“Being in favour of a barbaric ritual like the suttee reveals Olivia to be unreasonable, naive and disloyal. Her infatuation with the Indian culture makes her ignore that oppression, barbarism and cruelty are rife in this country.”

In my opinion Olivia doesn’t have an infatuation with the Indian culture. The reason why she speaks positively about the suttee is that she wants to contrast with the other Britsh.

“She had no desire to recommend widow-burning but it was everyone else being so sure – tolerant and smiling but sure – that made her want to take another stand.”

To her it’s not the cruelty she likes about the suttees, it’s moreover showing how much she loves Douglas and not wanting to live without him.