1923: Olivia’s story

pp.56-61

-Compare Beth Crawford’s and Olivia’s reactions to the suttee. Whose attitude do you find most appealing, and why?

The reactions of both women are quite different. Whereas Olivia has the opinion that the English shouldn’t interfere the Indians in their affairs and is even able to understand the wives who want to die after their men’s death, Beth wouldn’t want to be burned with her husband.

After Major Minnies told the story of the voluntary suttee Beth answers: “Too noble for me. Fond as I am of you dear man, I don’t think I could”. Olivia on the other hand says “I just wouldn’t want to go on living.” what shows that she truly loves Douglas and wouldn’t want to live without him. Beth could imagine a life without her husband, what indicates that she is more independent than Olivia and maybe doesn’t set her heart on her husband as much as Olivia does.

I can understand Olivia’s attitude towards the suttee, because living without someone one truly loves is not easy and maybe one sometimes thinks it would have been better to die with him, but on the other hand one can also have quality time after the husband’s death and life still goes on. So all in all I find Beth’s attitude most appealing, because she wants to continue living and shows some kind of power the way she doesn’t want to give up life.

 1970s: The Narrator’s Story

- Write a description of Inder Lal’s wife.

Inder Lal describes his wife Ritu as an unintelligent person, because his mother didn’t want him to marry a very educated woman. Uneducated women don’t make as much trouble as educated ones she says. The narrator thinks that she looks very young, but is so thin and worn with an anxious face. In the beginning of the marriage Ritu was very homesick and her health has been very week since then. She is also a very shy and mentally weak person, because she tries to hide from other persons and has nightmares in the night.