7.2 Pali : Plot
7.3 Characters
7.4 Narrative Technique and Style
7.5 The I ndividual vs Fate
7.6 Religious Bigotry
7.7 Conclusion
7.8 Questions
7.9 Introduction: Vilas Sarang
7.10A Revolt of the Gods :Plot
7.11Characters
7.12Narrative Technique and Style
7.13Understanding Magic Realism
7.14Magic Realism in “A Revolt of the Gods”
7.15Conclu sion
7.16Questions
7.0OBJECTIVE
The objective in the following unit is to develop a deeper
understanding of the content, language and style of the two stories,
Bhisham Sahni’s “Pali” and Vilas Sarang’s “A Revolt of the Gods, ”w i t h
reference to the important themes in the stories as well as aspects such as
plot, setting, character, and narrative technique employed by the author in
these short stories .
7.1INTRODUCTION : BHISHAM SAHNI
Bhisham Sahni was born on 8 August 1915 i n Rawalpindi in
Pakistan . He grew up in Lahore and obtained a degree in English
Literature from Government College in Lahore but settled in Delhi aftermunotes.in

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75Partition . He was actively involved in the struggle for independence. As a
writer, he is perhaps most we ll known for his novel Tamas or ‘Darkness’
(translated into English in 1988), a work that was highly acclaimed for its
sharp critique of communalism as of the British policy of divide and rule.
Tamas has been translated into a number of Indian as well as f oreign
languages, and has perhaps overshadowed all his other works .His other
novels include Jharoke , and Basanti. In addition to being a writer, he
worked in theatre, and was involved with the Indian People’s theatre
Association (IPTA). He isalso the aut hor of plays like Hanusa (1977),
Kabira Khara Bazaar Mein (1981), and Madhavi (1982). During his stay
in Moscow, he worked as a translator with the Foreign Language
Publishing House rendering Russian works into Hindi, one of which
included Leo Tolstoy’s Resurrection . After his return to Delhi, he edited
the literary journal, Nayi Kahaniyan , from 1965 -67, and took up the post
of General Secretary of the All -India Progressive Writers' Association
from 1975 -85.His famous collection of short stories include Bhagya Rekha
(1953), Pahla Patha (1956) and Nischar (1983). He is the recipient of
awards such a s the Sahitya Akademi award (for Tamas in 1975), the
Shiromani Writers award (1979), the Lotus -Writers award from the Afro -
Asian Writers’ Association (1981), the S oviet Land Nehru award (1983)
and the Padma Bhushan (1998). He published his autobiography Aaj ke
Ateet (Today ’s Past) in 2003 before he passed away on 11 July that same
year.
7.2“PALI”: PLOT
Bhisham Sahni’s “Pali” is astory of afour year old boy nam ed
Pali who get slost while migrating with his parents and little sister across
the border from Pakistan to India during the time of p artition.
Circumstances compel his distraught parents, Manohar Lal and Kaushalya,
to continue their journey without him. T ragedy strikes a second time ,and
they lose their daughter too when their lorry is attacked by a mob.
Manohar Lal then makes several unsuccessful attempts over the next few
years to trace his son before he learns that Pali is with a Muslim family.
Manohar Lal had no idea that Pali had been adopted by a childless Muslim
couple, Shakur Ahmed and Zenab, and that he had been converted to a
Muslim to satisfy the diktats of their Maulvi. When Manohar Lal finally
finds Pali, now eleven years old, his adoptive pare nts and the Maulvi try
their best to keep him from taking Pali until Manohar Lal pleads w ith
Zenab on his wife’s behalf who finally gives in. Unfortunately for Pali,
history repeats itself, and he is reconverted to a Hindu to satisfy the
Chaudhari and the extended community in the village. The story ends with
Shakur and Zenab eagerly anticipating the time when they will see Pali
again during the festival of Id.munotes.in

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767.3CHARACTERS
Manohar Lal and Kaushalya &Shakur Ahmed and Zenab:
Pali’s parents, biologica l and adoptive, play an important role in the
narrative. Both are represented as loving, caring parents. Where Manohar
Lal and his wife Kaushalya are concerned, as individuals caught in the
web of history, they give themselves up to their fate without ques tioning
the unfairness of it all. They grieve for their lost children but meekly
accept it as a sign of God’s will. This fatalistic attitude becomes their way
of surviving the unimaginable real ity.
Pali’s adoptive father, Sh akur Ahmed, sells chinaware for living,
and is similarly described as a god -fearing man. Both he and his wife
Zenab are overjoyed when they find Pali, but as a Muslim couple that has
sheltered a Hindu child, they remain constantly fearful that fate, in the
form of the police, the Maul vi, or the neighbours, might snatch Pali away.
Both sets of parents display similar characteristics. On the one
hand, they have immense capacity for love, and accept Pali for what he is
–an innocent child. However, both succumb to the power of the relig ious
community that takes control over Pali, and do not resist their attempts to
refashion him to suit their convictions and beliefs. As such they show
themselves to be weak and insecure, unable to protect their son from those
like the Maulivi or the Chaud hari. They abdicate their responsibility as
parents when Pali/Altaf needs them most, and sacrifice his happiness to
maintain the status quo.
Pali: Pali, the four year old protagonist of the story, like a typical child of
his age, is able to adjust to his new environment with the kind of ease that
only children so young are capable of. However, he is paradoxically
centralised and marginalised at the same time. He is completely
bewildered by what is expected of him, and lives in fear of what will be
done to him in the name of religion, something he knows nothing of. All
he can do is cling to the parent he thinks will support him only to find that
it was a futile hope. He emerges as a vulnerable, pitiful character unable to
articulate his confusion, pain and shame at the public humiliation he is
subjected to during his circumcision and later, his ‘mundan ’.
The Maulvi and the Chaudhari: The Maulvi of the neighbouring
mosque, the Social Worker, and the Chaudhari of the village, represent the
dark side of a worl d where religion is reduced to superficial customs and
traditions, and where fear of the other results in the kind of victimisation
Pali gets subjected to. Each of them is a bigot in their own way, and is
seen exploiting the helplessness of a child to show their power and
authority. Pali/Altaf is viewed as the son of a ‘kafir’ by the Maulvi and
then as a ‘Musla’ by the Cha udhari . These derogatory labels applied to
Pali are a far cry from what Pali is, a child first and last. Ironically, even
the Social Wor ker, who one would have expected to be more sympathetic
given her profession, is just as cold and harsh. Her gesture of throwingmunotes.in

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77away Pali’s Rumi cap without any concern about hurting his feelings
signifies her lack of empathy and sensitivity to Pali’s pli ght. Where Pali’s
parents represent one side of the binary, the Maulvi, the Chaudhari and the
Social Worker represent the other. One might find such characterisation
somewhat simplistic and stereotypical, but it does reinforce the two poles
that Pali’s fat e is controlled by.
7.4NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE AND STYLE
“Pali” is set during the time of Partition and spans a period of
about seven years from the time Pali is lost until the time he is found
again. The narrative shifts back and forth in space beginning w ith Pali
getting lost on one side of the border while with his biological parents and
being found on the other side of the border by his adoptive parents, then
being restored to his biological parents once again. This shifting narrative
mirrors Pali’s yo -yo like existence as he is shunted back and forth between
the two sides of the border with two differ ent sets of parents of two
different communities.
“Pali” is a third person omniscient narrative, and the author makes
good use of the opportunities this mode of narration allows to intervene
and comment on the events and characters in the story. The author’s
intrusion in the form of philosophical observations, and the reflective,
meditative comments create a sombre, melancholic mood and atmosphere
befittin g this grim partition story. A sense of weariness and
disillusionment is introduced in the opening lines itself when the author
writes, “ Life goes on and on. Its ends never meet. Neither in the mundane
world of realities, nor in fiction. We drag on drearil y in the hope that
someday these ends may meet. And sometimes we have the illusion that
the ends have really joined.” However, there is also a sense that while
“Pali” isabout what happened at a specific time in history, it is not to be
limited to its hist orical context because it is ultimately a story about the
vagaries of fate and of life in general. Several metaphors and similes
punctuate the narrative to reinforce this idea. The author compares life to
something akin to a thread with ends that do not me et, and later to a series
of knots where another one appears the moment one is resolved. This idea
of life as a thread reappears when the author compares Manohar Lal’s
efforts to find Pali to treading a path that “was like a single thread hidden
in a tangl ed mass.” Nature imagery is also used to reiterate the
helplessness or elation of the characters as the case may be. Thus, the sky
sometimes looks “mysterious” (as the refugees migrate in their respective
lorries) and sometimes “resplendent” (when Zenab f inds Pali) depending
on the circumstances and the state of a character’s mind. Kaushalya’s
distraught condition is likened to that of “a bird whose nest was being
destroyed before its very eyes,” and Manohar Lal’s frustrated efforts are
described with a me taphor that compares his life to that of a bird being
torn apart by a hawk with its beak. The author’s comments and the
imagery effectively reinforce the sense of bleakness that characterises the
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78Tragic as the story of Pali is, it i s also deeply ironic. The central
irony perhaps lies in the discrepancy between what religion preaches and
how it is practised by those who are supposed to be the moral guardians of
society. What can be more ironic than the fact that an innocent child is
subjected to cruelty in the name of religion, or that a humanising
enterprise such as religion results in the kind of dehumanisation we see in
“Pali”? It is just as ironic that an innocent child is perceived as a threat.
And that where Pali is believed to b e an outsider , heis quickly claimed as
one’s own once he is suitably converted. The ease with which Pali is made
a Muslim and then a Hindu again would be laughable if it were not so
tragic. The Chaudhari’s outrage at the fact that Pali’s Muslim parents ha d
“planted the poison of fanaticism in his mind” is perhaps justified but the
irony lies in the fact he is so completely blind to his own fanaticism. He is
indignant at the idea of “religious conversion” but only when it is done by
others. And though Pali hasbeen brought back by his own father, the
Chaudhari implies, with no logic whatsoever, that he has been “planted”
amongst them by Muslims . The Chaudhari’s paranoia signifies such a
crippling fear of the other that everything seems like a conspira cy agai nst
the self .
The Maulvi and the Chaudhari are so blinded by their own self -
righteousness thatthey remain blissfully unaware of how absurd and cruel
they really are. The final irony lies in the fact that Shakur and Zenab wait
for Pali in the belief that Manoh ar Lal will honour his promise to send Pali
to spend Id with them every year.
7.5THE INDIVIDUAL VS FATE
Sahni suggests that human beings are propelled forward by fate
and a destiny not of their own making. At the very beginning, the author
draws p arallels between real life and fiction, claiming that both worlds are
characterised by similar uncertainties. Whether in “the mundane world of
realities” or in the world of fiction, whether in real life or in a story, the
ends do not always meet, and neith er do the “knots of life” get
satisfactorily resolved.
Manohar Lal and Kaushalya adopt a fatalistic attitude and decide
to be grateful that they still have one child. When they lose the other one
too, they simply resign themselves to their lot by seeing their trials as the
will of god. Their destiny had become inextricably linked with the destiny
of the nation, and all they could do was look up at the stars in the night sky
in bewilderment since “Fate had thrown a black curtain over across their
eyes, and they could disce rn no ray of hope through it.” Another way of
coming to terms with their tragedies is to compare their own fate with that
of others who had to suffer a worse fate than their own. Thus, Manohar
Lal and Kaushalya think of Lekhraj who had to see his three children
killed before his own eyes, and feel comforted by the thought that they did
not have to suffer in that way. A similar attitude is adopted by Shakurmunotes.in

