After reading the first five chapters in The Space Between Us, I have grown to enjoy the book even more than I did before. I can not believe that Bhima went to Maya’s collage to investigate who is the father of her baby. In these five chapters, I learned a lot about Bhima’s life and more about Sera’s life. Even though Sera is wealthier, she still has problems in her life and dark secrets about her husband and his family. This book is meeting my expectations so far. I chose this book because I wanted some insight to life in India and the rituals of the different cultures. I was also seeking for a book with a lot of emotion and a story in it. This book has the best of both. I am learning a lot about the caste system in India. It is definitely note worthy. For example, Sera will not even let Bhima sit at the table or on any chair because she is considered “dirty.” This book also has a lot of emotion in it and that is what I love. I feel like I keep going inside of Bhima’s head while reading the book. “Her look broke Bhima’s heart, made her want to take that young, trembling body and cover it in kisses with the same urgency that she had covered it in blows a minute ago, but she steeled her heart” (Umrigar, 40). I love being able to look into Bhima’s mind and know what she is really thinking. The theme in this book connects well to a working class. Bhima is constantly angry at Maya because she got pregnant. Bhima is not mad just because she is having a baby at seventeen, but also because she had to drop out of college and will be stuck in the same caste system and has to live in poverty, just like her. Without Maya attending college, there is no future for their family and they will remain at the bottom of the caste system (blue collar jobs). This book is a great book and it’s the kind of book that you can’t wait to find out what happens next. I have problems trying to find a place to stop because I never want to, always eager to find out how Bhima, Sera, or Maya will react to the situation at hand. I love the book so far and can’t wait to read more!
Individual Entry #1 So far, I have read chapters 1-4 of The Space Between Us. Bhima, who lives in the slums with her pregnant granddaughter, works for Sera as a housekeeper. Sera had paid for Maya’s education, and Bhima had hoped that schooling would be Maya’s escape from the backbreaking work that she completes each day. However, Maya dropped out of school when she became pregnant; Sera wanted Maya to get an abortion, no questions asked. But Bhima, upon hearing the name of the baby’s father (Ashok, according to Maya) has brief thoughts of Maya and this man making a family. When Bhima decides to visit this young man at college to extend a marriage proposal, the popular boy denies ever being involved with Maya. He proceeds to degrade Bhima for accusing him and says horrible things about Maya, which makes Bhima leave the school feeling that abortion is the best option. She immediately feels guilty because the news will undoubtedly spread now, but she is even angrier at Maya for lying to her about the identity of the father. All of the emotions explode when she gets home- she hits Maya with her shoe, saying that she is ungrateful and a liar. Before I started this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The selection that we read in class made me think that the story has an interesting plot and complexity. Beyond that, I expected the author to continue illustrating the differences in class between Sera and Bhima. I was pleasantly surprised when I continued reading to receive the description in such a moving and clear (although not glaringly obvious) way. The emotion that I already feel towards Bhima, a mixture of pity and respect, makes me excited about the rest of the book because I already connect with the characters. This is the reason that I chose the book in the first place- I wanted a rich, descriptive book with quality writing and a deep plot, something that held my interest more than a nonfiction or historically fact-based book. It is immediately clear that “class” is a theme of the book. The relationship between Sera and Bhima is impacted by Bhima’s role as Serabi’s housekeeper, and their differences in status and privilege. From the very beginning, despite their common ties, Bhima is ultimately treated as lesser than Sera and her family. For example, during the women’s heart-to-heart talks, Bhima must sit on the floor because of her occupation. In addition, she is further lacking equality with the rest of the family when she has to use separate silverware and glasses. The fundamental gap between the two women caused by their places in society can be seen when Bhima is hugged by Sera’s daughter, after which Sera receives “a feeling of revulsion, so that she had had to suppress the urge to order her daughter to go wash her hands” (29). The class system can also be seen when Bhima says that her granddaughter’s only hope of leaving the slums is through an education. This shows that there is a definite link between Bhima’s occupation, where she lives, and her prospects for the future. This book appears to be of very high quality at this point. I am really enjoying it! Once I started reading, the book completely pulled me in. The complex relationships (between Sera and Bhima, and Bhima and Maya) especially compelled me. The constantly shifting and often contradictory aspects of the relationships were engaging to explore. That said, I like that Bhima is a portrayed as a real person, multi-dimensional and conflicted (for example, she loves Maya, but Maya also disgusts and embarrasses her). Umbrigar is excellent at inspiring empathy for her characters and their situations; my heart broke for Bhima when she left the college canteen, defeated and humiliated by Ashok. My reaction was mostly due to Umbrigar’s description, which was both direct and affecting: “She walked out unsteadily, keeping her eyes to the ground, willing her ears not to pick up the hushed whispers and giggles that followed her” (36). In general, I believe the book is beautifully written and that the author uses great literary technique in her story. To illustrate her skilled conveying of emotions, some of my personal favorite quotes so far include: -“Every bone in her body sang out its woes, every gray hair twanged its misery, each muscle quivered and trembled with pain” (31). -“She wanted to draw blood, yes, but more, she wanted to draw Maya’s tears, as if tears would baptize them both, purify them, wash them clean of this evil that had wormed its way into their lives” (39). - “Bhima wanted to hug Maya and kill her, to rescue her and destroy her, all in the same explosive moment” (41). -“So this is how a heart breaks, Bhima thought. This is how cold, how delicate, how exquisite it feels” (41). This last quote in particular draws me in and makes me think more deeply. The word choice is interesting- “exquisite” usually is not used to describe a heart break. Did anyone else find Umbrigar’s writing style especially enjoyable to read?
Group Entry #1: We began our first group discussion by asking everyone why they chose this book. Matt said, "I chose this book because no one else wanted to read Sea-biscuit." That was a reasonable answer but Megan and I chose the book for more in depth reasons. Megan said, "I chose this book because when we started reading it in class, the book had a lot of emotion. I wanted a book with a lot of emotion and wanted a read that was more personal than historical or fact based." Matt and I agree with Megan, but I chose the book for a different reason. I said, "I chose the book because I wanted to learn more about a different culture and about different classes. I didn't only want a book about the facts of the caste system or the living conditions in India, but I wanted a book that would go into a story and get the detail and emotion of what it was truly like to live at the bottom of the caste system." Our next topic was some of the themes that have come up in the book so far. The first one is the caste system. Throughout the book, there are countless issues that involve who is at the bottom and who is at the top. Sera, Bhima's boss, makes Bhima sit on the floor in a corner during meals. Sera also doesn't let Bhima sit on any furniture while she is cleaning and cooking at her house because she is considered to be "dirty" just because she is in the lower class. Bhima also has problems succeeding in life because of the caste system. The only way that you can be successful in India, is if you have an education. Maya had her chance to get an education, but then she became pregnant and ruined her chances of getting to a higher position in life. Also, present many times already in the book, the richer you are, the better treatment you will receive. Bhima had to ask Sera to help her get Maya an abortion doctor beucase with her wealth and education, they could get a well suited one. Another theme in the book is not getting what you hoped for or expecting in a marriage. In the book so far, we know that Sera's marriage is off to a horrible start. With the "monster-in-law," things just couldn't get any worse. Sera just realized that her husband has temper problems after they got married. Bhima has also briefly mentioned her marriage to Gopal and how it didn't turn out how she thought. That is all we know so far. Another conflict or theme is the internal conflict of Sera and Bhima. We are constantly pulled into their heads by the author to see what their are really thinking in each situation that they encounter. This is one of the reasons we like the book so much. We love that the author pulls us into their heads so that we can really get the full story and opinion of the character in the situation. The book is exceeding Megan's expectations because it is really getting personal and has a great story and emotions behind the words on the paper. We all agreed that its almost like you can feel the pulse of the book. If you look at the story line, it is a little dry and dull, but its the intense emotions, thrills, and depressions that make this book what it is. We give this book a rating of 10! (10 is the best.) We love it and cannot seem to put it down!
