Heat & Dust page 127-143
Describe the narrator’s feelings about being pregnant:
To say it in the narrator’s own words: “At first I didn’d believe her” ( page 127.l. 28 ). This is basically the way the narrator “feels” about her pregnancy, she seems not to really realize that she is pregnant. This can also be proved by looking at her behaviour during the whole conversation with Maji. The narrator is more interested in Maji’s life and her narratives than in the fact that she is pregnant. This conclusion can be drawn from line 30 on page 128 and from line 11 on page 129, where she herself says that she “forgot about her own case”.
In the end her reaction towards Maji’s offer of an abortion ( laughing and skipping in and out of puddles) however could be seen as an indication of anticipation of the baby and that she declines an abortion.
Attitude towards abortion in the Indian society:
The attitude is being reflected in one single sentence Maji says: “It is a necessary part of an Indian midwife’s qualification because in many cases int is the only way to save people from dishonour and suffering (page.129 ll.7-9). This sentence and the fact that Maji immediately offers the narrator and abortion shows that in India it seems to be quite normal and common.
It is also striking that saving people from dishonour is named before saving them from suffering, which would rather indicate a physical suffering. Dishonour seems to be an often used excuse or reason for an abortion and this information also adverts to the Indian culture, religion and caste system which divides the people into different classes of society. An example for an abortion because of saving the women from dishonour could maybe be that a woman is expecting a child from a man belonging to a lower caste.
by Paula