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79when the riots break out. In the face of every violent act, he repeats to
himself tha t all this was a sign of god’s anger against humans.
The author never lets us forget that we are always at the mercy of
forces beyond our control. And yet, “Pali” celebrates the resilience of the
individual, whether a child or an adult. No doubt they rem ain scarred by
their tragedies, but both Pali and his parents are shown asable to
withs tand their trying circumstances.
7.6RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY
“Pali” eloquently illustrates the divide that separates self from
other, Hindu from Musl im, all in the name of religion. At no point in the
narrative do characters such as the Maulvi and the Chaudhari see
themselves in terms of their national identity. They are Mu slims or Hindus
first and last; their communal identity becomes their only identity. The real
problem, however, lies in the manner in whic h this identity is understood
inexclusionary terms . There is no room for respect and acceptance for a
religion other than one’s own. The line that separated the two countries at
the time of Partition had not been erased simply by dividing the nation
into two. In the light of this sad reality, Sahni shows how the possibility of
harmonious existence between people of different faiths is only an
illusion. The other is to ke epat a safe distance because the other is so
strang e and unfathomable . This attitude is best exemplified in the case of
the Maulvi who is unable to see Pali as the child he is because he belongs
to a different faith, and is as such, is “a kafir’s polluted child”. For the
Maulvi, Pali can be accepted by the extended community only if he is
converted to Islam. Circumcision, reading the kalma, wearing a Ru mi cap,
and a change of name -this is all it takes to make a Hindu a Muslim. Pali
becomes Altaf in a matter of minutes. Later, all thatthe Chaudhari has to
do to convert Altaf back to Pali is shave his head, give him a sacred thread
and a dhoti and kurta to wear, and a few mantras to chant. Such cosmetic,
superficial ‘conversions’ are enough to satisfy society into believing that
the other is no longer a thr eat, and can be safely integrated into the self.
The superciliousness of the Maulvi and the Chaudhari is placed in
opposition to the pure love that Pali’s parents, biological and adoptive ,
show towards him. When the Maulvi refers to Pali as a “kafir’s po lluted
child” and compares him to a snake, Zenab is found thinking to herself
that neither did Pali look like the child of a serpent nor did there seem to
be anything polluted about him. Despite being a member of the same
religious community, Zenab is able to rise above a petty definition of what
it means to be a Muslim, and see Pali for what he is -afrightened, lost
child, not a ‘kafir,’ a snake, or a source of pollution. Manohar Lal is also
found trying to protect and comfort Pali because he can empathis e with his
condition.
Unfortunately, Pali is denied agency over his life and his body
since he is only a child. The decision to convert him is taken by the adultsmunotes.in

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80whose control he is under. Pali’s transformation to Altaf and then back to
Yashpal reflects the power o f the adult community to erase his identity
and su bstitute it for another .Pali has no say in the mat ter. He must accept
his new identity as meekly as the red Rumi cap the Maulvi gives him after
the circumcision. Later, when he is refashioned as a Hindu, once again, his
body is taken control over by the community. His hair is shaved off, he is
given new clothes to wear, and a new name to respond to. We find that
Pali is treated more like a wild animal that needs to be domesticated in
order to liv e in a home as opposed to the jungle he came from. The parents
are also guilty of communalism at times. When Zenab hears that Pali’s
biological father has come looking for him, she develops an outlook
similar to that of the Maulvi, and feels that now that he is a Muslim, he
belongs to her. When he returns to his childhood home, and the Chaudhari
calls the barber to shave off Pali’s hair, Manohar Lal does not protest.
What does a child such as Pali/Altaf matter, in the larger scheme of things,
especially thi ngs as big and as important as religion? What do children
know of religion anyway? Such are the beliefs the author satirises in the
story, raising questions about who are the real ‘kafirs’ or ‘fanatics’ in
society. In fact, the Maulvi goesto the extent of bribing the police to
prevent Manohar Lal from finding Pali, and present sthis act as “a service
to religion.”
The story reaches its climax at the point when Manohar Lal finally
comes face to face with Pali but must prove that Pali is indeed his son. Pal i
now becomes the point of contention between his biological and adoptive
parents but, as the author notes, the matter acquires a different tone
altogether with the focus on his religious identity: “ It had become a
Hindu -Muslim matter. Questions like “Whos e child is he?” and “Who
brought him up?” seemed to have become irrelevant.” Parent and child
become inconsequential in the larger context of rel igion but Pali/Altaf’s
parents do try to resist falling into the trap of religious bigotry. Zenab
agrees to ret urn Pali because herview of god tells her that she might incur
his wrath for making Pali’s mother suffer ,and not because she gave him
into the hands of ‘kafirs’. Incidentally, the word ‘kafir’ itself, which means
unbeliever or infidel, is itself ironic s ince the ‘other’ is labelled as such not
because they don’t believe in god but because they believe in another god.
At a critical juncture in the narrative, Zenab sidelines the Maulvi and
detaches herself from his dogmatic approach. She makes a pact with
Manohar Lal to send Pali to them once a year on the occasion of Id to stay
with them for a month. When Manohar Lal graciously agrees, it marks the
final insult to the narrow -mindedness of bigots like the Maulvi. Later,
Manohar Lal tells everyone how Shakur and Zenab had taken such good
care of Pali all the time he was with them. And despite his embarrassment
when Pali starts saying ‘namaz ’in front of all their friends and relatives,
hepleads Pali’s case. At every turn, we see Manohar Lal reminding
everyone that Pali is only a child, something that surprisingly needs
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817.7CONCLUSION
As a Partition story, “Pali” complicates the question of identity,
and satirises the attempt to reduce religion and God to suit one’s cause.
The story is deeply critical of how religion is exploited as a tool to divide
the people of a nation. In fact, national identity becomes superfluous in the
debate when the issue of religion enters the discussion. The Partition of
the country is mirrored in the attempt to effect further ‘partitions’ between
people, especially in the name of religion. Pali can be seen as a symbol of
the nation itself, ‘partitioned’ into Hindu/Muslim just as the nation was.
His parents find themselves torn between their dual identities, a s
Hindu/Muslim and as parents. In the process, they tear Pali apart, leaving
him with no sense of his own identity. In “Pali”, Sahni demonstrates how
the grand, public narratives of religion and history overshadow the more
personal and fragile identities o f people on the ground –mothers, fathers
and little children –who are forced to operate as tools for furthering a
communal agenda. Sahni’s vision, as seen in “Pali” is secular because he
is just as critical of Hindus as he is of Mu slims. It is also essen tially tragic
because it shows the ultimate victory of communalism and religious
bigotry.
7.8QUESTIONS
1.Comment on “Pali” as a Partition narrative.
2.Show how Bhisham Sahni exposes religious bigotry in “Pali .”
3.Discuss the objectification of Pali by the adu lt community.
4.Explain the binaries that operate in “Pali.”
5.How does “Pali” highlight the predicament of the individual a t the
mercy of fate and history?
7.9INTRODUCTION : VILAS SARANG
Born in Karwar in 194 2,Vilas Sarang was a bilingual writer of
fiction , poetry and criticism in English and Marathi. He s tudied at
Elphinstone College, Mumbai, and obtained his doctoral degree from the
Universi ty of Mumbai before he moved to the Indiana University at
Bloomington in 1971. Sarang held teaching posts at the Uni versity of
Basrah in Iraq, the University of Kuwait, and the University of Mumbai.
His stories have appeared in foreign journals such as London Magazine ,
Encounter ,andTheMalahat Review , as well as Indian ones such as Indian
Horizons .H e published two collection sofstories with Penguin
Books, Fair Tree of the Void (1990), and Women in Cages: Collected
Stories (2006 ), the latter being acompilation of his stories written earlier
together with some new ones. In the Land of Enki (1993) was translated
fromMarathi into English by Sarang himself in collaboration with
Professor Breon Mitchell. His other work s include The Dinosaur Ship ,
Rudra, the Untouchable God ,The Dhamma Man andTandoor Cinders .
As is the case in his fiction, Sarang’s preoccupation with them es likemunotes.in