Individual Entry #2 A lot happens in chapters 5-13 and we learn a lot about Serabi and Bhima- experiences that have shaped who they are now. When Serabi’s goes to check-in on her bedridden mother-in-law, Banu (whom she refers to as “The Monster”), her unease makes it immediately clear that the woman has treated her horribly in the past. In a flashback, Sera recalls her married life living at her in-laws’ house. She suffered physical and mental abuse from Banu right from the start; she was frequently confined to her room for days at a time, yelled at and demeaned for being a “dirty girl”. At one point, she physically struck Sera and then denied it! This made Sera regret denying her mom’s offer to investigate Banu’s behavior (after receiving a hint that Banu was a little crazy) before the marriage. Her father-in-law Freddy apologizes for not warning her about Banu and says that Feroz also has a temper. When Feroz refuses to talk to her about his past, she begins to see that their relationship, too, isn’t all that she hoped for. He then began to beat her, and Bhima was there in these dark moments to support Sera. One particularly painful event, Sera was in bed for days and Bhima rubbed healing oils on her wounds and massaged her pains away. When some neighbors in the slum notice Maya vomiting in the mornings, they start to question Maya’s state and suspect pregnancy. Bhima lies about it, saying that Maya is sick, but resolves to get the abortion completed soon. Viraf, Sera’s son-in-law also encourages the abortion being completed soon by setting Maya up an appointment with a good doctor (rather than having her go to the government hospital). After requesting that Sera accompany her to the procedure, Maya is very rude to Sera (even though she is doing her a huge favor). After the abortion, Maya is depressed and Bhima takes this burden upon herself, thinking that she should know what to do. So she decides to take Maya to the seaside for a walk after dinner one night, hoping to cheer her up and get her out of the house. We find out how everyone that Bhima has loved has left her, and she recalls, to Maya, visiting the beach when her children were young and how they bought balloon animals from a humble man from Afghanistan. She really opens up on the beach about her feelings for a humble balloon seller and why she was so fascinated by him- she felt a connection to his loneliness, and regretted not asking him questions about it. We also learn that Bhima did not always live in the slum- she used to have an apartment with her husband, Gopal. They had met at a friend’s wedding, and he had pursued her after it, vying for her attention every day for three weeks. She blew him off originally, and was annoyed when he rode his bike next to her bus seat singing. However, she grudgingly came to find him amusing and accepted his proposal. They got married and he promised her, from the very first night that he would be good to her. He told her, “I am going to treat you like the queen that you are” (65). The theme of work and class continues. At the market, Bhima ponders how a woman makes enough money to survive selling six shriveled cauliflowers a day; she muses that the woman will never make enough money to have a surplus in order to better her stock. She thinks to herself that “The greatest mystery of Bombay- how an entire breed of Bombayites (such as the balloonwallas and the earwax removers and the rag collectors) clung to the promise of this great metropolis by the skins of their teeth, how the managed to feed themselves despite their pathetic jobs- remained unsolved for her” (98). Even Sera sees “There is no limit to money, she thinks. Everything from silk sheets to an abortion in a beautiful, sunlit private clinic” (122). If she would not have paid for Maya’s abortion and come to the procedure, Maya probably would not have received adequate care and this could have been very dangerous. The author notes, however, a commonality that the women share: “Despite the different trajectories of their lives- circumstances, she now thinks, dictated by the accidents of their births- they had both known the pain of watching the bloom fade from their marriages” (111). The book continues to live up to my high expectations. I love how the story keeps getting more and more personal as the history of Bhima and Sera is revealed. The layers of their personalities and past make the present situation and main plot so much richer and more involved. I still love this book and think that it is a “great read”. The transitions between the past and present, and the contrast between Sera perspective and Bhima’s perspective, make this book impossible to put down. I also like that as a reader, I am constantly introduced to new aspects of the characters as their histories are revealed. Umbrigar’s description of people, their emotions, and settings only become more beautiful and poetic as she tackles complex topics like love, loss, and pain. These concepts will be around as long as the human race survives, so I think that this book definitely has potential to be a classic. Her examination of class issues and basic human emotions will always apply, and anyone can benefit from her depiction and perspective on each. My Favorite Quotes: “She wanted something finer, deeper, a marriage made out of silk and velvet instead of coarse cloth, a marriage made of clouds and stardust and red earth and ocean foam and moonlight and sonatas and books and art galleries and passion and kindness and sorry and ecstasy” (89). “Maybe the pain of memory is encoded into our bone marrow an each remembered grievance swims in our bloodstream like a hard, black pebble” (104). “Surely this is our salvation, our only hope- that joy and love are also woven into the fabric of the body, into each sinewy muscle, into the core of each pulsating cell?” (104). “Surrender feels so much lighter and lovelier” (125).
Individual Blog Entry #2: The book the Space Between Us has been quickly picking up a lot of momentum. I can't believe that Maya went through with the abortion! I was sure that she would never do it because throughout the beginning of the chapter, she seemed to slowly love the baby growing inside her. Every minute I continue reading this book, I solve more secrets about Bhima's and Sera's past. Sera has reveled that her husband Feroz, beat her. Sera was so ashamed of this and it was a shock to me. I thought that if a women was abused, she would immediately tell someone about it. Sear, instead is embarrassed and horrified. She wants the exact opposite, which is nobody to know. "She should probably be grateful for the fact that she had the kind of skin that healed quickly, so that she was spared the humiliation of being one of those women who wore the signs of their husbands' violence on their bodies like a window display for all the world to see" (Umrigar, 106). Another secret told was a little piece of Bhima's past. Her daughter and son-in-law both died from aids. This book is exceeding my expectations. The more I read it and the more in depth, and detailed the book becomes, the more I love it. Going back to the initial reason why I chose the book, because I wanted an insight on the culture of India and different classes, it is exactly the kind of book i hoped for. I have learned so much about India cultures. So far, all of their marriages are unhappy. Bhima is really seeming to struggle more and more with her job and how there is no way to success without an education. On the other hand, Sera is having problems with her horrible past that seems to haunt her. "Body also remembers each kindness, each kiss, each act of compassion? Surely this is our salvation, our only hope--that joy and love are also woven into the fabric of the body, into each sinewy muscle, into the core of each pulsating cell? Our of the blue fog of time, Sera remembers the blow and the balm; the tormentor and the healer: Feroz and Bhima" (104). Sera is association her body with her memories. This is the kind of book I was hoping for. The theme in this book so far has not changed much. Bhima and Maya still face the troubles of moving up in social class. Maya is in fact almost forced to get an abortion to be able to go back to college and turn her future around. Remember, "'Forget about marriage,' she says harshly. 'You just think of college, nothing else'"(135). This is Bhima's advice to Maya. If you stay in school, you almost have a guaranteed spot in the middle class. The quality of the book is great. I don't mean to sound too repetitive, but I love the emotions the book continues to give. I can almost feel the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Thrity Umrigar has an art for bringing the words alive and off the page. "Rather, she sits stone-faced, as if the abortion doctor has killed more than her baby, as if he has also cleaned out her insides, has scooped out her beating heart just as Bhima scoops the fibrous innards of the red pumpkin that Serabai puts in her daal"(129). This is one of my favorite quotes. When I read it my heart almost jumps because I can not only visualize Maya, but also feel some of her pain and suffering. This book still remains a page turner. I always am itching to find out what happens next. Because there are so many secrets in Bhima's and Seras past, the author always grabs your attention to the book by seeking to solve every secret. The book is of cultural value because of my first entry and of the new issue that came up, abortion. Was it right for Maya to abort her baby? There are many different views to this question and of course a list of pros and cons. First, reasons to not abort the baby would be religious issues. In the book, Bhima or Maya have not mentioned their religions but theres always the question, is it moral? Another reason not to would be the health of Maya. (Physically and emotionally.) Reasons why Maya should abort her baby is because of the social issue at hand. She could never go to college if she had a baby. Also, social embarrassment comes into play. This is a great book and I feel like I am only beginning it. I am definitely going to recommend this book to my mom and sister. It is a fantastic read!
Individual Entry #1 I read the first four chapters in The Space Between Us. So far, in the book, much has happened already. Bhima, is a servant for Sera. She and her granddaughter live in the slums in India. At the start of the book, Bhima awakes in her hut, already furious. She sees her pregnant granddaughter Maya, and is enraged; enraged at the fact that her granddaughter, who she once trusted had to drop out of college because she was going to have a baby. Bhima considers killing the baby while it is still in the womb, hoping that Maya will change her ways, and go back to earning her diploma so she could escape the lower class. After constant “confrontations” with Maya, Bhima is finally told who the father of the baby is. Seeing that an abortion might not be the best option, Bhima goes to Maya’s college to speak with the supposed father Ashok Malhotra, and try to make him marry Maya in the hope that her reputation could be saved. Despite what Maya told her grandmother, it was all a lie. Ashok is not the father. Upon hearing this, Bhima becomes very displeased with Maya, and begins to beat her, while screaming at her and calling her a disgrace. I chose this book honestly because I did not have much of a choice. I wanted to read Seabiscuit but was unable to. Mildly upset at the fact that I had to read this book, I immediately did not want to read it. I thought that this book better be good or I will be really upset. However, I knew I had to, and realized that it was in fact pretty interesting. I did not think that this book would be good, but was proven wrong. Although this book tells a very interesting tale, I would not say I like it. Who knows though? As I read on, the book could be much better. This book is deeply related to the “working class”. Bhima, and her granddaughter Maya are in the lower class, and live in the slums of India. Also, so far, Bhima really wants Maya to get a good education so that she does not have to be in the “working class” her whole life. It may sound confusing but I enjoy the book, while at the same time, I do not like it. I think it is interesting, but It just does not appeal to me I guess. It is well written, and very descriptive. It is definitely a good read. This book is certainly a “page turner” but only because of the issues that the characters deal with. It is a very deep book. Although interesting, I would not say the book engages me at a different level. This book definitely has social and cultural value to it. It makes you realize what some other parts of the world are like. It tells you what other cultures that are very different from your own are like, and how they are drastically different. This book is very artistic and well written. I do not know if the book will stand the test of time or not (at least not yet). I will have to keep reading and find out!
