What keeps the sons in the novel from working the fields? Rukmani teaches all of her children to read and write, even though many in her village believe this can lead to trouble. What would have happened to her children if she had not done so? How else throughout the novel do the characters demonstrate knowledge as a powerful catalyst for change? Do you agree with either of them? Is there a common ground? At the time this novel was written, child marriage was a common practice in India.
Why do you think this was so ingrained in the culture? How do you think its prohibition has changed life in India? Why do you think Markandaya chose it for the title of her novel? How does Markandaya address the fundamental question of Hindu belief: what does it mean to be human? Learn More About Nectar in a Sieve print. Related Books and Guides.
The Dew Breaker. Edwidge Danticat. Madame Bovary. Gustave Flaubert. The Painted Veil. Somerset Maugham. Breath, Eyes, Memory.
Linden Hills. She saw one of her infants die from starvation, her daughter become a prostitute, and her sons leave the land for jobs which she distrusted. And somehow, she survived Rukmani, a very young girl, is married off to a simple peasant, Nathan, from a village miles and miles away from the village where she was born, by her father, who is a reputed village headman. Rukmani who came from a modest and affluent lifestyle is expected to follow with her newly married husband to his village and into his simple world with limited means.
Rukmani soon adjusts and adapts with her new lifestyle as a village farmer's wife, by helping her husband in sowing the rice seeds, watering and other necessary farming activities while handling and managing the household singlehandedly. Unfortunately as time passes by, Rukmani is left childless as she is expected to give birth to a handful of sons who will finally help in the farming business alongside with her husband.
As a result, Rukmani consults a Western doctor, Kenny, with modern world ideals, who finally helps her to give birth to a daughter and four sons. Despite the increase of so many feeding mouths, Nathan and Rukmani somehow manages to feed their sons and daughter, give a fulfilling life, even they are challenged all the way with poverty, drought and flood, sacrifice their farm and fight lots of battles, and through out the whole journey, Rukmani stands tall and strong shoulder-to-shoulder with her husband until the very end.
There are so many stories that highlight an India's life right after the independence but only a few stand out, just like, Nectar in a Sieve is one such ground breaking classic Indian literature that brings out the basic and simple life of a farmer somewhere rural in South India.
Centralizing poverty as the main theme of the book, the author had depicted the life of a village woman despite whose sadness knew no limit, she had a fulfilling and satisfying family life with limited happiness and extreme challenges all through out her way.
The author has made her readers feel nostalgia through the pages of this compelling yet heart touching story of a woman as a little girl, as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother and as a friend as she survives her life alongside her husband and children. The author has captured the backdrop of a post-Independent India strikingly as she gracefully painted the rough and brown yet dull landscape of an Indian village, lush with rice paddy fields and the blooming flora here and there, the dust from the red stone roads, the grayish river, the hard cracked soil, the mud huts, the narrow-minded and illiterate village folks, the superstitions, the child's cry, the staple food, and the sweat of the hard working villagers.
Each and every details about the background image will let the readers to time travel back and forth from that era to the modern times and that will force them to reflect back on the changes. The author had also highlighted the socio political, cultural norms and beliefs followed back in that era which is in a stark contrast to present day's rules and beliefs.
The author's writing style is extremely significant rich with emotions and wisdom embedded deep into the core of the story line. The readers, be them international or Indian, will find the book easy to comprehend with even the story is written by the author is a very simple and easy to understand English language.
The narrative is heartfelt and articulate and the readers will find losing themselves into the sad undertone of the character's voices. The pace if the book is swift and moderate even the story is rich with so many evocative descriptions that will help the readers to not only feel the story but also to visually imagine the scenes right before their eyes.
The characters reflect the hardships toiled by the Indian farmers and their family through their honest and realistic demeanor strikingly. The main character of Rukmani is pleasingly portrayed that the Indian readers can easily contemplated with her plain looks, not so sharp wit, an enduring and patient woman, a hard working mother, a loyal and devoted wife and an obedient daughter.
Rukmani infers poignancy and sympathy through her painful journey of life in India, how motherhood and marital life changes the life of this once innocent and sweet little girl is equally heart breaking yet enlightening enough to keep the readers glued to the pages of this book till the very end.
In a nutshell, this is a must read Indian book that every Indian readers must not only possess in their bookshelves but must also possess in the very deep of their souls. Verdict: Satisfying and poignant till the very end. View all 9 comments. This year, I resolved to read more books by Indian authors as I don't do it much.
I'm so glad that I picked up this book because it is a hidden gem. It's poignantly rich and despairing writing left a mark on me. Set in the rural area of post-colonial South India, "Nectar in a Sieve" is a story about Rukhmani, an old woman who reminiscences about her life. At the age of 12, she gets married to a tenant farmer. We follow her journey as she struggles to eke out a living on land amid threats of droug This year, I resolved to read more books by Indian authors as I don't do it much.
We follow her journey as she struggles to eke out a living on land amid threats of droughts, heavy monsoon, and starvation.