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82alienation and the divided self are evident in his collection of poems
Another Life (2007) . Sarang also translated important Marathi poets such
as Bapurao Jagtap, Vasant Abaji Dahake and Bahinibai Chaud huri.He
edited the anthology Indian English P oetry since 1950 , and also wrote a
number of critical essays before he p assed away in 2015 .
Sarang was i nfluenced by the modernist movements in English and
Marathi literature. A uthors like Gangadhar Gadgil, Vyankatesh Madgulkar
and Aravind Gokhale from M arathi literature inspired him just as much as
Western writers, especially the existentialists like Samuel Beckett, Albert
Camus and Franz Kafka .His bilingualism and the influence of both
Western and Indian literary traditions gives his work a distinctive flavour.
Jai Arjun Singh points out in “Why are Indian Writers afraid of the
Edge?” (April 3 2019 ,www.sunday -guradian.com ),the content of
Sarang’s stories can be quite unsettling, “even offensive, if you aren 't
prepared for it .”However, they still make for a compelling read because
they “provide powerful new perspectives on our cultural and social
assumptions.”
7.10“A REVOLT OF THE GODS”: PLOT :
Set in the city of Mumbai, at the time of Ganesh Chaturthi, “A
Revolt of the Gods ” begins with an introduction to the humdrum life of
the narrator, a photographer who runs a studio. The narrative then moves
abruptly into the realm of fantasy with an event that shakes up not just the
narrator and the residents of hi s building, but all of Mumbai city. As the
crowds make their way to the beach to immerse the stat ues of Lord
Ganesha , the idols come to life and walk away. They continue to live in
the city for a while, sometimes giving people a gentle blow on the head
with their trunks. Even though the residents grow accustomed to their
presence, they still remain uneasy and wary of the gods in their midst.
After a few days, the narrator witnesses the gods immersing themselves
into the sea, a vision thatcaptivates as well asintrigues him. Though he
later wonders whether he had imagined the spectacle, he decides to be
content with having witness ed it , even if in a dream. The narrator then
remembers an incident from his childhood where a crazy old astrologer
had become conv inced that the world was going to end. Even though no
one believed him, he proceeded to take shelter on the top of a mountain
that day but was found dead the next morning . Thinking back, the narrator
wonders about how the old man had braved death for his b elief. The story
concludes with the narrator informing his neighbour, Mr.Kini, that the
gods had left only to find that he goes back to his former habit of cursing
the gods.
7.11CHARACTERS
The narrative revolves primarily around the narrator but sever al
minor characters do put in an appearance . We have Mr. Dalvi, who runsmunotes.in

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83thestudio in partnership with the narrator .We learn that Da lvi is
technically skilled, good at developing and printing, and spe nds much of
his time working on negatives in the dark room. That Dalvi leaves early
from work to witness the immersion of his household Ganesha, suggest
that, unlike the narr ator, he is probably a ‘religious’ man.
Some of the residents from the narrator’s building make a fleeting
appearance while discussing the coming alive of the idols on the beach .
Each of these characters –Akshikar, Professor Matkari, andSubodh –
express their r espective views on the incident as the narrator merely looks
on.Another other character who appears more than once in the narra tive is
the old blind man who makes a few futile trips to collect his photographs
from the narrator only to find that they are not ready .And then we have
the gods themselves ,the real heroes of the story ,but who aredescribed
very briefly .Much is made o f their coming to life by their devotees ,but
they themselves say nothing in the course of the narrative .
Thecharacter we encounter at some length is Mr. Kini, the
narrator’s neighbour. An accountant by profession, Mr. Kini shares with
the narrator a lov e for photography. Completely lacking in self -awareness,
at no point does Mr. Kini realise how smug, pretentious and absurd he
really is. He confesses that he had been cursing the idols of Lord Ganesha
for q uite some time now, and that he could be the reas on behind the revolt
of the gods. The contradiction between Mr. Kini’s former statement that
the gods were out to punish black marketeers and the like, and his
subsequent confession about hiscursing the gods reveals his superficial
and hypocritical nature .Sadly, d espite his sense of shame at his behaviour,
he is unable to change. Awareness does not lead to repentance or any
transformation in his character , and in the end, he simply goes back to
cursing the gods like he always did.
The primary character in the story, the narrator is characterised as a
man with singular tastes and habits. A loner by nature, he dislikes outdoor
assignments that require him to manoeuvre amongst “noisy crowds” with
his camera and other equipment. As opposed to outdoor assignm ents that
require “crouching awkwardly to catch someone in a good pose,” working
inside the studio is far more appealing because it offers him greater control
over his clients who can be made to “sit silently and meekly” even “if
somewhat uncomfortably” while he does his job. Another facet of the
narrat or’s nature is his fascination with shadow sbecaus et h e yc h a n g e
“minute by minute. ”The narrator prefers shadows precisely because they
are not f ixed or stable, and because their ability to “change endless ly”,
allows them to achieve the “transfiguration” that human beings can only
dream of. It is perhaps such traits that allow the narrator to value the
magical dream -like vision he sees at the end and revel in the sight.
The narrator appears to have little or no interest in matters
concerning religion and rituals. He decides to participate in the procession
only out of idle curiosity since the idol from his building was also beingmunotes.in

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84taken for immersion. Throughout the story, the narrator adopts the stance
of a disinterested observer ,and tries to maintain a p ragmatic approach to
everything, especially the “revolt of the gods.” He does not offer any
opinion during the discussion amongst the residents of his building after
the miraculous eve nt.He looks for simpl e and plausible explanations for
Mr. Kini’s habit of cursing the gods, andtries to be just as matter -of-fact
about Mr. Kini’ s fear that his behaviour might have brought on the
“revolt .”
However, the narrator is not as rational or as immune to the
irrati onal as he had thought himself to be. Hedoes not find it difficult to
discard his usual ,rational approach to everything when he witnesse s the
gods returning to the sea. He is content with the fact that he had hadthe
privilege of witnessing the sight ;w hether it was real or a dream beco mes
immaterial .It is to the narrator’s credit that he can abandon his usual
pragmatism in favour of cherishing a miraculous vision that defies reason
and logic. In this respect, he seems to have agreater, more genuine fai th
and reverence than all other characters who had much to say about religion
but found themselves incapable of responding with joy and awe in the
prese nce of their god .
7.12NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE AND STYLE
“A Revolt of the Gods,” tells of a spectacular ev ent that takes place
during the Ganesha Chaturthi festi val in the city of Mumbai. Thenarrative
alternates between the extraordinary event –the idols of Ganesha coming
to life just before their immersion –andtheeveryday life of the narrator.
However, t he story ends inconclusively since nothing dramatic happens
after the “revolt.” The gods give a gentle blow o n the head to some people
once in a while before they return to the sea to immerse themselves. In
terms of structure then, the story is characteris ed by a circular rather than a
linear motion, since it does not move towards a climax. And since the
gods disappear as suddenl y as they had appeared, the story ends on an
open, anticlimactic note, leaving the reader wondering about the point of
the “revolt .”
A significant feature of the narrative style has to do with the magic
realism mode which is affected in the story through the narrator’s point of
view. Hisdisinterested attitu deenables him to see things through a fairly
dispassionate lens, and narra te what he sees, ordinary or not ,in the same
matter -of-fact tone reserved for narrating the other events in the story. His
typical down -to-earth, grounded, and secula r attitude allows him to record
events as they occur ,in an unsentimental fashion andwithout making too
many comment sof his own.
The narrator’s profession as a photographer plays a crucial in “A
Revolt of the Gods .”It is not a coincidence that the narrator prefers
“observing shadows, ”andthat the appearance and disappearance of the
gods takes place in the evening. Light and shadow are used effectively tomunotes.in

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85underscore the contrast between the clarity and opacity of human
perceptions. The world of the dark room inside the studio is mirrored in
the world of shadows that take over outside as th e day turns to night. The
narrator questions the next morning the spectacle he had ‘seen’ the
previous evening, but already given to privileging the world of shadows,
he decides to value the vision he had witnessed in the dark. In so doing, in
symbolically rejecting the ‘light’ of reason and logic, he validates the
‘truth’ that shado ws and darkness can illuminate.
Irony is deeply embedded in the narrati ve, and b oth verbal and
situational ironies are found in the story. It is ironic, for instance, that the
narrator, a scepti c by nature, has named his studio ‘Gajanan Photo Studio.’
Thenarrator’s views about shadows are also ironic : as opposed to popular
belief, he thinks thathuman beings are inferior to their shadows ,and that
shadows brighten up our lives instead of doing the opposite :“ Am a ni s
nothing compared to his shadow. Without shadows, life would have been
far duller.” We could also consider thecase of the old blind man who
brings home the irony in the fact that a blind man who cannot see his own
photograph still needs to have his picture taken.
Far more deeply ironic, however, is the case of Mr. Kini . We see
him admitting his reluctance to kill the mice that have appeared all over
his house because it occurs to him that they could be the ones th atcame
alive along with the idols. It does not , however, occur to him that allmice
(like ever y other living creature) belong to the gods who created them ,a s
they always have and always will. If kil ling mice before the miracle wa s
alright, why is it immo ralnow? However, t he greatest irony of allperhaps
lies in the attitude of thedevotees to their god. Whe n the statues come to
life, the people run away in fear instead of watching in awe. The residents
of the narrator’s building, for instance, are more c omfortable discussing
god instead of worshipping him. Af ter all, it is easier to venerate a statue
in a temple than to face a ‘real’ god.
We could discern asubtle comic irony in the title since the idea of
gods revolting is absurd . The word ‘revolt’ imp lies rebelling against
something or someone, by those that believe they are being victimised.
Moreover, revolting is a method humans use to seek justice .Thence, t he
very idea that gods might take to revolting is preposterous and comical at
the same time .After all, who can be more powerful than god? And what
worries do gods have that they might even want to revolt? And yet, there
is a fir m conviction amongst the general population that the appearance of
the gods is, to all intents and purposes, a revolt because they assume that
the gods have come down to punish them. As already explained, the
conviction about the motive behind the gods’ so -called “revolt” reflects
the human tendency to make sense of the irrational by using rational
constructs. More importan tly, after trying to rationalise the ‘revolt’, and
despite their conviction that they were themselves responsible for it, life
goes on as before in the city. No one is touched by or “transfigured” by the
presence of the divine in their midst. In this sense , even if the gods hadmunotes.in