Additional Post: I would like to talk more about the cultural issues that take place in the book. There are a number of events and situations that Bhima, Sera, and Maya go through that depict some of the culture and issues in India. The first issue I would like to mention is the caste system that they are all living in. Bhima is a much lower class than Sera. Bhima has to work for Sera as a housemaid all day long and then return to the slums. This is all because she was never fortunate enough to receive and education. If you don't receive an eduction in India, there is no way for you to truly succeed. In Mike Roses book The Mind At Work, you could work a number of blue collar jobs and still make a decent living without even having an education. "I believe that such a change in perception could contribute to a more accurate portrayal of the full world of work, and could help us think more effectively and humanely about education, job training, and the conditions in which so many people make a living" (Rose, xxxii). Rose proving that here in America, you can work many various jobs that still require hard work and knowledge, but not necessarily a education. In India, if you don't have a education, thats the end of the line for you. You will end up in the slums, like Bhima, and work as a maid for the upper class. "'Oh, that's right, memsahib is no longer going to college, I forgot,' she says, addressing the walls. 'No, now she will sit around like a queen all day, feeding herself and her baby (...)" (Umrigar 11). Bhima is so upset with Maya because she threw her life away by becoming pregnant, resulting in dropping out of college and throwing her future away. Now Maya will have to follow in Bhima's footsteps and work as a maid. Another issue that has been brought up in the book is Sera and her husband Feroz. Feroz beats Sera a lot. In fact, Sera has to run away to her parents house because she can't stand the pressure from her mother-in-law and husband. "He beats me, she wanted to say. And his mother makes my days a living hell. The words formed on her lips like a foam at the edge of a beach and then died away. She could not burden her mother with this. She did not wish to take the dark circles form under her own eyes and place them under her mother's. She had no desire to unburden her own heart by packing her grief on her mother's back" (Umrigar 188). This is Sera's thought process behind why she refuses to tell anyone about her horrible new life. She is embarrassed and does not want to burden anyone else of her troubles. I hope as I keep reading, Sera will overcome this fear and learn to express to someone about her life. Her mother tried to warn her that when you marry somebody, you marry their family as well. In India, you live with the family. Sera hates her mother-in-law so much. She cannot stand her! Hopefully, Sera will be able to get away. This book has so many different issues and I can't wait to read in more detail about each one.
Individual Entry #3 As I quickly progress through this book, the past of the two main characters, Bhima and Sera, become the present. "'Beti, the past is alway present,' she says. 'No such thing as bringing it up. The past is like the skin on your hand--it was there yesterday and it is here today. It never goes anywhere. Maybe when you're older you'll understand this better'" (Umrigar 248). They both continue to relive the days of depression and sadness. Bhima recalls how her husband, Gopal, lost his job by accidentally cutting his fingers off, becoming addicted to achlahol, and ultimately taking her only son, Amit and running away to his parents home. Bhima is devastated and left with her daughter to live in the slums. I also learned in the book that later on in Pooja's life, both her and her husband die suffering from aids, leaving Bhima all alone. Sera revels more secrets about Feroz and how he continuously abused her. At one point, she takes Dinaz runs away from her living hell to her parents house, but is convinced but her father-in-law to return home. Feroz came off as a mean, intimidating, powerful man, but towards the end of his life, Sera describes him as gentle and kind. When Feroz dies in his sleep, Sera has mixed emotions. "It was over. Her marriage was over. Just like this, in the blink of an eye, Feroz was gone. Feroz--husband and oppressor; lover and tormentor; victim and victimizer. No man had ever made her happier or more miserable" (260). Sera loves Feroz, but then hates him at the same time. She almost feels relived when he dies, but then finds herself crying at his funeral. Sera has mixed and confused emotions. This book, once again, has and will always meet my expectations. This is a fabulous book. I have never read a book with this much emotion and depth behind each typed line. I love this book because it puts you in someone else's shoes. When Bhima and Sera take you through their pasts, it comes alive and you feel as if you are experiencing the same situations. "She wanted to say: For my daughter's sake, I can be anything--brave, strong, fearless. For her sake, I can walk on crushed glass, lie down on hot coals, wade through ice-cold waters. But my daughter is here on earth for a few days, I know" (147). This is one of my favorite pages in the book. Bhima goes on to explain all of the things she as done for her daughter over the past years. I love the emotion that is in the page because it is a train of thought you would think a mother would have when their daughter is in pain or suffering. It put me right into the perspective of Bhima and made me feel as though I am a mother, even though I have never had this feeling before. This is what I love about the book. This book continues to stay on the theme of work and class. Bhima still grapples over the question, What is necessary to succeed in life? At first, she was convinced that if you received an education, then you could do anything. You could be a doctor, a lawyer and control or boss around anyone whom you please. A incident in her past comes up. When her husband, Gopal,is in the hospital because of his hand, Feroz comes to the hospital to talk to the doctor in order to give Gopal better care. Bhima wonders why Feroz is able to order and take control over the doctor. They are both educated, so why does one still have superior over another. "Was education alone not enough? And if not, what was the missing part? (...) Still, she needed to know for Amit's sake. Could Feroz seth talk like this because he was a Parsi" (218). Bhima knows that there is another factor that contributes to being successful other than education. She just cannot put her finger on it. This book is a pleasure to read. Sometimes, I set goals for myself and one hour later, I will realized that I passed my goal hours ago. I can't seem to put it down. It is so intense and meaningful. This book is good because it ties emotions with words. This book is of social value because it talks about different classes and the basic struggle for survival. Bhima has struggles financially. Gopal quit his job and has a drinking problem, so it forces her family to move to the slums. Sera has the opposite problem. She suffers emotionally. Feroz provides her with everything she could possibly want, that money can buy. What Sera is truly seeking is a loving relationship with her husband, one she will never get. This book will stand out in time because there is no other like it. It takes you on an emotional roller coaster, and if I were you, I would get on for the ride!
Individual Entry #3 We find out more about Bhima’s past. Her daughter, Pooja, and son-in-law, Raju, contracted AIDS. When she received word via telegram, she rushed to the hospital they were in and heard from a doctor that they would both die soon. Bhima didn’t understand the disease, how it was sread, or that it was fatal until she met a young friend named Hyder who explained these things to her. He stood with her at Pooja and Raju’s deathbeds and their cremations. With both of her parents gone, Maya was left to Bhima to take care of. While on one of their dinner-time beach walks, Bhima talks to Maya about her husband, Gopal. Gopal had an accident at work and lost three of his fingers to a machine. A man from the company he worked for brought Bhima to the hospital and forced her to “sign” (make a thumbprint) a form that she couldn’t read; it basically waived all of the compensation that the family was due to receive from the business. Gopal became sick with infection, and Feroz and Sera had to come to the hospital and threaten the doctors to get him decent treatment. When he came home, he was very depressed because he couldn’t work for a while, and eventually he turned to alcohol to numb the pain. At one point, he even leaves his sick son at home alone and uses his medicine money for alcohol. His habit forced the family into poverty (as well as destroyed the marriage) and they had to move to the slums despite the extra jobs that Bhima and Pooja were working. Bhima confronted him at a bar, after the abandonment of the sick son at home, and he hits her in the face hard enough to make her nose bleed. When Maya was looking for her birth certificate one day, she found a letter from Gopal to Bhima. In this letter, Gopal stated that he was leaving her for the country to live with his family. He realized how low he had sunk and how he had let Bhima down and apologized. He said that he was taking their son with him but he still loves her despite what she may think. At an engagement party for Sera’s friends, she is reminded of the abuse in her past. The first time her husband had hit her, they were on vacation. After a fairly pleasant dinner, Feroz accused Sera of flirting with the waiter and other random things that she didn’t do, and became so enraged that he punched her in the arm. Immediately after, he apologized and said it was an accident, begging for her forgiveness, which she granted to him. After continued abuse from both Feroz and Banu, Sera and her daughter went to her parents’ house for to stay with them. She didn’t want to burden them with her problems by telling them about the abuse, though. After three weeks, Freddy (Sera’s father-in-law) stopped by to propose that Sera and Dinaz move into their own house with Feroz, to have some privacy from the in-laws, and she accepted the offer. Sera is later reminded of Feroz’s death, which was sudden and unexpected. Everyone was sad, and she was a little disturbed by the fact that he was “made into a saint” by her son-in-law and daughter. In the present, Dinaz, Viraf, and Sera decide to go out for dinner and encounter Maya and Bhima. Maya is rude to Sera again, and Bhima notices that Viraf looks very uncomfortable. Suddenly it is clear to Bhima that Viraf was the father of Maya’s unborn baby and she is disgusted with Maya for disrespecting Sera’s family and daughter. Maya becomes extremely hurt that Bhima has jumped to conclusions, assuming that she is the one that was wrong in the situation and even accuses her of loving Sera’s family more than her own. This book is still living up to my expectations. I have come to expect lots of emotion and very affecting scenes, and these chapters did not disappoint! The AIDS hospital scene in particular stuck in mind because it was such a sad and hopeless situation for everyone to experience. The conflicting emotions and complex relationships prevalent in the beginning also continue throughout; Feroz abused Sera and she hated this, yet she was deeply affected with his death. I was surprised by the Viraf-Maya twist, and I think it was very clever (it all makes sense), but I just didn’t see it coming. The theme of “class” is prevalent throughout these chapters. When Feroz, Sera, and their friends were on vacation, Feroz used his money and power to bribe a waiter into serving them alcohol when the restaurant technically wasn’t authorized to serve liquor yet. Then Gopal was in the hospital, and he was not even given antibiotics when he had a serious infection. Since this was clearly because he was poor/lower-class, he would not have gotten adequate care without Feroz, who bullied doctors (with his power and influence) into giving daily updates on Gopal’s status. Bhima basically summed it up: “So this is what education does, Bhima thought. It opens doors for you” (217). Bhima was also taken advantage of by the educated representative from Gopal’s workplace when he lied to her about what was on a form that she was “signing”; she authorized forfeiting rights to compensation for Gopal’s accident, receiving a mere one thousand rupees for it. Umbrigar also makes it clear, however, that abuse (both psychological and physical) is not unique to one class; indeed, women like Bhima and Sera share in the experiences of sorrow regardless of their positions in society. This book is still amazing, and only getting better. I love the Viraf-Maya twist. It fits perfectly with the plot-line (now his pushing for the abortion and Maya’s attitude make sense) but was nonetheless unexpected. In addition to Umbrigar’s beautiful language and artfully complex relationships, the different histories of the two women being told side-by-side is very effective at conveying the message of the story because it also highlights their similarities and what links them together. My favorite quotes from chapters 13-21: “But Raju moaned even louder, a harrowing sound that carried such an awful loneliness that the hair on Bhima’s arms stood up” (144) “Hate that entered her heart like a fever” (181) “This smell that will trail me for the rest of my days, I can feel it entering my bones, settling like dust in my blood” (148) “She did not wish to take the dark circles from under her own eyes and place them under her mother’s” (188) “Bhima feels her tired feet dig deep into the wet sand, looking for a place to call their own” (197) “Looking into his fine, sad eyes, you felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you’re in a beautiful place and the sun is going down” (199) “Liquor is the kiss of the angels as well as the curse of the devil” (248)