To say this book was beautiful would be an understatement. In the beginning, the writing has a childlike innocence and wonder as Rukhmani begins her new life. But as her life gets tough, it gets subdued by a melancholy voice that is trying its best to survive but is helpless against the odds. This book accurately captures the essence of a farmer's life, showing the trials and tribulations they face while living from hand to mouth and sometimes starving till the next season.
It also shows the patriarchal traditions still alive like child marriage, dowry, desire for sons. I don't think much has changed since then in that regard. There's another character, a white doctor who helps these people but constantly chides them for being submissive.
But we see that those who fight back suffer and lose what they already had. It shows the powerlessness of the poor against the rich. When one has limited means, the only thought that takes precedence is how to survive and we see this by the way the characters bend in the circumstances.
All in all, this is a must-read novel. If you read this edition, please don't read the intro because it gives away a lot of spoilers! I joined bookstagram just a few months ago so I'd really appreciate it if you checked it out! View 2 comments. Nov 24, Jeanette Ms. Feisty rated it liked it Shelves: indian-subcontinent-and-surrounding , classics , all-fiction. Oh, man, talk about grimsville!! I think I'll just run along now and lay my head on that old railroad track! These characters are just born to suffer and endure and work their tails off and all for what?
Nothing, because they get screwed every time they start to get some hope back. Screwed either by Mother Nature or by their fellow human beings.
Imagine seeing your child die from starvation and feeling relieved because you won't have to watch him suffer anymore! Grimmest of all is that there are Oh, man, talk about grimsville!! Grimmest of all is that there are people all over the world right now living similar lives. View all 6 comments. Man alive!
Apart from the book 'Untouchable', also set in India, I do not believe I have read a more dismal, depressing and hopeless book. This books tells the story of a young woman who marries arranged marriage as a 12 year old to a rice grower and their extreme hardships, much dependent on the weather as too much or too little rain badly affects the crops. Each chapter is filled with death, despair, child mortality, wife rejection, prostitution, shame, illigitimacy, etc and just when you Man alive!
Each chapter is filled with death, despair, child mortality, wife rejection, prostitution, shame, illigitimacy, etc and just when you think things are as bad as they can possibly get, you start the next chapter and find an intolerable situation has turned more intolerable still. I do not believe I shall ever again use the throwaway phrase so often used and heard, ' I was starving to death ' because truly no matter how little money I have had at any point in my life or how many hours I had to go without eating even in my silly 20s when I was on this water fasting kick and would drop 15 pounds in a week.
Grrrrrrrr to myself , I know nothing of true starvation, nothing what the characters endure with no anger or bitterness.
I can not say this is a 'wonderful' book because it is so sad and grim, but I loved it just the same and want to see if my library has any other titles by this author who died in the s. View all 3 comments. May 29, booklady rated it really liked it Recommends it for: anyone. Shelves: biography , worth-reading-over-and-over , , classic , family , historical-fiction , favorites , fiction , grief , literature.
At its heart, Nectar in a Sieve is a story about suffering and our response to it. The protagonist is an aging Indian woman looking back over her long life and reflecting on her fate as well as her choices. Much that happened to her, she had no say in. She was a child bride of an arranged marriage. In some respects, Providence was kind to her; in many others cruel. You need to experience it through her own sparse prose narrati At its heart, Nectar in a Sieve is a story about suffering and our response to it.
You need to experience it through her own sparse prose narrative. Although excellent, it contains many spoilers. Instead check out the historical context in the study guide here which will give you sufficient background to proceed well. Like all people who live off the land, it is a journey of ups and downs, joys and woes. What counts is to endure. As for our wants, they are many and unfilled, for who is so rich or compassionate to supply them? Want is our companion from birth to death, familiar as the seasons of the earth, varying only in degree.
What profit to bewail that which has always been and cannot change? Nectar in a Sieve is a haunting story of the sweetness of life running out as quickly as its title. Nov 16, Michelle rated it it was amazing Shelves: classics , faves , adult-fiction. Beautiful and touching, Nectar in a Sieve follows a young Rukmani who is married to Nathan, a tenant farmer, when she is only twelve. The marriage, of course, is arranged.
The story focuses on the growth of her family and the struggles a tenant farmer and his family must face in a developing India. I had one minor issue with this book The story should be depressing because the family has to scrape by to survive. And I mean really scrape by They lose children to death and circumstance. They live through monsoon and drought while they work the land for thirty years. But because the book is only around pages, I felt like I did not get to know the characters as well as I would have liked.
Their only daughter, for example, has a sad but fascinating story of her own, and I would have liked to see more of it. Several of her sons move away Of course, neither did Rukmani, which was perhaps common for a woman in her situation, but I wanted to know how their lives turned out. In any case, a story that should have been depressing was touching.
They never really had a break, but I felt like they were happy in their own way. They learned to accept their hardships and never lost sight of their humanity in spite of those hardships. Mostly, they took joy in loving and forgiving each other. The prose is beautiful. And that is probably what made this novel for me. Some writers are gifted with language in a way that sings to you.