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86revolted, it was a futile revolt. The humans remain trapped in the same
patterns of thought and behaviour as before, the “revolt”, having done
nothing to renew them in any way.
7.13UNDERSTANDING MAGIC REALISM
Magic Realism, also k nown as magical realism or even marvellous
realism is a mode of representation in the arts as well as infiction. In
Magic(al) Realism (2007), Maggie Ann Bowers explains t hat the term is
an oxymoron because it describes the “forced relatio nship of
irreconc ilable terms.” Magic Realism, she says, can be used to describe a
non-scientific and non -pragmatic attitude in a world that relies too much
on scientific truth and reality.
Magic Realism has also been perceived as “inherently
transgre ssive and subversive .”As Bowers explains ,magic realism isa
subversive mode is because it alternates between the real and the magical
using the same narrative voice throughout treating the magic as seriously
as the real. Also, the magical and the real are integrated to crea te a new
category, that of the “magical real.” Readers are then compelled to accept
that even terms like ‘truth’ and ‘reality’ are not as rigid or certain as we
have believed them to be. By representing non -logical or non -scientific
‘truths’, Magic Realism also undermines the authority of science and
rationality. For this reason, magic realism can be viewed as an essentially
disruptive mode since it collapses the distinction between the ordinary and
the extraordinary, the real and the fantastic. Since the n arrative brings into
collision these opposing fr ameworks and fuses them into a single
narrative , the magic realist mode also makes demands on readers to accept
that the magical, the fantastic or the supernatural are not so very alien to
everyday ‘reality’ after all.
7.14MAGIC REASLIM IN “A REVOLT OF THE GODS ”
As is the case with most magic realist narratives , “A Revolt of the
Gods” begins in a rather routine manner, and then takes off into fantasy
without warning. The story begins as a realistic first -person narrative with
the narrator’s account of his rather humdrum life as a photographer .The
scene then shifts to the world outside the studio to the processions carry ing
the statues of Lord Ganesha for immersion into the sea. Just then, we learn
that the statues have come to life. This juncture m arks the most i ntriguing
part of the narrative, the part where the realistic mode makes way for the
magical. And yet, and this is necessary to note, at all times the
extraordinary is narrated as if it were so very ordinary. The reader is
naturally taken by surprise at this sudden shift, and it takes a while to
come to terms with the unexpected event. But t he sudden and momentous
transition from the normal to the incredible demands that readers readjust
their expect ations of the narrative, and reorient their world -view itself. In
the third and final section of the story, we learn that the gods vanish just asmunotes.in

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87suddenly as they had arrived. Once again, readers are left to interpret the
events in accordance with their o wn ideas about matters such as faith,
religion and the gods, or even the narrative modes of literature itself.
Let us consider how subversion and transgression could be
operating in “A Revolt of the Gods.” For one thing, we find that irony is
integrated into a narrative about the divine .I nthe discussion amongst the
residents o f the building, we see how rationality is invoked to understand
religion and faith, which happen to be fundamentally non -rational
constructs .Then again, we see how humans confiden tly project their own
assumptions onto the divine. Mr. Kini is sure that Lord Ganesha got tired
of swallowing the sins of the black marketers, smugglers, food
adulterators and politicians. He even claims that he had known all along
that something like this was going to happen. Akshikar tries to be more
realistic ,and asks how the guilty will be punished. Professor Matkari takes
a moderat e stand and dismisses the idea that the gods had come to punish
people. Subodh, a physics student, argues that if the gods had wanted to
punish anyone, they could hav e done it without miracles. Each character
project s his limited ,myopic views onto the divine, which cannever be
entirely understood by the human mind. As each one tries to rationalise
the miraculous, they attri bute to themselves the power of knowing the
mind of the gods, believing they are omnipotent, gods in their own right.
The fact of the matter remains, as the narrator observes, that when faced
with divinity in reality, “ scarcely anyone possessed the composu re to
watch this miraculous spectacle.” This lack of “composure” when
confronted with the marvellous is what “A Revolt of the Gods” elucidates.
“A Re volt of the Gods” is subversive and transgressive also in the
way it draws attention to the incongruity be tween faith as ritual and faith
as a lived experience. No character in t he story is transformed by his
encounter with the divine, or as a result of having witnessed the miracle.
Mr. Kini, for instance, de spite his awareness of his wrong -doing, simply
goes back to his cursing after the gods disappear. And though the gods
reach out to the citizens by giving them a gentle “blow on the head, ”itthis
only makes the m all the more wary of encountering them, especially after
it turns dark. Soon,the divine is alm ost forgotten and people gradually
“calmed down and went about their business.” Is the author suggesting
that the modern world has lost its capacity to react with wonder at the
miraculous ?Have we become so comfortable with merely venerating
statues inside temples and with the mechanical performance of rituals that
we remain frozen with a sense of disbelief when the gods actually come
alive and take up residence in our midst? Magic Reali sm compels us to
question our knowledge a nd perspective of the world th rough a mode of
repre sentation that invigorates thecommon and the everyday. Am a g i c
realist narrative fuses the unreal with the real, andexpects the reader and
the characters in the story to embrace the extarordinary, but in such a way
thatthe magical remains magical, and does not become so ordinary as to
betaken for granted. Thetrangressive nature of the story is alsoevident inmunotes.in

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88how the sense of wonder and awe is painfully missing among st the
devotees of Lord Ganesha .
Magic Realist narratives bring into sharp collision t he rational and
the irrational, and this isperhaps most clearly demonstrated in the
discussion between Mr. Kini and the narrator about the sudden
proliferation of mice. Mr. Kini confesses that where he thought nothing
about trapping and killing mice before, now he is “appalled at the idea that
the mice I was going to kill might belong to the gods.” When the narrator
tells him he could simply drown them, Mr. Kini is very clear about the
distinction between carrying “Lord Ganesha and h is mice reverently to the
sea for immersion, and quite another to drown mice.” The irony of his
own lack of reverence for both Lord Ganesha and his mice is completely
lost on him. The line that separates rationality and irr ationality blurs
considerably whe n Mr. Kini himself acknowledges that despite his happy
life, and despite being raised to be polite and devout he finds that he has
developed a habit of cursing his family god. And thathe is unable to stop
it, no matter what.
In contrast to the other cha racters in the story, Mr. Kini in
particular, the narrator is able to respond appropriately to the spectacular.
While the first mira cle (the appearance of the gods ) had not evoked much
of a react ion from him , his response to the second one (the r eturn of t he
gods) befits the magnitude of the spectacle. This time he watches
“spellbound” and his mind, stimulated by the “unearthly sight”, begins
brimming with a host of questions seeking to make sense of the scene
unfolding before his eyes . But he soon realises the futility of trying to
process the event cognitively. A miracle demands a different reaction, and
thenarrator rises to the challenge: he abandons his questions because he
realises how “pointless” they were when compared with the sheer magic
of “the si ght before me.” Itis at this point that the narrator remembers a
story he had heard in his childhood about the old, eccentric astrologer who
was so convinced the world was about to end that even though no one
heeded his war ning, hesought refuge on the t op of a mountain . The climb ,
however, proved too much for him ,and he was found dead the next
morning. It is only now that the narrator realises that “braving the violent
winds and the rain, the old man must have died in the conviction that he
was indeed w itnessing the end of the world.” Nothing more is said about
the incident bu t it makes us wonder. Was the old man a fool for willing to
court death for his conviction ,or was hea hero for that very reason? Is he
tobe lauded because he did not care how ot hers reacted to his theory, or is
he to be derided for exactly that? Was he victorious because he died with
his conviction intact ,or defeated because the world did not actually end
that day? This little narrative connects with the larger narrative about g od
and faith, or more specifically, our attitudes and perceptions about them,
by illustrating how fiercely our beliefs take hold over us, and we let them
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897.15CONCLUSION
Anu Kumar had noted that Sarang’s work “ was alw ays an
experime ntation, where he constantly tried to define himself anew, to
creating new worlds, blending time and worlds and space.” The truth of
this is more than evident in “A Revolt of the Gods,” a story that defies
attempts to ‘ decode’ inone reading. The story als odisturbs us because it
raises more questions than it answers, and because it expects us to turn the
spotlight, as critically as possible, on ourselves and our dearly held
convictions.
7.16QUESTIONS
1.Explain how Magic Realism operates in “A Revolt of t he Gods.”
2.Comment on the contrast between the narrator and the other characters
in “A Revolt of the Gods.”
3.What role does Mr. Kini play in “A Revolt of the Gods”? What does his
behaviour illustrate about human nature?
4.Discuss the use of irony in “A Revolt of the Gods.”
5.Comment on the narrative structure and the point of view in “A Revolt
of the Gods.”