Individual Post #4: In the end, there really was a space between Bhima and Sera. If you look at the book overall, there are three main spaces that I see which caused Sera and Bhima to "separate." The first space is their classes. Sera is upper class and Bhima is lower class. Sera will never know what its like to walk home in the cold dark, tired and exhausted from work, and then have to cook dinner in a house that is barely standing up. This is one of the troubles Bhima had to face everyday. This was Bhima's life. As I was finishing the book, the last secret was reveled, who got Maya pregnant? It was Viraf! I could not believe it. Viraf seemed so happy with his wife who is having a baby. I would expect it to be anyone but him. When Maya told Bhima, Bhima made sure that Viraf knew she had knowledge on what happened. But Bhima could barely tell him she knew because she was unsure about how he would react. Considering that Bhima is in a lower class than Viraf, she became hesitant and frightened. "She opens her mouth, and nothing happens. Her mouth is dry with fear. Her body is openly shaking now, as if she is a single sheet of discarded paper on a windy street" (287). After Bhima finally finds the strength within her to tell Viraf she knows, he mildly reacts. Later, Viraf frames Bhima for steeling money from the family. Sera ends up firing Bhima because Bhima openly screamed at Viraf and told Sera what he did to Maya. Sera denied it and fired Bhima. This relates to the first space between them. Sera does not believe Bhima when she tells her the Viraf is the father of Maya's baby. The more I thought about this, there could be multiple reasons why Sera kicked Bhima out. Sera could of believed Sera, but didn't want to for the sake of her family. Sera didn't want it to fall apart because that it all she has. Another reason she could of denied it is because she didn't want her daughter, Dinaz to have a destroyed marriage, just like she did. Sera didn't want her daughter to relive the nightmare she had with Feroz. Sera just might of wanted to keep things at peace and Bhima was in the way of that. Bhima was also lower class, so Viraf's denial of the rape is more believable than her, lower class, story. Another space between them, is that Bhima struggles everyday with trying to get out of poverty. Sera, on the other hand will never have to worry about a warm home and food. "Maya left for college in the mornings, she used to feel as if everything that she had ever gone through in her life--every deprivation, every insult, every betrayal--was worth it if she could provide her grandchild with a life better than what she and her mother and her mother's mother had known. Above all, how to tell him that the simple act of abortion did not erase the past, did not set back the clock, did not allow Maya to casually pick up the strands of her life and return to college" (290-291). Viraf ultimately ruined Maya's chance of succeeding in life. The last space between Bhima and Sera would have to be how much each suffered in their lifetimes. Sera had a great deal of emotional and physical sufferings. If Feroz wasn't abusing her, she would have metal breakdowns, and her mother-in-law was awful. But I think Bhima has suffered a lot more. Bhima has suffered physically, emotionally and mentally. Bhima had husband problems also and lost him and her only son! She also has to live in the slums and her only daughter died young of aids with her husband. These are just few of the depressing highlights in Bhima's life. This poor woman has had an awful life, and she can't even talk about it to Sera because she won't even let Bhima sit at their table for dinner. "If only I could tell you, Serabai, Bhima thinks. But it would be more merciful to stab you with a knife than to kill you with the poison of my thoughts. Aloud, she says, 'My whole life is a dark thought'"(296). Bhima can't tell Sera what she is thinking because it will destroy her family. Then, at the end, Bhima admits that her life is a dark thought. Like I said earlier, Bhima does tell Sera about the rape. Bhima thinks, "The fire had consumed her, turning her future and her dreams to ask; she would never know how severely it had injured the other tow--whether its flames had merely licked their bodies and the been extinguished by the gusts of their denial or whether the flames had scarred them permanently"(310). Bhima is realizing that the secret she just revealed could have touched and damaged the lives of many, even if they denied it at first. This book is a classic. There is really no other way to describe it. Like we explained in our group discussion, this book has so many important issues that women all over the world have to face everyday. To me, Bhima and Sera together represent the Chinese, Italians, Europeans, Russians, French, Americans, and many more women around the world. Bhima faces all of these hard, cold, and dark issues at once and survives. In the future, this book will still be relevant to the current day issues. This book over met my expectations. Its everything you could ask for in a book. Fun to read, interesting, depressing, sad, happy, and more. The best part is what I took out of it. I realized all of the issues that woman have to face and this ties in with our influence of ad's project. Our topic is about women and how they are depicted in ad's. Most of the depictions in ad's are what Bhima and Sera have gone through. This is a fantastic book and strongly recommended it!
Individual Entry #4 After the emotional and shocking end of Chapter 21, in which Bhima realizes that Viraf was the father of Maya’s baby, I couldn’t wait to get reading again to find out more details. I thought that surely Maya had been raped by him based on her defensive reaction to Bhima’s accusation of betraying the Dubash family’s trust- but I also couldn’t image Viraf doing such a thing, let alone cheating on his wife whom he adores. In the ensuing chapters, Maya tells Bhima the story: Maya was working at Banu’s house when an agitated Viraf arrived earlier than usual. He revealed that he had a fight with Dinaz because she didn’t want to go see a movie with him and then blamed her pregnancy for her temper and making her “spoiled”. His attitude changed and he started speaking to her with open affection calling her “a cute little puppy” (272). He went to work on finances in another room, but when Maya went to check on him while Banu was sleeping, he was lying on the bed. He asked her to give him a back massage, and she did. He kept egging her on, pressuring her to go further; finally, they went all the way. Immediately after having his affair, Dinaz called on the phone, and Maya was filled with guilt. Viraf then turns on Maya and accuses her of seducing him- an outright lie. He said, “That was a bad thing you did, tempting me like that, taking advantage of me while I was in a weak mood” (279). He instructed Maya to wash the sheets and then threatened Maya not to tell anyone, saying that no one would believe her and it would just run her reputation, and then left. When Bhima hears this, she is filled with hate; everything unfair or unpleasant that has ever happened in her life catches up to her. Out of her frustration and anger, she loses her fear of Viraf and plans on telling him in the car that she knows what he did to Maya. She struggles not to let the terrible secret out in front of Sera, but gets nervous when she and Viraf drive alone together to the market. She didn’t accuse him outright, but rather let her sorrow at Maya’s loss of innocence be known by crying out indiscernible words of pain; he inquires about how Maya is doing but does not admit anything. When Bhima leaves the car she calls him “sir” of the more affectionate nickname “baba”: she has made her position clear. Bhima and Sera are sitting together drinking tea at the end of the day when Viraf furiously storms into the house. Bhima enters the conversation between angry Viraf and Sera and is accused by Viraf of stealing money (seven hundred rupees) from Banu’s house. Sera says there must be a mistake and defends Bhima, saying the money must have been simply lost because Bhima is no thief. As Bhima realizes that he has been planning to set her up for this for weeks, she feels so betrayed and angry that she lashes out at him. She disrespects him, calling him a “dirty dog”, and claims (in front of Sera) that he “stained my family’s honor” (301). Sera reacts with horror at the way Bhima is speaking to him, so Bhima finally tells her what Viraf did to Maya. Sera does not believe it, and calls her crazy, saying “I can excuse you stealing from me, but to challenge my son-in-law’s honor, that I can never forgive you for” (303). She fires Bhima and she immediately must gather her things and leave. Bhima initially feels guilty and wonders whether Sera will be able to live through this latest betrayal. She then comes to the realization that her words left a gaping hole in the family, even though Viraf denied them, could still not be completely filled. Angry that Sera had discarded her without hesitation, she also is struck by the idea that she really was, ultimately, Sera’s employee- not her friend. With all these conflicting emotions, she decides to go to the beach. She buys balloons and just stares out at the ocean for a while contemplating life. She thinks of the balloonwalla from long ago, of the millions of other people in the city, and lets go of the balloons, symbolizing letting go of her burdens and her lost ones. Ultimately, Bhima renews her hope in the future: “Tomorrow. The word hangs in the air for a moment both a promise and a threat” (321). This book lived up to my expectations one hundred percent! It was engaging throughout, offered rich descriptions and emotional events, and also helped me see the world from different perspectives. Class and class are still themes throughout the last chapters of this book. Viraf’s position of authority over Maya allowed him to control the situation and manipulate her into letting him, in essence, rape her. He then uses his superior social status to deter her from telling anyone, because apparently a servant would not be believed over a powerful man like himself. Bhima finally starts to realize, after being forced to leave the Dubash household, that she and Sera were never friends and were never truly equals. Bhima notes to herself the differences between her and Sera: “You, an ignorant, uninformed woman. And Serabai, educated and foreign