the shrine

Heat and Dust:p.61-76 15 April

Question: How does the visit to the shrine affect the narrator?

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Quotations: page 67

ll.2-3 > “ I didn’t know what I was supposed to do but, in any case, just to have got there seemed to be enough.”

ll.12.. > I likes listening to them, just as I liked sitting here with my friends in the middle of this festive scene. I felt part of it all, absorbed as I had been absorbed by the war-shipping crowd packed into the shrine.”

l. 20..> “… perhabs I too had thoughts other than usual.”

 

Conclusion:

The narrator gets the feeling of belonging to India and to the Indian. As well the visit causes spiritual thoughts and happiness. She thinks it was really the right thing to do, which is a fairly special feeling.

by Paula

suttee

Heat and Dust :  p.65-61

task: Compare Beth Craford’s and Olivia’s reactions to suttee. Whose do you find most appealing and why?

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Olivia’s reaction:

Olivia’s reaction is quite different to the reactions of the others. She thinks that suttee is part of the Indian religion and that one shouldn’t meddle with it. (page. 59 l.8 )

To underline this statement Olivia as well says “ it’s their culture and who are we to interfere with anyone’s culture” (l.11).

On the one hand Olivia doesn’t want to recommend widow-burning but on the other hand she is annoyed by everyone being so sure of their opinion and she thinks that it is a noble idea to die with one’s husband in the name of love. (compare p59 ll.24-28 )

On page 61 in line1 she even says that she could commit suicide in the name of love, indicating her love to Douglas.

 

Beth’s reaction:

Beth on the contrary  thinks that although some women might commit on their own free wills it will always be suicide, a particularly gruesome form of suicide.

Referring to the last lines of page 60 she says that suttee was too noble for her and that she couldn’t do it.

 

My opinion:

I agree with Olivia that one should in general respect and not interfere with another’s country culture and religion, but women being forced to commit suicide definitely goes too far, in my opinion.

Neither would I regard dying with one’s husband as noble because I doubt that the husband would recommend it. If he loves her, he wants her to stay alive.

Still, I think that it is great of Olivia to voice her concerns and to make the others think but somehow I get the feeling that she wants to provoke Douglas and to show him her love.

 

by Paula