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90UNIT VIII
8
CRITICAL STUDY OF SHORT STORIES
OF GITHA HARAIHARAN’S “THE
REMAINS OF THE FEAST” AND SHASHI
DESHPANDE’S “THE AWAKENING”
Unit Structure :
8.0 Objective
8.1 Introduction: Githa Hariharan
8.2 Plot: “The Remains of the Feast”
8.3 Characte rs
8.4 Narrative Technique
8.5 The Relationship between Rukmini and Ratna
8.6 Themes:
8.6.1 Society and Tradition vs The Individual
8.6.2Food
8.7 Conclusion
8.8 Questions
8.9 Introduction: Shashi Deshpande
8.10 Plot: “The Awakening”
8.11 Characters
8.12 Narrative Mode
8.13 Themes:
8.13.1 Family
8.13. 2Class and Gender
8.14 The Title
8.15 Conclusion
8.16 Questions
8.0OBJECTIVE
The objective of this unit is to enable an und erstanding of the two
stories, “The Remains of the Fea st” by Githa Hariharan and “The
Awakening” by Shashi Deshpande. The relationship that the protagonis ts
of the stories share with their respective families as well as the structural
and lit erary aspects of the two narratives will be the focus in this unit.munotes.in

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918.1INTRODUCTION : GITHA HARIHARAN
Githa Hariharan is an esteemed Indian novelist writing in English.
She was born in Coimbatore, and grew up in Mumbai and in Manila .She
took to writing after a career in editing, publishing and reviewing. Her
touching s tories, an effortless blend ofancient forms such as the epic with
more postmodern modes such as the use o fmultiple, intertwined
narratives, havemade her a name to reckon with in Indian Writing in
English. Her very first novel The Thousand Faces of Night won her the
Commonwealth Writer’ s Prize for Best Fiction in 1993. Her other novels
include The Ghosts ofVasu Master ,When Dreams Travel ,InTimes of
Siege ,Fugitive Histories andIHave Become theTide. She also has to her
credit a highly appreciated collection of short stor iesTheArtofDying ,and
a collection of essays Almost Home: Cities and Other Places .She has
edited a collection of translated short fiction, ASouthern Harvest , and co-
edited Battling forIndia: ACitizen's Reader .Her vast repert oire also
includes chi ldren’s stories such as Sorry, Best Friend !,Nasser, the Ferry
Boy,andNasira Begum and the Landlord .“All my works look at power
politics in some way or the other,” say sthe author about her own work,
and“The Remains of the Feast ,”(taken from In Other Words: new writing
by Indian Women ,edited by Urvashi Butalia and Ritu Menon )adequately
illustrates the truth o f this statement.
8.2 PLOT: “THE REMAINS OF THE FEAST”:
“The Remains of the Feast ”is a short story in which Ratna, the
narrator, relives memories of her 90 year old great -grandmother Rukmini
in the days before and just after her death. As the narrator rem inisces those
times, we get an insight into the kind of woman her great -grandmother
was, the bond they shared, andhow s he sought to ensure that Rukmini was
treated with thereverence and respect she deserved , after her death just as
before it .
8.3CHARACTERS
“TheRemains of the Feast” focuses primarily on the relationship
between the narrator and her great -grandmother but draws within the
narrative two other characters, namely the narrator’s parents, both of
whom are described in unflattering ways. Her father, we are told, is “ a
cadaverous -looking man, prone to nervousness and sweating ,”a
description that does not ende ar him to the reader in the least. The
reference to the jar of antacids on his office -desk underscores hisnervous
disposition andhis inabili ty to handle stress. When the narrator tells us
that he r father isanemployee in the kind of government -owned co mpany
that “never fires its employees ,” she implies that he was perhaps not a very
efficient man. Taken together, these demeaning details suggest tha t Ratna
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92The mother’s character is etched in a darker hue ,and though she in
never criticised directly, the insinuations are difficult to miss .L i k eh e r
husband, she seems to have resigned herself to doing for Rukmini the bare
minimum they need to do to keep her alive. Shebelieves she has done
what was realistic ally poss ible to do in the circumstances, which is
perhaps true. However, her image as a “dutiful daughter -in-law” is
punctured by the narrator when she draws attention to how furious and
exasperated she actually gets with Rukmini each time she makes anoth er
of he r innocent but appalling demands. Heroutrage at her demand for the
red sari reveals how she values convention and propriety above
everything, including Rukmini’s happiness. In this respect, she is the
antith esis of her daughter who believes that t he happiness of the individual
is more important social traditions. Ratna’s mother’s decision to clothe
Rukmini in the faded brown sari alienates her from her daughter as also
from the reader because in so doing, s he becomes a symbol of the society
that tr ies to crush individuals under the weight o f tradition and hollow
customs.
The one other character who makes a fleeting appearance in the
story is the young doctor calle d in to examine Rukmini. Initially angry at
the family for ignoring the lump on her ne ck, he softens his s tand
somewhat on hearing her father’s feeble attempts at justifying their neglect
of Rukmini.
Coming to the two main characters in the story, we have Rukmini
portrayed as an unusual 90 year old widow. The sudden change in her
behaviou r in the days before her death, her demands for taboo food items
in particular, can be perceived as child -like and endearing or downright
ridiculous and offensive depending on whose perspective we see her
through. Rukmini’s request , made on her deathbed no less, for the red sari
and some more of taboo foods symbolise sa final, valiant attempt to assert
her right to indulge herself after years of conforming to societal
expectations.
Ratna, t he young narrator, 20 years old and preparing for a career
as a do ctor, finds herself constantly intrigued by Rukmini’s quirks and her
scant regard for social niceties. The narrator’s indulgent attitude towards
Rukmini is a validation of Rukmini’s need to live how she wants,
irrespective of how unorthodox her ac tions mig ht seem to the world. At
the end of the story, the narrator’s act of putting her red silk sari over
Rukmini’s body, eating the things Rukmini had wanted to eat, tearing up
Rukmini’s old saris and replacing them with her shiny new books –each
of these defi ne her love for her great -grandmother ,and her desire to
restore Rukmini’s lost dignity.
8.4NARRATIVE TECHNIQUE
“The Remains of the Feast” spans a little more than a month. It is
primarily a flashback narrative in which the narrator looks back at themunotes.in

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93events that transpired, a nd this remembering and reliving, happens a
month after her great -grandmother’s death. The narrative unfolds in a
chronological sequence as the narrator traces Rukmini’s gradual descent
into illness after her 90thbirthday, andherdeath soon after . The narrative
begins in the present with the narrator trying to reconcile herself with the
empty roo m that Rukmini used to occupy, and ends with the narrator
replacing Rukmini’s dirty old saris with her brand new books after the
burial ri tes have been completed to the satisfaction of her family. The
narrative style allows the reader to experience time as i t actually unfolded ,
and thus gives a sense of immediacy to the narration, and a sense of
‘presentness’ even though much of it relates tothe past.
It makes all th e difference to the story that it is focalised through
thenarrator’s point of view, a point of view that is deeply empathetic and
sensitive to the plight of a 90 year old wi dow who makes a brave effort to
free herself of facil e traditions. Where others are easily shocked by
Rukmini’s behaviour, Ratna admires her spunk and dare .S ince the
narrator is the only character who loves Rukmini unconditionally ,and can
see beyond her widowed status, the reader too, learns to admire Rukm ini
for her refusal to be cowed down by customs and tradition. The narrator’s
point of view is refreshing in comparison to that of her mother’s sour
outlook, and her sense of h umour adds an additional flavour to the
narrative.
In fact, the story develops aninteresting texture on acco unt of the
mixing of registers –the sombre and the hu morous. Even in the midst of
recounting moments of sorrow, there is a comic strain that underlies the
narration, reflecting the narrator’s ability to see the funny side of things at
all times. On the one hand, the sense of death and grief pervades the
narrative from beginning to end. On t he other hand, the ironic tone
(bordering on the humorous) that characterises the retelling does not let
the narrative become a morbid acco unt of R ukmini’s death or the
narrator’s grief. Rukmini’s lack of concern about her disease and
impending death in favour of a new found obsession with forbidden foods
reminds the reader about how u npredictable people can be, and startles us
into recognisi ng that life can be absurdly funny in the most tragic of
circumstances . To see it, however, one needs to develop a perspective that
can unite the disparate, paradoxical, contradictory, usually incompatible
aspects of human existence into one framework .Theshifting of registers
betw een the serious and the casual ,the melancholic and the comic,
between what is supposed to be and what is, is a distinctive characteristic
of “The Remains of the Feast”, a nd makes for one of its most appealing
features.
Although the spectre of death hangs heavily over “The Remains of
the Feast” ,the control the narrator is able to exert over her emotions while
remembering her great -grandmother results in an appreciatively restrained
narrative .The emotional texture of the story r emains understated in every
scene that could easily have become too sentimental , but the narrative stillmunotes.in