traveled. A woman who reads the newspaper every day while you grovel for the tidbits of information that fall your way like breadcrumbs” (308). The seriousness of the Bhima’s need for income also becomes clear when she is fired by Sera: “Hell is working for less money for a strange family and watching Maya throw her future away like rotten fruit” (304). Another theme of this book, however, are the common human emotions that draw everyone together, no matter their class. For example, both Bhima and Sera were abused by their husbands; both women had experiences love and loss; their entire families had experienced abandonment and betrayal. I think this book was amazing! The storyline was perfect; every detail fit into place. The complex relationships were thought-provoking, the different perspectives were engaging, and the unfamiliar Indian society was interesting to read about. Umbrigar’s poetic style is terrific at conveying the emotional situations to the reader. Her descriptions are so vivid: “The wind is whipping her like a cruel master, trying to pull the balloons out of her hands” (318); “Bhima had never known that hate could have such a jagged edge” (281). It definitely has the potential to become a classic. I believe that it can be read many years from now and still be engaging and relevant to society. In the context of the class system, Umbrigar deals many with the idea of loss, love, abandonment, and betrayal- emotions that will always challenge the human soul. In all, this book holds great insights for the reader no matter the time period: “In the presence of immortality- the endless churning of the sea, the plowed fields of the sky, the loose gypsy wind- the rest of her life feels absurdly, ridiculously mortal and transient” (318). Another thing that people in any culture or time can appreciate is the reminder that we are, individually, small parts of a much greater thing. Umbrigar states that our problems and abilities are really rather small in the grand scheme of the universe: “Along with the entire gigantic metropolis, with all its residents crawling along their individual destinies like an army of ants pretending to be an army of giants…” (320). **These are my favorite quotes, language-wise, displaying Umbrigar’s excellent style of writing: “She is too intent on talking to the sea, on handing over her burdens to it” (320) “Suddenly she had a yearning to be close to the water, to hear in its wild but controlled thrashing the violent turmoil of her own soul” (312) “With her words she had birthed a fire that had scorched all of them. The fire had consumed her, turning her future and dreams to ash” (310) **I believe these quotes are very deep and thought-provoking: “The land was stained permanently with pools of blood; it bulged and swelled under the outlines of countless millions buried under it. But the sea was unspoiled and eternal and seemingly beyond human claim” (319) “Bhima marvels at the paradox: A solitary man, an exile, a man without a country or a family, had still succeeded in creating dreamworlds for hundreds of children, had entered the homes of strangers with his creations of color and fantasy and magic” (314)
Group Post #2: The book ended with more hope than it started out with. Bhima finally realized that the father of Maya's baby is viraf. What makes it worse is that Viraf is married. Bhima tells Viraf that she is going to ruin his marriage In order to avoid problems, Viraf tells Sera that Bhima stole money from her. Bhima is fired because of this. Since Viraf is of a higher class than Bhima, he is believed, and Sera fires her. We all like the book and it met our expectations. It went beyond the expectations of Anne and Megan. The book ties in with the work because at the end when Bhima is fired, she is hopeful to get a new job. also Bhima worked a hard job as a servant for a long time. Class is very important, and you see that in the relationship between Bhima and Sera. Also Bhima wants Maya to stay in school to escape the lower class. Xome other "themes" simmilarities between women and the challenges that all women face, "love and loss" and abandonment. Overall the book was a very good read. It was interesting, and keeps you on your heels. Anne and Megan both said "It could be a classic" because it discusses issues that will always be relevant.
12 comments:
After reading the first five chapters in The Space Between Us, I have grown to enjoy the book even more than I did before. I can not believe that Bhima went to Maya’s collage to investigate who is the father of her baby. In these five chapters, I learned a lot about Bhima’s life and more about Sera’s life. Even though Sera is wealthier, she still has problems in her life and dark secrets about her husband and his family.
This book is meeting my expectations so far. I chose this book because I wanted some insight to life in India and the rituals of the different cultures. I was also seeking for a book with a lot of emotion and a story in it. This book has the best of both. I am learning a lot about the caste system in India. It is definitely note worthy. For example, Sera will not even let Bhima sit at the table or on any chair because she is considered “dirty.” This book also has a lot of emotion in it and that is what I love. I feel like I keep going inside of Bhima’s head while reading the book. “Her look broke Bhima’s heart, made her want to take that young, trembling body and cover it in kisses with the same urgency that she had covered it in blows a minute ago, but she steeled her heart” (Umrigar, 40). I love being able to look into Bhima’s mind and know what she is really thinking.
The theme in this book connects well to a working class. Bhima is constantly angry at Maya because she got pregnant. Bhima is not mad just because she is having a baby at seventeen, but also because she had to drop out of college and will be stuck in the same caste system and has to live in poverty, just like her. Without Maya attending college, there is no future for their family and they will remain at the bottom of the caste system (blue collar jobs).
This book is a great book and it’s the kind of book that you can’t wait to find out what happens next. I have problems trying to find a place to stop because I never want to, always eager to find out how Bhima, Sera, or Maya will react to the situation at hand. I love the book so far and can’t wait to read more!
Individual Entry #1
So far, I have read chapters 1-4 of The Space Between Us. Bhima, who lives in the slums with her pregnant granddaughter, works for Sera as a housekeeper. Sera had paid for Maya’s education, and Bhima had hoped that schooling would be Maya’s escape from the backbreaking work that she completes each day. However, Maya dropped out of school when she became pregnant; Sera wanted Maya to get an abortion, no questions asked. But Bhima, upon hearing the name of the baby’s father (Ashok, according to Maya) has brief thoughts of Maya and this man making a family. When Bhima decides to visit this young man at college to extend a marriage proposal, the popular boy denies ever being involved with Maya. He proceeds to degrade Bhima for accusing him and says horrible things about Maya, which makes Bhima leave the school feeling that abortion is the best option. She immediately feels guilty because the news will undoubtedly spread now, but she is even angrier at Maya for lying to her about the identity of the father. All of the emotions explode when she gets home- she hits Maya with her shoe, saying that she is ungrateful and a liar.
Before I started this book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The selection that we read in class made me think that the story has an interesting plot and complexity. Beyond that, I expected the author to continue illustrating the differences in class between Sera and Bhima. I was pleasantly surprised when I continued reading to receive the description in such a moving and clear (although not glaringly obvious) way. The emotion that I already feel towards Bhima, a mixture of pity and respect, makes me excited about the rest of the book because I already connect with the characters. This is the reason that I chose the book in the first place- I wanted a rich, descriptive book with quality writing and a deep plot, something that held my interest more than a nonfiction or historically fact-based book.
It is immediately clear that “class” is a theme of the book. The relationship between Sera and Bhima is impacted by Bhima’s role as Serabi’s housekeeper, and their differences in status and privilege. From the very beginning, despite their common ties, Bhima is ultimately treated as lesser than Sera and her family. For example, during the women’s heart-to-heart talks, Bhima must sit on the floor because of her occupation. In addition, she is further lacking equality with the rest of the family when she has to use separate silverware and glasses. The fundamental gap between the two women caused by their places in society can be seen when Bhima is hugged by Sera’s daughter, after which Sera receives “a feeling of revulsion, so that she had had to suppress the urge to order her daughter to go wash her hands” (29). The class system can also be seen when Bhima says that her granddaughter’s only hope of leaving the slums is through an education. This shows that there is a definite link between Bhima’s occupation, where she lives, and her prospects for the future.
This book appears to be of very high quality at this point. I am really enjoying it! Once I started reading, the book completely pulled me in. The complex relationships (between Sera and Bhima, and Bhima and Maya) especially compelled me. The constantly shifting and often contradictory aspects of the relationships were engaging to explore. That said, I like that Bhima is a portrayed as a real person, multi-dimensional and conflicted (for example, she loves Maya, but Maya also disgusts and embarrasses her). Umbrigar is excellent at inspiring empathy for her characters and their situations; my heart broke for Bhima when she left the college canteen, defeated and humiliated by Ashok. My reaction was mostly due to Umbrigar’s description, which was both direct and affecting: “She walked out unsteadily, keeping her eyes to the ground, willing her ears not to pick up the hushed whispers and giggles that followed her” (36). In general, I believe the book is beautifully written and that the author uses great literary technique in her story. To illustrate her skilled conveying of emotions, some of my personal favorite quotes so far include:
-“Every bone in her body sang out its woes, every gray hair twanged its misery, each muscle quivered and trembled with pain” (31).
-“She wanted to draw blood, yes, but more, she wanted to draw Maya’s tears, as if tears would baptize them both, purify them, wash them clean of this evil that had wormed its way into their lives” (39).
- “Bhima wanted to hug Maya and kill her, to rescue her and destroy her, all in the same explosive moment” (41).
-“So this is how a heart breaks, Bhima thought. This is how cold, how delicate, how exquisite it feels” (41).
This last quote in particular draws me in and makes me think more deeply. The word choice is interesting- “exquisite” usually is not used to describe a heart break. Did anyone else find Umbrigar’s writing style especially enjoyable to read?
Group Entry #1:
We began our first group discussion by asking everyone why they chose this book. Matt said, "I chose this book because no one else wanted to read Sea-biscuit." That was a reasonable answer but Megan and I chose the book for more in depth reasons. Megan said, "I chose this book because when we started reading it in class, the book had a lot of emotion. I wanted a book with a lot of emotion and wanted a read that was more personal than historical or fact based." Matt and I agree with Megan, but I chose the book for a different reason. I said, "I chose the book because I wanted to learn more about a different culture and about different classes. I didn't only want a book about the facts of the caste system or the living conditions in India, but I wanted a book that would go into a story and get the detail and emotion of what it was truly like to live at the bottom of the caste system."
