02. February 1970
Describe the impressions of life on the street. What general impressions of India does the reader get?
The first impression the reader gets is that in India is a great deal of crime, because as the narrator wakes up in the night and looks for her watch, which she can not find, she thinks someone has stolen it. However it emerges that her neighbour has hide it, so that it was not possible to steel it. That shows that there is really a high criminality. The next point mentioned in this section is that there are many poor and also crippled people. But against the impression that these people must be sad, they are quite gay. Normally poor people would beg, but here the heat is too strong and so begging is not necessary.
The reader, thus I, gets the impression of a very sandy, dirty and hot land with many diseases. I think I found a good website, showing some pictures which argue for themselves: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ref-degersheim.ch/img/indien8.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.ref-degersheim.ch/Interview.html&h=336&w=448&sz=56&hl=de&start=4&sig2=CX9qaSNYR6tjOUjHaZeOHg&tbnid=VoXyvDoDFkmJcM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=127&ei=TwtVSPm8GoLk1ga93OT2Ag&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstra%25C3%259Fe%2Bin%2Bindien%2Bbettler%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Dde.
It is a depressing disposition, where hope is one of the best things to survive. However I think that these real pictures fit very well to the described situation in the book “Heat and Dust”.
16. February 1970
What impression is given of her landlord, Inder Lal?
Inder Lal is the landlord of the narrator and works as a government officer. He and his wife have three children. The family live together with Inder Lal’s mother in “some poky rooms crammed at the back of a yard leading from the shop” (p. 11, ll. 26-277).
Inder Lal is described by the narrator as a careful man. He worries about the way the narrator lives in her rooms, because she is happy with a minimum of furniture and also does not decorate her room. However at the same time, Inder Lal is discreet enough not to say directly a word to her. He just mentions that her way of living is not comfortable, but then he instantly looks down to the ground as if he is not in the position to take the liberty to comment on that.
Thus Inder Lal is a very polite man, who also cares about others.
What changes can we see in the narrator’s life immediately after her arrival in India and now?
First the narrator is sceptical about Indians and their behaviour towards European. But now, she has her own rooms with an Indian landlord. I think that she is now a bit more open minded, because she wants to make her own experiences and does not want to be influenced by Olivia’s letters, which were written in a completely different time, and by others, especially Europeans with bad experiences. You can see this in her behaviour towards Inder Lal. She does not react to his comment of her way of living without decoration. She also carries her luggage alone to her room, which symbolises independence.
What information do we get about Olivia? What is your first impression of her?
The narrator speaks about Olivia to compare herself with her in the way of arranging their houses, as the case may be rooms. The narrator just has a minimum of furniture and decoration, while Olivia has a creative bone. She also calls her home as a nest, what gives the impression of something comfortable, the narrator just speaks from her room, which is quite cold and reserved.
The narrator is rather a practical person and Olivia rather a person, who likes to look after details.
In what ways are two plots linked here?
First of all there is a link, when the narrator compares herself with Olivia in the way of setting their houses (look at the task before). Then the narrator tells where she already has been, for example the old house of Douglas and Olivia. It now houses the Water Board, the municipal Health Department and a sub-post office. Everything is in India divided and subdivided, except the Medical Superintendent’s house, which is supposed to be a traveller’s rest house now. Another link is the old house of the Crawford’s, which is now the department of Inder Lal.
24. February 1970
Why is she reflecting on the clothes she should wear or wears?
Her destination is to adapt to the Indian culture and so she also wants to express it with her clothes. If she would still wear her English clothes, the Indians probably could stay away. This adaptation shows her tolerance and her open-minded position. Further I think that the narrator can identify herself with her new country by the time.
People sometimes call her a “hijra”. Why might she be referred to as one? How do you think she feels about being called one?
First of all I want to explain the meaning of a hijra. A hijra is usually called as the third sex, because they shall be deemed neither to be a man nor a woman. Most are physically male or intersex. They usually refer to themselves as female at the language level and are also dressed as woman.
The narrator gives at page 15 ll. 1-3 the answer to the question why she is called by some people a hijra. She is, like her Great-Aunt Beth, who also was called one, tall and flat-chested. Thus she has the figure of a man, but is dressed like a woman.
I think that most of the women want to be feminine. So it is a quite a big insult for her. Maybe she feels insecure unsure about her acting and thus about her behaviour towards other people, which will be probably shy and reserved.
1923 (pp. 19-24)
Write down Olivia’s or the Nawab’s thoughts during the dinner party.
Olivia:
Oh, how nice everything here is. The candelabras must be very expensive and all the other treasures. I feel a bit like a princess. Fortunately I made myself very chick and found my jewels, otherwise I would have looked unfitting. Why did not told me someone that it is like that here? And why we did not came before? However as always, the guests are the same. Except the plumb, balding Englishman over there, who is called Harry and of course the Nawab.
I hope I do not have to sit on one table with Doulas’ friends. Oh, I have to, regrettably.
I think the Minnies are very much like the Crawfords. They live now in the forth generation. However their life’s are so exiting, but at the same time these people are so uninteresting. Fortunately I do not look like them in their dowdy frocks. And the men with these puffy faces. However only my Douglas is perfect. He is noble and fair. He is the right man for me and later also for our children.
Oh, does Harry come to me? It looks like that. Nice, hopefully he is more interesting. I really like to have a good conversation.
Hey, I like him! We have the same points of view. It is so nice to talk with him, maybe also more freely then with Douglas.
However the Nawab seems to like all the conversations of the important English politician. He does not want to miss a word. I could do better something better, but moment! He does not really like what they are talking about. He just pretends to! Mhmmm, I think he has to learn how to laugh authentic about their jokes. However his host’s qualities are impressing. If there is anything empty he orders immediately something new. What does he really wants? I really want to know…
Maybe he tells me later, because it looks like he studies me. I think he is the only one who is interested in me the way I am used to. I like it…
28. February 1970
How are the two plots linked?
The narrator is along on her way to discover the life of Olivia. Now she visits one of the old British bungalows, which has not, like others, been converted into municipal offices but into a traveller’s rest-house.
Outline the experiences of the “odd trio” (p.25, l.3), describing their motivation for coming to India and their feelings now.
The narrator meets at the traveller’s rest-house three persons: An English couple and a young man, also English.
The young English woman is at the moment quite angry about everything in India. Her expectations were totally different, because she wanted to find peace in India but all there was dirt and dysentery. The couple dropped in every brick which was possible: They were robbed out, twice cheated and she became ill. There are some more examples but I think these here are enough to get an impression. However all they wanted was the illusion of a swami in London they have visited.