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94remains an immensely touching tale, full of deep sorrow and of an even
deeper love of a great -granddaughter for her departed great -grandmother.
One of the reasons for this is theironic humour that lends the story a
comic touch without demeaning Rukmini and her suffering in any way .
For instance, we learn that Rukmini would giggle uncontrollably in the
presence of guests, or even “ fart exactly like a tra in whistling its way out
of the stations.” As the narrative progresses, her demands for all the kinds
of food she had staunchly abstained from all her lif e makes for much of
the humour in the story . Consider, for example, the section that descri bes
Rukmini ’s attempt at getting a taste of Coca -Cola,andRatna’s mother’s
reaction to it. Ratna’s reference to her mother as a “dutiful granddaughter -
in-law” is especially ironic since the reader senses her barely concealed
annoyance in the face of her helplessness to sta nd up to Rukmini and her
bizarre cravings . These scenes acquire a comic tenor not so much because
they are funny in themselves, as becaus e they are filtered through Ratna’s
point of view who is sympathetic to Rukmini’s shocking requests without
actually being shocked by them, quite u nlike her mother.
8.5THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RUKMINI AND
RATNA
At the outset, the reader is introduced to th e narrator’s great -
grandmother as “ Rukmini, an old Brahmin widow ,”with whom shehad
shared two rooms located in one corner of their ancestral home. The
mystery ab out the relationship between a 90 year old wid ow and the 20
year old narrator is only revealed in the third paragraph, when the narrator
bluntly tells us, “She was Rukmini, my great -grandmother.” The na rrator’s
impersonal reference to her great -grandmother by her first name might
mislead the reader into thinkin g she barely cares about her ,butit soon
becomes apparent that nothing could be further from the truth .
One gets a sense right at the beginning that Ratna shares a rather
unconventio nal relationship with her great -grandmother. This should come
as no surprise because Rukmini was quite anunconvent ional woman
herself, a fact that Ratna reveals with barely concealed pride .While
Rukmini’s complete d isregard for social niceties and decorum greatly
annoys the narrator’s mother, Ratna herself appears quite intrig ued with
Rukmini. As a teenager, one can well understand Ratna’s fascination with
and tacit approval of Rukmini’s rebellion against authority a nd
convention. Howe ver, the bond between the two goes deeper than just a
common desire to rebel at a particular stage of one’s life, whether as a 90
year old widow or a 20 year old teenager.
Ratna’s love for Rukmini goes bey ond a superficial fascination
withher quirks and oddities . The deep emotions Ratna feels for Rukmini
are most strongly reflected in the way she seems tohave absorb ed
Rukmini’ s being into her own: the s mells associated with her great -
grandmother have penetrated every pore of the narrat or’s being, and aremunotes.in

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95the vehicle through which she remembers her. Inf a c t ,i ti sthenarrator’s
memory o f the smells associated with Rukmini that immortalise her :“The
room still smells of her. Not as she did when she was dying, an overripe
smell that clung to everything that had touched her, sheets, saris, hands.
The room now smells like a pressed, faded rose. A dry elusive smell.
Burnt, a candle put out.”
Ratna’s identification with her great -grandmother is also reflected
in the manner in which sh e had internalised her world -view. Ratna would
instinctively know what went on in Rukmini’s head withou t her having to
explicitly articulate her thoughts and feelings. De spite the age gap that
separated them, the narr ator’s closeness with her great -grandmother was
so intense that itgave heran almost clairvoyant ability to understand
Rukmini’s state of mind .
Ratna’s affection for Rukmini issharp lycontrasted with the rather
callous herparents display towards Rukmini .Their lack of concern for her
health is exp osed when the doctor reprimands them for ignoring the “lump
in her neck.” It must ho wever be noted that Ratna does not exonerate
herself entirely, and takes a share of the blame for not giving Rukmini the
care she deserved :“When the doctor left, we looked at each other, the
three of us, like shifty accomplices.”
Ratna does becomes an accomplice, but in abetting Rukmini’s
remarkable demands for forbidden foods. The irsecret trysts bring them
closer together, and Ratna’s love for Rukmini is cemented duri ngthis
period when she eagerly smuggles every s ingle item of food Rukmini begs
for. In so doing, Ratna takes on the role of an indulgent mother humouring
a stubborn child. As a doctor -to-be and as a grand -daughter, Ratna
assumes responsibility for fulfill ing Rukmini’s every innocent desire
before her imminent death.
Thedesire to honour Rukmini ’s dying wish shapes the climax of
the story. Just before he rdeath ,Rukmini made a shocking request to be
clothed in a red sari, “ A red one with a big wide border of gold ,”and
asked for“peanuts with chilli powder from the corner shop. Onion and
green chilli bondas deep -fried in oil. ”Despite her mother’s overt
disapproval, Ratna rushed to fetch “the brightest reddest sari I could find;
last year’s Divali sari, my first silk ,”and covered Rukm ini’s naked body
with it. In so doing, Ratna refuses to let Rukmini become just another dead
body to be disposed of after performing the necessary burial rites.The zest
for life and the spirit that Rukmimi haddisplayed in he r last days cannot
be allowed to die with her. The bright colour of the sari and its rich texture
become symbolic of Rukmini’s wil l to have the best that life had to offer
even if it was towards th e end of her life, andeven if it was in defiance of
establ ished tradition. Ratna’s fulfilment of Rukmini’s desire signifies her
determination to ensure that Rukmini does not become metaphorical food
offered at the altar of custom and tradition. For this reason, even if
Rukmini is ultimately clothed in “a pale bro wn sari”, more suited to hermunotes.in

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96status as a wi dow, there is a sense of her having triumphed over the
hypocrisy of a society that refused to look beyond her widowhood. The
death of an old widow like Rukmini was not worthy of grief for most
people, except for Ratna, who always saw her as Rukmini, an individual in
her own right, instead of as a cranky old wid ow way past her prime.
Ratna ’s attempt to connect with her “sweet great grandmother” by
continuing to eat the food sRukmini had developed a love for in her last
days testifies to what she had meant to her. Ratna’s fierce deter mination to
avenge what she saw as Rukmini’s humiliation –her mother’s refusal to
dress her in the red sari Rukmini had asked for –manifests itself in her
self-destructive attempt at m aking herself sick by deliberately eating
things that give her diarrhoea after Rukmini’s death. The narrator’s barely
repressed anger at the manner in which Rukmini, more specific ally her
body, was treated upon her death reaches a climax in her final act o f
opening out the windows and cupboards, tearing Rukmini’s “dirty grey
saris to shreds” and replacing them with her “newly bought glossy
jacketed texts.” The “dirty grey” colours of Rukmini’s saris contrast
sharply with the “glossy” books, and signify th enarrator’s attempt to
replace t he dullness that had been a part of Rukmini’s life asa widow with
the bright ness of her youth. The simile that compares the shiny new books
to “row after row of armed soldiers” standing “straight and solid” in what
was once Rukmini’s cupboard has a militant tone to it, indicating Ratna’s
desire to fight for her great -grandmother’s dignity even if after her death.
Rukmini endures and lives on in her great -granddaughter’s act of
retributive justice to compensate, in a small but significant way, for the
injustice done to her.
8.6 THEMES
8.6.1 SOCIETY AND TRADITION vs THE INDIVIDUAL
Underlying the story is the unstated assumption that as individuals,
we exist within a socia l framework with clearly understood social norms
thatmustbe respected. Ruk mini’s sudden rejection of the norms she had
rigidly followed all her life, are undoubtedly strange, but wha tm a t t e r si s
how others react to her behaviour, the narrator’s mother, in particular.
Rukmini’s innocent demands to taste all t he foods she had denied herself
is considered nothing less than scandalous, but only because it goes
against conventional expectations of how Brahmin widows must live. On
all three counts –as an old woman, a Brahmin, and as a widow –the
norm sa r ec l e a r l y understood by all including Rukmini herself. That she
deliberately violates those norms (with the support of her great -
granddaughter) could symbolise the victory of the i ndividual over
meaningless and restrictive customs, rites and rituals.
Since Rukmin i is eventually clothed, not in the red sari she had
wanted, but in a pale brown sari of Ratna’s mother’s choice, it might
appear that Ratna and Rukmini have been defeated by centuries old
traditions imposed on them in the name of respect for one’s culture andmunotes.in

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97heritage .Ratna’s mother’s reference to Rukmini as a “sick old woman,”
and her tearing off the red sari from Rukmini’s dead body “as if it had
been polluted” expose her essentially conformist nature, and the scant
regard she had for Rukmini. When Ratn atells us that “ They burnt her in a
pale brown sari ,”she draws attention t oRukmini’s lack of agency as
opposed to the power exerted by society (the unspecified “they”) over the
lifeless body of an old widow they no longer need to worry about . The
placin g of the prayer beads around her neck is thefinal insult since, as the
narrator reveals, Rukmini had never been given to chanting prayers as wa s
expected of her. The reader sees, just as the narrator does, the hypocrisy
and pretentiousness of a world that seeks to impose their notions of
propriety and piety onto a woman who cannot protest because she is dead.
But Rukmini had resisted when she could, and the narrator had
been her ally in her battle against society. Together, they stood as one
against the world, and their l ittle acts of resistance mark their ulti mate
triumph over those who sought to subjugate them. Rukmini gets her way
on account of her great -granddaughter’s support, and the narrator herself,
has the satisfaction of seeing Rukmini dressed i n the red sari she wanted,
if only for a while.
8.6.2FOOD :
Food is an important a trope in “The Remains of the Feast .”For
one thing, it becomes the vehicle for indulgence for Rukmini as well as the
narrator. While Rukmini tries to satisfy before her de ath every possible
craving she had d enied herself as a Brahmin widow, Ratna binges on
similar foods in an attempt to retain her connecti on with Rukmini after her
death.
However, f oodacquires another kind of significance in the story.
Rukmini indulges her self in unhealt hy foods inspite knowing that it
would most probably hasten her death , and chooses tothrow caution to the
wind s so that she can experience the j oy of tasting everything she had
resisted all her life. This indulgence issymbolic of her defi ance –it sends
aclear message that she will, in her las t days, free herself of whatever is
expected of her. Eating all the forbidden foods religion and tradition had
dictated she should not eat shows her determination to t aste at least one
kind of forbid den pleasure since her widowhood , to feast , if only in “the
twilight of her life.”
Food isalso what binds Rukmini and the narrator –by making
Ratna anaccomplice in getting her the snacks she wants , Rukmini cements
their relationship for posterity. ForRatna ,it becomes a way of showing
her loyalty to Rukmini as opposed to hermoth er, who disapproves of
Rukmini’s behaviour. It is therefore n ot surprising that the narr ator tries to
carry forward her relationship with Rukmini through food by doing
exactly what Rukmini did before she died –indulging in unhealthy food s
and making herself sick. Since food was the vehicle through which themunotes.in