Our next topic was some of the themes that have come up in the book so far. The first one is the caste system. Throughout the book, there are countless issues that involve who is at the bottom and who is at the top. Sera, Bhima's boss, makes Bhima sit on the floor in a corner during meals. Sera also doesn't let Bhima sit on any furniture while she is cleaning and cooking at her house because she is considered to be "dirty" just because she is in the lower class. Bhima also has problems succeeding in life because of the caste system. The only way that you can be successful in India, is if you have an education. Maya had her chance to get an education, but then she became pregnant and ruined her chances of getting to a higher position in life. Also, present many times already in the book, the richer you are, the better treatment you will receive. Bhima had to ask Sera to help her get Maya an abortion doctor beucase with her wealth and education, they could get a well suited one. Another theme in the book is not getting what you hoped for or expecting in a marriage. In the book so far, we know that Sera's marriage is off to a horrible start. With the "monster-in-law," things just couldn't get any worse. Sera just realized that her husband has temper problems after they got married. Bhima has also briefly mentioned her marriage to Gopal and how it didn't turn out how she thought. That is all we know so far. Another conflict or theme is the internal conflict of Sera and Bhima. We are constantly pulled into their heads by the author to see what their are really thinking in each situation that they encounter. This is one of the reasons we like the book so much. We love that the author pulls us into their heads so that we can really get the full story and opinion of the character in the situation. The book is exceeding Megan's expectations because it is really getting personal and has a great story and emotions behind the words on the paper. We all agreed that its almost like you can feel the pulse of the book. If you look at the story line, it is a little dry and dull, but its the intense emotions, thrills, and depressions that make this book what it is. We give this book a rating of 10! (10 is the best.) We love it and cannot seem to put it down!
Individual Entry #2
A lot happens in chapters 5-13 and we learn a lot about Serabi and Bhima- experiences that have shaped who they are now.
When Serabi’s goes to check-in on her bedridden mother-in-law, Banu (whom she refers to as “The Monster”), her unease makes it immediately clear that the woman has treated her horribly in the past. In a flashback, Sera recalls her married life living at her in-laws’ house. She suffered physical and mental abuse from Banu right from the start; she was frequently confined to her room for days at a time, yelled at and demeaned for being a “dirty girl”. At one point, she physically struck Sera and then denied it! This made Sera regret denying her mom’s offer to investigate Banu’s behavior (after receiving a hint that Banu was a little crazy) before the marriage. Her father-in-law Freddy apologizes for not warning her about Banu and says that Feroz also has a temper. When Feroz refuses to talk to her about his past, she begins to see that their relationship, too, isn’t all that she hoped for. He then began to beat her, and Bhima was there in these dark moments to support Sera. One particularly painful event, Sera was in bed for days and Bhima rubbed healing oils on her wounds and massaged her pains away.
When some neighbors in the slum notice Maya vomiting in the mornings, they start to question Maya’s state and suspect pregnancy. Bhima lies about it, saying that Maya is sick, but resolves to get the abortion completed soon. Viraf, Sera’s son-in-law also encourages the abortion being completed soon by setting Maya up an appointment with a good doctor (rather than having her go to the government hospital). After requesting that Sera accompany her to the procedure, Maya is very rude to Sera (even though she is doing her a huge favor). After the abortion, Maya is depressed and Bhima takes this burden upon herself, thinking that she should know what to do. So she decides to take Maya to the seaside for a walk after dinner one night, hoping to cheer her up and get her out of the house. We find out how everyone that Bhima has loved has left her, and she recalls, to Maya, visiting the beach when her children were young and how they bought balloon animals from a humble man from Afghanistan. She really opens up on the beach about her feelings for a humble balloon seller and why she was so fascinated by him- she felt a connection to his loneliness, and regretted not asking him questions about it.
We also learn that Bhima did not always live in the slum- she used to have an apartment with her husband, Gopal. They had met at a friend’s wedding, and he had pursued her after it, vying for her attention every day for three weeks. She blew him off originally, and was annoyed when he rode his bike next to her bus seat singing. However, she grudgingly came to find him amusing and accepted his proposal. They got married and he promised her, from the very first night that he would be good to her. He told her, “I am going to treat you like the queen that you are” (65).
The theme of work and class continues. At the market, Bhima ponders how a woman makes enough money to survive selling six shriveled cauliflowers a day; she muses that the woman will never make enough money to have a surplus in order to better her stock. She thinks to herself that “The greatest mystery of Bombay- how an entire breed of Bombayites (such as the balloonwallas and the earwax removers and the rag collectors) clung to the promise of this great metropolis by the skins of their teeth, how the managed to feed themselves despite their pathetic jobs- remained unsolved for her” (98). Even Sera sees “There is no limit to money, she thinks. Everything from silk sheets to an abortion in a beautiful, sunlit private clinic” (122). If she would not have paid for Maya’s abortion and come to the procedure, Maya probably would not have received adequate care and this could have been very dangerous. The author notes, however, a commonality that the women share: “Despite the different trajectories of their lives- circumstances, she now thinks, dictated by the accidents of their births- they had both known the pain of watching the bloom fade from their marriages” (111).
The book continues to live up to my high expectations. I love how the story keeps getting more and more personal as the history of Bhima and Sera is revealed. The layers of their personalities and past make the present situation and main plot so much richer and more involved.
I still love this book and think that it is a “great read”. The transitions between the past and present, and the contrast between Sera perspective and Bhima’s perspective, make this book impossible to put down. I also like that as a reader, I am constantly introduced to new aspects of the characters as their histories are revealed. Umbrigar’s description of people, their emotions, and settings only become more beautiful and poetic as she tackles complex topics like love, loss, and pain. These concepts will be around as long as the human race survives, so I think that this book definitely has potential to be a classic. Her examination of class issues and basic human emotions will always apply, and anyone can benefit from her depiction and perspective on each.
My Favorite Quotes:
“She wanted something finer, deeper, a marriage made out of silk and velvet instead of coarse cloth, a marriage made of clouds and stardust and red earth and ocean foam and moonlight and sonatas and books and art galleries and passion and kindness and sorry and ecstasy” (89).
“Maybe the pain of memory is encoded into our bone marrow an each remembered grievance swims in our bloodstream like a hard, black pebble” (104).
“Surely this is our salvation, our only hope- that joy and love are also woven into the fabric of the body, into each sinewy muscle, into the core of each pulsating cell?” (104).
“Surrender feels so much lighter and lovelier” (125).
Individual Blog Entry #2:
The book the Space Between Us has been quickly picking up a lot of momentum. I can't believe that Maya went through with the abortion! I was sure that she would never do it because throughout the beginning of the chapter, she seemed to slowly love the baby growing inside her. Every minute I continue reading this book, I solve more secrets about Bhima's and Sera's past. Sera has reveled that her husband Feroz, beat her. Sera was so ashamed of this and it was a shock to me. I thought that if a women was abused, she would immediately tell someone about it. Sear, instead is embarrassed and horrified. She wants the exact opposite, which is nobody to know. "She should probably be grateful for the fact that she had the kind of skin that healed quickly, so that she was spared the humiliation of being one of those women who wore the signs of their husbands' violence on their bodies like a window display for all the world to see" (Umrigar, 106). Another secret told was a little piece of Bhima's past. Her daughter and son-in-law both died from aids.
This book is exceeding my expectations. The more I read it and the more in depth, and detailed the book becomes, the more I love it. Going back to the initial reason why I chose the book, because I wanted an insight on the culture of India and different classes, it is exactly the kind of book i hoped for. I have learned so much about India cultures. So far, all of their marriages are unhappy. Bhima is really seeming to struggle more and more with her job and how there is no way to success without an education. On the other hand, Sera is having problems with her horrible past that seems to haunt her. "Body also remembers each kindness, each kiss, each act of compassion? Surely this is our salvation, our only hope--that joy and love are also woven into the fabric of the body, into each sinewy muscle, into the core of each pulsating cell? Our of the blue fog of time, Sera remembers the blow and the balm; the tormentor and the healer: Feroz and Bhima" (104). Sera is association her body with her memories. This is the kind of book I was hoping for.
The theme in this book so far has not changed much. Bhima and Maya still face the troubles of moving up in social class. Maya is in fact almost forced to get an abortion to be able to go back to college and turn her future around. Remember, "'Forget about marriage,' she says harshly. 'You just think of college, nothing else'"(135). This is Bhima's advice to Maya. If you stay in school, you almost have a guaranteed spot in the middle class.
The quality of the book is great. I don't mean to sound too repetitive, but I love the emotions the book continues to give. I can almost feel the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Thrity Umrigar has an art for bringing the words alive and off the page. "Rather, she sits stone-faced, as if the abortion doctor has killed more than her baby, as if he has also cleaned out her insides, has scooped out her beating heart just as Bhima scoops the fibrous innards of the red pumpkin that Serabai puts in her daal"(129). This is one of my favorite quotes. When I read it my heart almost jumps because I can not only visualize Maya, but also feel some of her pain and suffering. This book still remains a page turner. I always am itching to find out what happens next. Because there are so many secrets in Bhima's and Seras past, the author always grabs your attention to the book by seeking to solve every secret. The book is of cultural value because of my first entry and of the new issue that came up, abortion. Was it right for Maya to abort her baby? There are many different views to this question and of course a list of pros and cons. First, reasons to not abort the baby would be religious issues. In the book, Bhima or Maya have not mentioned their religions but theres always the question, is it moral? Another reason not to would be the health of Maya. (Physically and emotionally.) Reasons why Maya should abort her baby is because of the social issue at hand. She could never go to college if she had a baby. Also, social embarrassment comes into play. This is a great book and I feel like I am only beginning it. I am definitely going to recommend this book to my mom and sister. It is a fantastic read!
