Section 3: Pages 90-116
Discussion Questions1.What does the deputy commissioner's obsession with Haseena tell us about his problems?
2. Why is the explanation of the monsoon season in the reading? What does it have to do with the book? 3. How does Jugga's rage allude to the beginning of the novel when he is arrested? |
Possible Answers1. Chand's obsession and his actions towards Haseena, the teenage dancer/prostitute, explains his problem with alcohol and this also shows that he is depressed. Due to the death of his teenage daughter, he numbs his pain with alcohol and uses Haseena to fill the emptiness that his daughter left him with when she passed away. Chand is a man of power that needs help because his problems need to be fixed in order for him to serve the public properly and efficiently. 2. Monsoons in India are divided into two types: the summer and winter monsoons. The winter monsoon are described as "...simply rain in the winter. It is like a cold shower on a frosty morning. It leaves one chilled and shivering. Although it is good for the crops, people pray for it to end. Fortunately, it does not last very long." (Singh 90). However, the book describes summer monsoons to be "...quite another affair. It is preceded by several months of working up a thirst so that the waters come they are drunk deep and with relish...the earth cracks up and deep fissures open their gaping mouths asking for water; but there is no water-only the shimmering haze at noon making mirage lakes of quicksilver." (Singh 91). The reason why the author included a whole section dedicated to describe the monsoon patterns in the book is because it is a metaphor of Mano Majra. The winter months represent the short, happy tranquility that Mano Majra had before the conflicts in the book and the war. However, after the winter monsoons, the summer monsoons come. This represents the time of uncertainty. disturbance and bad fortunes for Mano Majra, which is the time when conflicts and religious feuds happen. The author utilizes the monsoons to represent the time line of Mano Majra; being peaceful amongst all religion until it becomes violent and misfortunate. 3. Jugga has always been known as a troublemaker and he is very ill tempered. When he rages, readers can immediately relate back to when he was being arrested. Jugga then was disrespectful and rude and not abiding my the rules at all. When Jugga rages, he was being his normal self - the barbaric man he is. |