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98narrator could show her affection for Rukmini, it becomes the vehicle for
retaining her connection with Rukmini even aft er death.
8.7CONCLUSION
“The Remains of the Feast” is both, a deeply moving tale of a
great -granddaughter’s love for great -grandmother, as al so a sharp critique
of the way society treats people as disposable objects, especially when
they refuse to confo rm to the customs and traditions society imposes on
them. Although the story is tragic in one sense, it ultimately celebrates the
power of the individual over an entire set of established doctrines that try
to ‘feast’ on the old, the weak, and the dead. Ru kmini triumphs over
everything including death, since she lives on in Ratna’s memories of her.
Ratna is able to restore Rukmini’s dignity even if in a very small and
private but powerful gesture of tearing her saris and filling her cupboard
with books –asymbolic act in which the old is given a new life, and a
loved one is immortalised forever.
8.8QUESTIONS
1.Describe the nuances of the relationship between Rukmini and Ratna
in “The Remains of the Feast.”
2.Comment on Rukmini’s sudden fascination for taboo foods in “The
Remains of the Feast.”
3.Discuss the narrative technique and point of view in “The Remains of
the Feast.”
4.Comment on the opposition between Ratna and her mother and their
respective world views in “The Remains of the Feast.”
5.Show how irony oper ates in “The Remains of the Feast.”
8.9INTRODUCTION: SHASHI DESHPANDE
Shashi Deshpande, daughter of the renowned Kannada dramatist,
Shriranga Deshpande, is one of India’s most well -known authors writing
in English. Novels such as The Dark Holds No Terro rs(1980), Roots and
Shadows (1983), The Binding Vine (1993), A Matter of Time (1996),
Small Remedies (2000), Ships that Pass (2012), and Shadow Play (2013)
have been appreciated by countless readers in India and abroad.
Desphande won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1990 for That Long
Silence, and the Padmashri in 2009. Despite given to keeping a low
profile, she not only criticised the academic council of the Sahitya
Akademi for their failure to take a stand against the killing of Professor
Kalburgi, himself an Akademi awardee, but also resigned from the
membership of the Council in protest.
Shashi Deshpande has published several volumes of short stories,
including TheIntrusion and Other Stories (1993) and The Stone Women
(2000), a collection of nine short stories based on characters from themunotes.in

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99Mahabharata . Her children’s books include A Summer Adventure ,The
Hidden Treasure ,The Only Witness, andThe Narayanpur Incident. In
2003, she published Writing from the Margin and Other Essays in which
she discussed t he craft of writing, the divide between English and the
regional languages, the global market for Indian writing in English,
amongst other issues related to writing and being a woman writer. In
“Listen to Me” (2018), her autobiography, she traces her journ ey as a
wife, mother and writer, fiercely attacking the marginalisation of women
writers by the literary canon in the West as in India, in the past, as in the
present.
8.10 PLOT: “THE AWAKENING”
“The A wakening” tells the story of 17 year -old Alka, and h er
struggle to accept life in a chawl. Alka’s intense dislike of her family and
her extended neighbourhood erupt explosively when she is informed that
she must take up a job as a typist to increase the family income. On the
verge of passing her SSC examina tion, her dreams for a better future come
to an abrupt halt when she learns that she will not be allowed to pursue her
studies. Already suffering in the belief that the pressure to take up the job
has “ruined” her life, things take a turn for the worse on her father’s
sudden death. Fi rmly convinced that his complacent attitude was
responsible for a life of poverty and deprivation, her bitter resentment
against him prevents her from shedding a single tear on his death.
However, her accidental discovery of a letter written by him offers her a
much needed reprieve, and mark sher transformation from an unhappy,
frustrated teenager to a more sensitive and mature adult.
8.11CHARACTERS
The story is set in a chawl and revolves around the protagonist
Alka, and he r family. Her father, the first member of the family we are
introduced to, is focalised through Alk a’s point of view , and her
resentment towards him becomes apparent when she describes him as a
man who produced more children than he could provide for. Her siblings
are casually and fleeting ly described in one sentence: “ a daughter to be
married, a son stricken by polio, another daughter yet in school.” As for
her mother, Alka harbours an intense dislike towards her because she
favours her son over Alka, and for her insensitivity to Alka’s misery. She
is neither an ardent supporter of women’s education nor independence,
and for this, Alka believes she deserves as little respect as her father.
Alka’s resentment against her family colours her perception of every thing
they do and say, and the reader is led to believe that they are a lowly,
inferior lot. Alka is particularly exasperated with her sister Rekha because
she ap pears content with her lot in life; the prospect of marrying a clerk
and becoming a wife and m other just like her own mother, which seems
such a terrible fate to Alka, does not bother Rekha half as much. The
contrast between the sisters becomes evident in the moment when Rekhamunotes.in

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100reminds Alka that clerks are also people, and Alka argues that they
represent a “type” she detests. In short, every member of the family is cast
in a negative light but only because they are filtered through the
consciousness of a protagonist who is outraged at having to share her life
with people she believes are far too insi gnificant and trivial to deserve her
affection or respect.
As opposed to Alka’s mother and siblings, who are relegated to
playing minor roles in the narrative, it is her father who is accorded an
significant part in the narrative because as his daughter, Alka fate in
inextricably linked with his. And his failure to prevent her from becoming
a typist, the last thing she wants to be, becomes the focal point of her
anger towards him. But even before Alka’s negative views change
dramatically at the end of the story, readers can well see that he is not the
“unthinking, unfeeling, walking zombie” she thinks he is. When we see
himpleading with Alka to understand why she is being forced to take up
the typist’s job, and trying to defend her when her mother taunts h er, we
realise that, in opposition to Alka’s view, he is a mild, patient and
sensitive man though helpless and powerless to change things for the
better.
Only two outsiders are featured in the story: a young boy who
resides in the same chawl, and “the gir l at the bus stop.” The two
characters, minor but important nevertheless, symbolise the two poles that
characterise Alka’s life: while the boy reinforces the harsh reality of
Alka’s life in a chawl, the girl at the bus stop, with her hair tied up, with
her glasses, and her “crisp, ironed saris” represents the person Alka
dreams of becoming, and of the life she would like to be living. One
denotes her intolerable existence in the present, the other, her hopes of a
glorious life in the future. The boy and t he girl at the bus stop embody the
two worlds Alka finds herself oscillating between: her actual physical
environment, as opposed to the dream -world she carries around in her
head.
8.12NARRATIVE MODE
The story is narrated in the first -person mode but it also makes
substantial use of dialogue. On the one hand, the first -person narration
helps the reader develop an intimate understanding of the protagonist. On
the other hand, the use of dialogue allows readers to ‘see’ and ‘hear’ the
other characters in the story for themselves, leading to a more objective
perspective that balances out the subjective responses of the first person
narrator. At the end of the story, Alka’s father’s letter is reproduced
directly for the reader’s benefit, lending a touch of i mmediacy since
readers feel that we too are reading the letter just as Alka is.
The first -person narrative mode gives the reader an insider’s view
into Alka’s thoughts so that we perceive the protagonist’s life from her
point of view. It makes for a clos e identification with and greatermunotes.in

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101sensitivity towards her perception of her suffering, and we can empathise
with this young, frustrated dreamer, determined to make her own destiny
but unable to do so only because of financial constraints. All that Alka
thinks and feels but cannot or does not want to reveal to the outside world
is known to the reader because we are made privy to what she really thinks
and feels. Hence, though readers might be critical of her lack of empathy
for the members of her family, or her negative perceptions, we cannot help
but be sympathetic because we see her life on her terms. But while she
considers herself superior to the youngsters in her immediate environment,
we also learn that she is battling a negative self -image. Once again, this
aspect of Alka’s interiority only comes to light because of the first -person
narrative mode. The reader’s access to the innermost recesses of the
narrator’s mind also brings to light the other paradoxes that characterise
her state of mind –how, for instance, she feels old despite her youth: “I
am seventeen and feel a million unfulfilled dreams old.” Or how she is
compelled to be a realist and envision her dreams reduced to fragile little
bubbles, “like the ones children blow out of soapy water.” Fina lly, her
regret on learning her father’s feelings towards her concludes the play is a
sensitive and sentimental note.
8.13THEMES
8.13.1 FAMILY :
“The Awakening” operates within the framework of Alka’s
immediate family at the level of the microcosm whil e the extended
community that lives in the same chawl functions as the macrocosm of her
life. The room she lives in opens out into the chawl, and as far as she is
concerned, there is little difference, if any, between the two zones. The
two levels -the ro om she lives in and the chawl, her family and the
neighbourhood -intersect in Alka’s perception of the ch awl and its
inmates as a larger versio n of the “zoo” that is her home, implying that
they are more like animals than human beings..
The story delve s into Alka’s anguish at being trapped in the single
room she inhabits within the confines of the chawl. While her lack of
familial love is made apparent from the very beginning, it becomes most
evident in Alka’s reaction to her father’s death. To her, his death only
reinforces her long -standing belief that he was a man who achieved
nothing in life or in death, and is therefore, undeserving of her grief. Her
stubborn refusal to mourn him can be viewed as a reflection of the
emptiness within her, as much as a sign of the kind of apathy and
emotional vacuum that a life of poverty and deprivation can cause in a
human being. The family that was to have fulfilled her needs, supported
her dreams, and soothed her pain, does nothing of the sort, leaving Alka to
wallow in self -pity. No wonder she likens her family to animals and their
lives to living in a cage, or worse.
But then again, while Alka’s relationship with her parents and
siblings is clearly troubled, one is not sure how much her overt dislike ofmunotes.in