Individual Entry #1
I read the first four chapters in The Space Between Us. So far, in the book, much has happened already. Bhima, is a servant for Sera. She and her granddaughter live in the slums in India. At the start of the book, Bhima awakes in her hut, already furious. She sees her pregnant granddaughter Maya, and is enraged; enraged at the fact that her granddaughter, who she once trusted had to drop out of college because she was going to have a baby. Bhima considers killing the baby while it is still in the womb, hoping that Maya will change her ways, and go back to earning her diploma so she could escape the lower class. After constant “confrontations” with Maya, Bhima is finally told who the father of the baby is. Seeing that an abortion might not be the best option, Bhima goes to Maya’s college to speak with the supposed father Ashok Malhotra, and try to make him marry Maya in the hope that her reputation could be saved. Despite what Maya told her grandmother, it was all a lie. Ashok is not the father. Upon hearing this, Bhima becomes very displeased with Maya, and begins to beat her, while screaming at her and calling her a disgrace.
I chose this book honestly because I did not have much of a choice. I wanted to read Seabiscuit but was unable to. Mildly upset at the fact that I had to read this book, I immediately did not want to read it. I thought that this book better be good or I will be really upset. However, I knew I had to, and realized that it was in fact pretty interesting. I did not think that this book would be good, but was proven wrong. Although this book tells a very interesting tale, I would not say I like it. Who knows though? As I read on, the book could be much better.
This book is deeply related to the “working class”. Bhima, and her granddaughter Maya are in the lower class, and live in the slums of India. Also, so far, Bhima really wants Maya to get a good education so that she does not have to be in the “working class” her whole life.
It may sound confusing but I enjoy the book, while at the same time, I do not like it. I think it is interesting, but It just does not appeal to me I guess. It is well written, and very descriptive. It is definitely a good read. This book is certainly a “page turner” but only because of the issues that the characters deal with. It is a very deep book. Although interesting, I would not say the book engages me at a different level.
This book definitely has social and cultural value to it. It makes you realize what some other parts of the world are like. It tells you what other cultures that are very different from your own are like, and how they are drastically different. This book is very artistic and well written. I do not know if the book will stand the test of time or not (at least not yet). I will have to keep reading and find out!
Additional Post:
I would like to talk more about the cultural issues that take place in the book. There are a number of events and situations that Bhima, Sera, and Maya go through that depict some of the culture and issues in India. The first issue I would like to mention is the caste system that they are all living in. Bhima is a much lower class than Sera. Bhima has to work for Sera as a housemaid all day long and then return to the slums. This is all because she was never fortunate enough to receive and education. If you don't receive an eduction in India, there is no way for you to truly succeed. In Mike Roses book The Mind At Work, you could work a number of blue collar jobs and still make a decent living without even having an education. "I believe that such a change in perception could contribute to a more accurate portrayal of the full world of work, and could help us think more effectively and humanely about education, job training, and the conditions in which so many people make a living" (Rose, xxxii). Rose proving that here in America, you can work many various jobs that still require hard work and knowledge, but not necessarily a education. In India, if you don't have a education, thats the end of the line for you. You will end up in the slums, like Bhima, and work as a maid for the upper class. "'Oh, that's right, memsahib is no longer going to college, I forgot,' she says, addressing the walls. 'No, now she will sit around like a queen all day, feeding herself and her baby (...)" (Umrigar 11). Bhima is so upset with Maya because she threw her life away by becoming pregnant, resulting in dropping out of college and throwing her future away. Now Maya will have to follow in Bhima's footsteps and work as a maid.
Another issue that has been brought up in the book is Sera and her husband Feroz. Feroz beats Sera a lot. In fact, Sera has to run away to her parents house because she can't stand the pressure from her mother-in-law and husband. "He beats me, she wanted to say. And his mother makes my days a living hell. The words formed on her lips like a foam at the edge of a beach and then died away. She could not burden her mother with this. She did not wish to take the dark circles form under her own eyes and place them under her mother's. She had no desire to unburden her own heart by packing her grief on her mother's back" (Umrigar 188). This is Sera's thought process behind why she refuses to tell anyone about her horrible new life. She is embarrassed and does not want to burden anyone else of her troubles. I hope as I keep reading, Sera will overcome this fear and learn to express to someone about her life. Her mother tried to warn her that when you marry somebody, you marry their family as well. In India, you live with the family. Sera hates her mother-in-law so much. She cannot stand her! Hopefully, Sera will be able to get away. This book has so many different issues and I can't wait to read in more detail about each one.
Individual Entry #3
As I quickly progress through this book, the past of the two main characters, Bhima and Sera, become the present. "'Beti, the past is alway present,' she says. 'No such thing as bringing it up. The past is like the skin on your hand--it was there yesterday and it is here today. It never goes anywhere. Maybe when you're older you'll understand this better'" (Umrigar 248). They both continue to relive the days of depression and sadness. Bhima recalls how her husband, Gopal, lost his job by accidentally cutting his fingers off, becoming addicted to achlahol, and ultimately taking her only son, Amit and running away to his parents home. Bhima is devastated and left with her daughter to live in the slums. I also learned in the book that later on in Pooja's life, both her and her husband die suffering from aids, leaving Bhima all alone. Sera revels more secrets about Feroz and how he continuously abused her. At one point, she takes Dinaz runs away from her living hell to her parents house, but is convinced but her father-in-law to return home. Feroz came off as a mean, intimidating, powerful man, but towards the end of his life, Sera describes him as gentle and kind. When Feroz dies in his sleep, Sera has mixed emotions. "It was over. Her marriage was over. Just like this, in the blink of an eye, Feroz was gone. Feroz--husband and oppressor; lover and tormentor; victim and victimizer. No man had ever made her happier or more miserable" (260). Sera loves Feroz, but then hates him at the same time. She almost feels relived when he dies, but then finds herself crying at his funeral. Sera has mixed and confused emotions.
This book, once again, has and will always meet my expectations. This is a fabulous book. I have never read a book with this much emotion and depth behind each typed line. I love this book because it puts you in someone else's shoes. When Bhima and Sera take you through their pasts, it comes alive and you feel as if you are experiencing the same situations. "She wanted to say: For my daughter's sake, I can be anything--brave, strong, fearless. For her sake, I can walk on crushed glass, lie down on hot coals, wade through ice-cold waters. But my daughter is here on earth for a few days, I know" (147). This is one of my favorite pages in the book. Bhima goes on to explain all of the things she as done for her daughter over the past years. I love the emotion that is in the page because it is a train of thought you would think a mother would have when their daughter is in pain or suffering. It put me right into the perspective of Bhima and made me feel as though I am a mother, even though I have never had this feeling before. This is what I love about the book.
This book continues to stay on the theme of work and class. Bhima still grapples over the question, What is necessary to succeed in life? At first, she was convinced that if you received an education, then you could do anything. You could be a doctor, a lawyer and control or boss around anyone whom you please. A incident in her past comes up. When her husband, Gopal,is in the hospital because of his hand, Feroz comes to the hospital to talk to the doctor in order to give Gopal better care. Bhima wonders why Feroz is able to order and take control over the doctor. They are both educated, so why does one still have superior over another. "Was education alone not enough? And if not, what was the missing part? (...) Still, she needed to know for Amit's sake. Could Feroz seth talk like this because he was a Parsi" (218). Bhima knows that there is another factor that contributes to being successful other than education. She just cannot put her finger on it.
This book is a pleasure to read. Sometimes, I set goals for myself and one hour later, I will realized that I passed my goal hours ago. I can't seem to put it down. It is so intense and meaningful. This book is good because it ties emotions with words. This book is of social value because it talks about different classes and the basic struggle for survival. Bhima has struggles financially. Gopal quit his job and has a drinking problem, so it forces her family to move to the slums. Sera has the opposite problem. She suffers emotionally. Feroz provides her with everything she could possibly want, that money can buy. What Sera is truly seeking is a loving relationship with her husband, one she will never get. This book will stand out in time because there is no other like it. It takes you on an emotional roller coaster, and if I were you, I would get on for the ride!
Individual Entry #3
We find out more about Bhima’s past. Her daughter, Pooja, and son-in-law, Raju, contracted AIDS. When she received word via telegram, she rushed to the hospital they were in and heard from a doctor that they would both die soon. Bhima didn’t understand the disease, how it was sread, or that it was fatal until she met a young friend named Hyder who explained these things to her. He stood with her at Pooja and Raju’s deathbeds and their cremations. With both of her parents gone, Maya was left to Bhima to take care of.
While on one of their dinner-time beach walks, Bhima talks to Maya about her husband, Gopal. Gopal had an accident at work and lost three of his fingers to a machine. A man from the company he worked for brought Bhima to the hospital and forced her to “sign” (make a thumbprint) a form that she couldn’t read; it basically waived all of the compensation that the family was due to receive from the business. Gopal became sick with infection, and Feroz and Sera had to come to the hospital and threaten the doctors to get him decent treatment. When he came home, he was very depressed because he couldn’t work for a while, and eventually he turned to alcohol to numb the pain. At one point, he even leaves his sick son at home alone and uses his medicine money for alcohol. His habit forced the family into poverty (as well as destroyed the marriage) and they had to move to the slums despite the extra jobs that Bhima and Pooja were working. Bhima confronted him at a bar, after the abandonment of the sick son at home, and he hits her in the face hard enough to make her nose bleed. When Maya was looking for her birth certificate one day, she found a letter from Gopal to Bhima. In this letter, Gopal stated that he was leaving her for the country to live with his family. He realized how low he had sunk and how he had let Bhima down and apologized. He said that he was taking their son with him but he still loves her despite what she may think.