I wish I had half Markandaya's skill with words. And perhaps that is another reason I wanted more. I wanted to listen to her voice for just a little bit longer. As it is, this is going to stay with me for a long time. Nov 06, Helly rated it it was amazing. The aura of this book is that of gloom and depression, they are depressed when they do not have children, they are upset when they have too many children to feed and the reader is upset because life 'Sometimes at night I think that my husband is with me again, coming gently through the mists, and we are tranquil together," begins Rukmani as she takes the reader into her life, the rare ups and several downs of it as she reminisces the years following her marriage to Nathan, a poor tenant farmer.
The aura of this book is that of gloom and depression, they are depressed when they do not have children, they are upset when they have too many children to feed and the reader is upset because life is so unfair for this couple. Markandaya's poignant novel captures the hardships faced by farmers in post-colonial India where everything they hold dear, is being eventually lost. The concept of 'time' and the 'lateness' of events is beautiful explored.
Sometimes, things fail to happen when needed and are just a bit too late to provide any value. I highly recommend this book to any And every reader! Jul 05, Camie rated it really liked it. Reminiscent of Pearl S Buck's The Good Earth in its theme featuring a strong woman who spends her life battling adversity and poverty while trying to best care for the ones she loves.
Cited as a favorite book by "Work without hope draws nectar in a sieve, and hope without an object cannot live. Cited as a favorite book by my friend Sharon , a retired English teacher who " knows her stuff. View 1 comment.
Aug 29, Zanna rated it really liked it Shelves: gbw. The story is compelling and full of interesting details, but I couldn't help feeling there was something unreal and stilted about it.
Strangely enough, the section set in the city seemed more felt and was more believable to me, although it was filled with unexpected and strange turns of events. A tale of utter hopelessness in the face of colonial or capital evil. The characters suffer crushing poverty. They're stripped of their dignity, hope, and at times their very lives in the face of huge global changes that have left them behind.
And reading this book can help you learn what its like to face the day-in-and-day-out struggle for your very survival. We mean, have you ever gone out into a flooded field to try and hunt fish for dinner? Still, you might be asking why you should care about the desperate straits of fictional strangers living halfway around the world. This book is a great reminder that, no matter where we may be, the quest for survival is a driving force in all of us, and these characters' struggles have parallels in our own lives.
No matter what hardships we may face—from famine to flood to factory-closings—as a species, we struggle on. And that struggle is something fundamental that defines us all, in every part of the world. So, go ahead. Dive in to Nectar in a Sieve. This poverty forced the only daughter into prostitution and caused three sons to leave the village to seek employment.
With very little to eat, it was a miracle the family remained alive. In spite of their hardships, the family exhibited love, contentment, and hope that their situation would improve, but this hope never became a reality.
Rukmani Ruku married Nathan and bore a daughter, Ira, and six sons, four of them in quick succession following a long period of infertility after Ira's birth. As the family grew in size, their resources diminished and their problems increased. Ira eventually returned to live with her parents after her childless marriage ended.
She subsequently had an illegitimate son, Sacrabani. The two eldest sons of Rukmani and Nathan migrated to Ceylon now Sri Lanka after losing their jobs at the tannery for instigating a strike; the third son went to the city to take up employment; the fourth was killed when he was found searching for food in the vicinity of the tannery; the fifth became apprenticed to a white doctor; the last died as a child. With very little substance to begin with, the family became dependent on a small tract of land they rented from a heartless, absentee landlord.
The sons did not want to remain on the land as Nathan had. Although Nathan and Rukmani expected them to stay, they saw no hope of improving their situation. The family's home was a mudwalled structure with thatched roof and earthen floor.
They planted rice and vegetables, crops were destroyed by drought and monsoon, they were forced to sell most of their possessions and live extremely frugally. For brief periods, they enjoyed some degree of prosperity. When the family was small, the crop good, and the boys worked in the tannery the family ate well, had crops to sell, and were able to store some of their rice.
Kenny, the white doctor, whose ambition was to build a hospital with the foreign aid he collected, became a close family friend and helped them with money, food, and medicine. Rice cultivation, being very labor-intensive, took a toll on Nathan's health, especially since sons disappointedly but understandably did not help much. The construction of the tannery in the village provided employment for some but increased the price of consumer goods and succeeded in squeezing many of the peasants off the land.
When Nathan's land was sold to the tannery, he and Rukmani went to the city in search of their third son with whom they had never corresponded. There they found an equally cruel environment. Their few belongings and money were stolen as they sought refuge in the temple, and they were forced to survive mainly on handouts of food given as offerings to the gods and goddesses.
In addition, they failed to find their son who had left his wife and male child. Nathan and Ruku yearned for the land from which they had been evicted.
When they finally saved enough money to return to their village from the backbreaking work they acquired at a stone quarry with the help of Puli, a destitute but cunning street boy, Nathan died.
0コメント