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102them stem s from the kind of individuals they themselves are and how
much from her frustration at being compelled to live with them in a chawl.
Having to share a room with five other people is one of the things she
cannot bear, and it takes a toll on her relationshi p with her family, sorely
testing the limits of her patience with them. The lack of privacy plays a
crucial role in the conflict between Alka and her family. For Alka, life in a
chawl is nothing short of living in “hell”: “Where you open the door and
every one, anyone can look inside. Where nothing is private, not even your
thoughts.” Compelled to live not only in a limited space but to live a
limited life as well, it is perhaps not surprising that Alka’s emotions spiral
out of control at the least provocat ion, or that her barely repressed anger is
often directed towards the members of her family, her father, in particular.
And yet, not everyone rails against their fate the way Alka does;
and despite the lack of privacy, the common toilets and the smells th at
remind her of a sewer, most people in the chawl seem to have accepted
their dismal environment. This is something that Alka herself notes when
she observes that the others looked “complacent and satisfied as if life
could offer nothing better”. Ironical ly, their stoic acceptance of their
wretched lives only enhances Alka’s disgust and contempt for them. Alka
is a dreamer, and quite determined to do whatever it takes to change her
destiny.
We learn that Alks’s frustration is magnified by the fact that sh e
had been exposed to a much better life when they had lived with her
grandfather in Poona. This dream run ended abruptly when her
grandfather died, and the contrast between the life she could have had, did
have, and the life she is forced to now live beco mes too much to bear.
Having had a taste of paradise, how can she resign herself to eternal life in
hell? The foretaste of a utopian existence and the crushing realisation that
she will never have it, appears to have greatly aggravated her resentment
again st her parents, her father, in particular. Every unfulfilled dream is
projected onto him, and she remains firmly convinced that he was the
prime obstacle to her happiness.
The hostile relationship between Alka and the members of her
family could be the na tural result of her desire for rebellion against
authority as a 17 year old teen, but the author seems to suggest that it is
just as much a product of a dehumanising existence that stems from a life
of poverty. The familial environment becomes ridden with conflicts
because the struggle for economic survival leaves little room for the
possibility of redemptive love between parents and children, or between
brothers and sisters. The narrative leaves us unaware of what goes on in
other families in the same chaw l, but if we consider Alka’s family as
representative, then we could presume that similar clashes and vexations
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1038.13.2.Class a ndGender :
Alka and her family of six share one room in a chawl, a fact she is
painful ly aware of at all times. Her suffering, then, appears to be the direct
result of her lower class life. Her potential and her dreams must remain
unfulfilled only because of financial constraints. Without a university
degree, the prospect of acquiring a go od job and marrying into a more
prosperous family are also next to impossible. Class, then, is the
insurmountable barrier that comes between Alka and her dream job, dream
marriage, and dream life. Without money to pursue her education, she will
languish fo rever in her bleak and cheerless existence like a rat trapped in a
hole, typing for a living. But escape can come in only two ways –
marriage or career. But without education, a girl’s marriage prospects are
severely limited, and marriage into a similar so cial class will result in her
living a similar life. Alka is not wrong in thinking that higher education is
her passport to success and happiness, as it is for all those who come from
lower socio -economic backgrounds in our country. And it would have
been for Alka too, had it not been for the cruel twist of fate in the form of
her father’s death. When Alka taunts her sister about how she will end up
marrying one of the clerks her parents would select for her, and eventually
find herself living “in a chawl j ust like this all your life and have three or
four children” little does she realise that like Rekha, she too will never
escape the double bind of class and gender.
Alka’s double marginalisation –on account of her class and on
account of her gender –isevoked in the scene that describes her
interaction with a boy from her chawl. The only reason Alka smiles back
at him is because “You can’t antagonise anyone in a place like this.
Specially boys”. Alka’s is powerless to convey her sense of shame,
embarrass ment and anger when he leers at her, unabashedly staring at her
breasts. She is not able to protest or resist such an overt and openly
demeaning objectification of her body becaus eher economic status
necessitates her submission. Trapped within the twin el ements of gender
and class, she must be realistic and resign herself to being treated like a
sexual object because “what can you expect when you live in a chawl?” In
spite of her idealism, Alka must come to terms with the limitations that
gender and class place on her subjectivity.
Alka is troubled by more than just the class factor. As a young girl,
she is uncomfortable with her body, and is convinced that she does not fit
the traditional stereotype of the beautiful feminine woman in the Indian
context, w ith her “dark complexion”, “long nose” and “flat figure.” The
resulting low self -image creates further anguish because of the contrast
with the girl at the bus stop, whom Alka desperately wants to be like, but
who represents simultaneously the dream and th e eventual failure of that
dream. .
Alks’a situation causes an almost existential angst in her, young as
she is. We see her alienated from her family, and incapable of empathy,
filled with contempt for her neighbours, and wallowing in her own angermunotes.in

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104andmisery. Unable to accept her dismal life, Alka tells herself that she has
no right to dream, and that she must keep her feet not just on the ground,
but “on the cracked cement floor of this dirty chawl. Where I belong.”
Trying to come to terms with her tro ubled economic and gendered status,
Alka cannot empathsie with her mother after her father’s death: “Even
now that stolid, sullen woman would break down into the most shaming,
heartbreaking hysteria.” Alka’s reference to her mother as “that woman”
instead of “my mother” indicates how distanced she is from her. No one is
more aware of how insensitive she is, or has become, than Alka herself:
when she comes upon the contents of her father’s briefcase after his death,
she cannot help but admit to herself that that “wave of pity” that overcame
her was only the “indifferent pity of a stranger for another stranger.”
Alka’s shattered hopes fill her with a sense of meaninglessness,
and result in her estrangement from her family, her own self, and even
God. She reje cts the conventional belief in a “benign, bearded god” who
will set things right Her shattered hopes result in a nihilistic perspective on
life: “All nonsense. There’s no God. Only us.” Aware that her life will
never be like the “rainbow coloured, ethereal ly beautiful” bubbles that go
up in the air, she must be prepared for what happens bubbles leave behind
when they burst –“nothing.” As a resident of a dirty chawl, trapped in a
bleak existence, Alka loses faith in herself, in her future, her family, and in
the idea of a benevolent god who will make things right. It is in this state
of wretched desperation that she comes across her father’s letter, which
restores, at least in some measure, Alka’s confidence in all that she had
given up on.
8.14.THE TITLE
When Alka is on the cusp of despair, she receives the crushing
news o f her father’s unexpected death, but it only confirms her belief that
he had failed them in life as in death. Alka’s reaction to the shocking news
is nothing short of callous and insensit ive.Asa teenager wh ose dreams of
a better life had been cruelly thwarted by fate, sheis unable to rise above
her dejection, and see her father for who he really is -a sensitive man and
father who knew that he had let her down, and was himself deeply
disturbed at his inability to help her fuflill her dreams. This aspect of her
father’s personality is poignantly brought home to Alka in the letter she
accidentally discovers in his “battered briefcase”. The letter reveals her
father’s guilt at having destro yed her hopes for a better life, his great
regard for her, and his faith that she would triumph over the obstacles in
her life. Never having had an inkling of her father’s respect and love for
her, Alka is as astounded as she is ashamed of herself for havi ng him
judged him so harshly. The letter effects a catharsis that manifests itself in
the tears she finally sheds for her father. Alka’s breaking down symbolises
the breaking down of the final barrier, a release from all the anger she had
directed at her f ather. This epiphanic moment effects her transition from
an insensitive teenager to a more mature adult since it restores and affirms
her faith in a loving father, though it also brings with it a deep sense ofmunotes.in

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105sorrow and regret at the lost opportunity to h ave had a better relationship
with him. The “awakening” happens at several levels –awakening from
her immaturity; from her belief that she was misunderstood and
underestimated, and from her perception that her life was one of
unmitigated suffering and dis appointments. The title indicates not just an
emotional but also a moral release: her unabashed weeping on reading the
contents of the letter signifies a reversal of her former convictions, and
also anticipates a sense of hope for the future. She is now bo th humbled
and empowered by the knowledge that she wasloved, and this knowledge
delivers her from her existential angst and despair. However, while Alka’s
tears suggest a ray of hope , the words “bitter, salty and painful” remind
the reader, as they remind the protagonist herself, that the transition to
adulthood is not easy. Painful though it is, Alka is ready to take her place
in the world as a responsible adult, and survive on the basis of the comfort
she derives from her father’s letter.
8.15CONCLUSIO N
In her interview with Manpreet J. Singh , Deshpande claimed that
sheprefers to write about individual women who “are not representative
of anything, they are their own selves” (160). If we take the author’s word
for it, “The Awakening” should be read as astory that highlights the
specific sorrows of its female protagonist, not as a story about o theryoung
girls like Alka, struggling to cope with life in a chawl, and all that it
entails. But then again, Alka and her story canbe seen to signify more
than just her individual self or life despite the specific nature of her
problems and her reactions to them .The author herself put it best when
she said that “the ability of a novel to transcend the particular and go to
the universal is what makes for a good novel” ( 160 Singh). And it is what
makes for a good short story too.
8.16. QUESTIONS
1.Explore the significance of the title “The Awakening.”
2.Comment on Alka’s lack of agency in terms of both, class and gender ,
in“The Awakening.”
3.Discuss Alka’s relationsh ip with the members of her family, her father
in particular, in “The Awakening.”
4.Describe how Alka’s life in a chawl affects her perception of her
family and the world at large in “The Awakening.”
5.Explain the symbolic significance of the boy from Alka’s chawl and
the woman at the bus stop in “The Awakening.”
munotes.in