Section 1 Summary: Pages 1-51
Sikhism Symbol
1. Mano Majra is a tiny place. It has only three brick buildings, one of which is the home of the moneylender Lala Ram Lal. The other two are the Sikh temple and the mosque. The three brick buildings enclose a triangular common with a large peepul tree in the middle. The rest of the village is a cluster of flat-roofed mud huts and low-walled courtyards, which front on narrow lanes that radiate from the center... There are only about seventy families in the Mano Majra, and Lala Ram Lal's is the only Hindu family. The others are Sikhs or Muslims, about equal in number. (Singh 2)
This passage sets the tone of the novel with the descriptive imagery of the village in which the novel takes place in. In addition, the passage explains the basic population of the village. Religion plays a key role in the novel and so getting a clear view of who lives in the vilalge of Mano Majra gives readers a clear view on the types of people in the novel and perhaps foreshadows the conflicts to come that intertwine the three religions.
2."Do you like their preaching Christianity in your village?"
"Everyone is welcome in his religion. Here next door is a Muslim mosque. When I pray to my Guru, Uncle Imam Baksh calls to Allah. How many religions do they have in Europe?
"They are all Christians of one kind or another. They do not quarrel about their religions as we do here. They do not really bother very much about religion."(Singh 6)
In this passage, Iqbal and an old man whom he is home staying with, are having a conversation on the religions present in their town of Mano Majra. This passage significantly struck out to me because religion is a major recurring topic throughout the whole novel. The old man is Sikh while Iqbal's religion is not specified. The significance of the passage lies with the fact that the man does not judge the Christian preachers, but rather has respect for them. He also admits that he and the place he lives in, are victims of criticizing of other religions.
3. "Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians - or the Pakistanis." (Singh 48)
This quote was said by the wise and educated Muslim that Iqbal was talking to. There were also a few educated people that travelled in and out of villages in attempts to establish democratic and western ideologies in people. However, many were confused and many rejected the ideas of the unorthodoxy. This quote was a very surprising point of view that revealed to what extent the uneducated people were not at all benefited from England's departure in India. The uneducated people were not at all free and the majority of them were forced to live under such an immoral mess. This also proves how easily influenced their opinions were and how naive the uneducated were to blame things on the educated free. The quote further proves the key value that, hypothetically speaking, that if the educated people stepped up and took control, the mass bloodshed in India would have been prevented or alleviated.
This passage sets the tone of the novel with the descriptive imagery of the village in which the novel takes place in. In addition, the passage explains the basic population of the village. Religion plays a key role in the novel and so getting a clear view of who lives in the vilalge of Mano Majra gives readers a clear view on the types of people in the novel and perhaps foreshadows the conflicts to come that intertwine the three religions.
2."Do you like their preaching Christianity in your village?"
"Everyone is welcome in his religion. Here next door is a Muslim mosque. When I pray to my Guru, Uncle Imam Baksh calls to Allah. How many religions do they have in Europe?
"They are all Christians of one kind or another. They do not quarrel about their religions as we do here. They do not really bother very much about religion."(Singh 6)
In this passage, Iqbal and an old man whom he is home staying with, are having a conversation on the religions present in their town of Mano Majra. This passage significantly struck out to me because religion is a major recurring topic throughout the whole novel. The old man is Sikh while Iqbal's religion is not specified. The significance of the passage lies with the fact that the man does not judge the Christian preachers, but rather has respect for them. He also admits that he and the place he lives in, are victims of criticizing of other religions.
3. "Freedom is for the educated people who fought for it. We were slaves of the English, now we will be slaves of the educated Indians - or the Pakistanis." (Singh 48)
This quote was said by the wise and educated Muslim that Iqbal was talking to. There were also a few educated people that travelled in and out of villages in attempts to establish democratic and western ideologies in people. However, many were confused and many rejected the ideas of the unorthodoxy. This quote was a very surprising point of view that revealed to what extent the uneducated people were not at all benefited from England's departure in India. The uneducated people were not at all free and the majority of them were forced to live under such an immoral mess. This also proves how easily influenced their opinions were and how naive the uneducated were to blame things on the educated free. The quote further proves the key value that, hypothetically speaking, that if the educated people stepped up and took control, the mass bloodshed in India would have been prevented or alleviated.