At an engagement party for Sera’s friends, she is reminded of the abuse in her past. The first time her husband had hit her, they were on vacation. After a fairly pleasant dinner, Feroz accused Sera of flirting with the waiter and other random things that she didn’t do, and became so enraged that he punched her in the arm. Immediately after, he apologized and said it was an accident, begging for her forgiveness, which she granted to him. After continued abuse from both Feroz and Banu, Sera and her daughter went to her parents’ house for to stay with them. She didn’t want to burden them with her problems by telling them about the abuse, though. After three weeks, Freddy (Sera’s father-in-law) stopped by to propose that Sera and Dinaz move into their own house with Feroz, to have some privacy from the in-laws, and she accepted the offer. Sera is later reminded of Feroz’s death, which was sudden and unexpected. Everyone was sad, and she was a little disturbed by the fact that he was “made into a saint” by her son-in-law and daughter.
In the present, Dinaz, Viraf, and Sera decide to go out for dinner and encounter Maya and Bhima. Maya is rude to Sera again, and Bhima notices that Viraf looks very uncomfortable. Suddenly it is clear to Bhima that Viraf was the father of Maya’s unborn baby and she is disgusted with Maya for disrespecting Sera’s family and daughter. Maya becomes extremely hurt that Bhima has jumped to conclusions, assuming that she is the one that was wrong in the situation and even accuses her of loving Sera’s family more than her own.
This book is still living up to my expectations. I have come to expect lots of emotion and very affecting scenes, and these chapters did not disappoint! The AIDS hospital scene in particular stuck in mind because it was such a sad and hopeless situation for everyone to experience. The conflicting emotions and complex relationships prevalent in the beginning also continue throughout; Feroz abused Sera and she hated this, yet she was deeply affected with his death. I was surprised by the Viraf-Maya twist, and I think it was very clever (it all makes sense), but I just didn’t see it coming.
The theme of “class” is prevalent throughout these chapters. When Feroz, Sera, and their friends were on vacation, Feroz used his money and power to bribe a waiter into serving them alcohol when the restaurant technically wasn’t authorized to serve liquor yet. Then Gopal was in the hospital, and he was not even given antibiotics when he had a serious infection. Since this was clearly because he was poor/lower-class, he would not have gotten adequate care without Feroz, who bullied doctors (with his power and influence) into giving daily updates on Gopal’s status. Bhima basically summed it up: “So this is what education does, Bhima thought. It opens doors for you” (217). Bhima was also taken advantage of by the educated representative from Gopal’s workplace when he lied to her about what was on a form that she was “signing”; she authorized forfeiting rights to compensation for Gopal’s accident, receiving a mere one thousand rupees for it. Umbrigar also makes it clear, however, that abuse (both psychological and physical) is not unique to one class; indeed, women like Bhima and Sera share in the experiences of sorrow regardless of their positions in society.
This book is still amazing, and only getting better. I love the Viraf-Maya twist. It fits perfectly with the plot-line (now his pushing for the abortion and Maya’s attitude make sense) but was nonetheless unexpected. In addition to Umbrigar’s beautiful language and artfully complex relationships, the different histories of the two women being told side-by-side is very effective at conveying the message of the story because it also highlights their similarities and what links them together.
My favorite quotes from chapters 13-21:
“But Raju moaned even louder, a harrowing sound that carried such an awful loneliness that the hair on Bhima’s arms stood up” (144)
“Hate that entered her heart like a fever” (181)
“This smell that will trail me for the rest of my days, I can feel it entering my bones, settling like dust in my blood” (148)
“She did not wish to take the dark circles from under her own eyes and place them under her mother’s” (188)
“Bhima feels her tired feet dig deep into the wet sand, looking for a place to call their own” (197)
“Looking into his fine, sad eyes, you felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you’re in a beautiful place and the sun is going down” (199)
“Liquor is the kiss of the angels as well as the curse of the devil” (248)
Individual Post #4:
In the end, there really was a space between Bhima and Sera. If you look at the book overall, there are three main spaces that I see which caused Sera and Bhima to "separate." The first space is their classes. Sera is upper class and Bhima is lower class. Sera will never know what its like to walk home in the cold dark, tired and exhausted from work, and then have to cook dinner in a house that is barely standing up. This is one of the troubles Bhima had to face everyday. This was Bhima's life. As I was finishing the book, the last secret was reveled, who got Maya pregnant? It was Viraf! I could not believe it. Viraf seemed so happy with his wife who is having a baby. I would expect it to be anyone but him. When Maya told Bhima, Bhima made sure that Viraf knew she had knowledge on what happened. But Bhima could barely tell him she knew because she was unsure about how he would react. Considering that Bhima is in a lower class than Viraf, she became hesitant and frightened. "She opens her mouth, and nothing happens. Her mouth is dry with fear. Her body is openly shaking now, as if she is a single sheet of discarded paper on a windy street" (287). After Bhima finally finds the strength within her to tell Viraf she knows, he mildly reacts. Later, Viraf frames Bhima for steeling money from the family. Sera ends up firing Bhima because Bhima openly screamed at Viraf and told Sera what he did to Maya. Sera denied it and fired Bhima. This relates to the first space between them. Sera does not believe Bhima when she tells her the Viraf is the father of Maya's baby. The more I thought about this, there could be multiple reasons why Sera kicked Bhima out. Sera could of believed Sera, but didn't want to for the sake of her family. Sera didn't want it to fall apart because that it all she has. Another reason she could of denied it is because she didn't want her daughter, Dinaz to have a destroyed marriage, just like she did. Sera didn't want her daughter to relive the nightmare she had with Feroz. Sera just might of wanted to keep things at peace and Bhima was in the way of that. Bhima was also lower class, so Viraf's denial of the rape is more believable than her, lower class, story. Another space between them, is that Bhima struggles everyday with trying to get out of poverty. Sera, on the other hand will never have to worry about a warm home and food. "Maya left for college in the mornings, she used to feel as if everything that she had ever gone through in her life--every deprivation, every insult, every betrayal--was worth it if she could provide her grandchild with a life better than what she and her mother and her mother's mother had known. Above all, how to tell him that the simple act of abortion did not erase the past, did not set back the clock, did not allow Maya to casually pick up the strands of her life and return to college" (290-291). Viraf ultimately ruined Maya's chance of succeeding in life. The last space between Bhima and Sera would have to be how much each suffered in their lifetimes. Sera had a great deal of emotional and physical sufferings. If Feroz wasn't abusing her, she would have metal breakdowns, and her mother-in-law was awful. But I think Bhima has suffered a lot more. Bhima has suffered physically, emotionally and mentally. Bhima had husband problems also and lost him and her only son! She also has to live in the slums and her only daughter died young of aids with her husband. These are just few of the depressing highlights in Bhima's life. This poor woman has had an awful life, and she can't even talk about it to Sera because she won't even let Bhima sit at their table for dinner. "If only I could tell you, Serabai, Bhima thinks. But it would be more merciful to stab you with a knife than to kill you with the poison of my thoughts. Aloud, she says, 'My whole life is a dark thought'"(296). Bhima can't tell Sera what she is thinking because it will destroy her family. Then, at the end, Bhima admits that her life is a dark thought. Like I said earlier, Bhima does tell Sera about the rape. Bhima thinks, "The fire had consumed her, turning her future and her dreams to ask; she would never know how severely it had injured the other tow--whether its flames had merely licked their bodies and the been extinguished by the gusts of their denial or whether the flames had scarred them permanently"(310). Bhima is realizing that the secret she just revealed could have touched and damaged the lives of many, even if they denied it at first.
This book is a classic. There is really no other way to describe it. Like we explained in our group discussion, this book has so many important issues that women all over the world have to face everyday. To me, Bhima and Sera together represent the Chinese, Italians, Europeans, Russians, French, Americans, and many more women around the world. Bhima faces all of these hard, cold, and dark issues at once and survives. In the future, this book will still be relevant to the current day issues. This book over met my expectations. Its everything you could ask for in a book. Fun to read, interesting, depressing, sad, happy, and more. The best part is what I took out of it. I realized all of the issues that woman have to face and this ties in with our influence of ad's project. Our topic is about women and how they are depicted in ad's. Most of the depictions in ad's are what Bhima and Sera have gone through. This is a fantastic book and strongly recommended it!
Individual Entry #4
After the emotional and shocking end of Chapter 21, in which Bhima realizes that Viraf was the father of Maya’s baby, I couldn’t wait to get reading again to find out more details. I thought that surely Maya had been raped by him based on her defensive reaction to Bhima’s accusation of betraying the Dubash family’s trust- but I also couldn’t image Viraf doing such a thing, let alone cheating on his wife whom he adores. In the ensuing chapters, Maya tells Bhima the story:
Maya was working at Banu’s house when an agitated Viraf arrived earlier than usual. He revealed that he had a fight with Dinaz because she didn’t want to go see a movie with him and then blamed her pregnancy for her temper and making her “spoiled”. His attitude changed and he started speaking to her with open affection calling her “a cute little puppy” (272). He went to work on finances in another room, but when Maya went to check on him while Banu was sleeping, he was lying on the bed. He asked her to give him a back massage, and she did. He kept egging her on, pressuring her to go further; finally, they went all the way. Immediately after having his affair, Dinaz called on the phone, and Maya was filled with guilt. Viraf then turns on Maya and accuses her of seducing him- an outright lie. He said, “That was a bad thing you did, tempting me like that, taking advantage of me while I was in a weak mood” (279). He instructed Maya to wash the sheets and then threatened Maya not to tell anyone, saying that no one would believe her and it would just run her reputation, and then left.
When Bhima hears this, she is filled with hate; everything unfair or unpleasant that has ever happened in her life catches up to her. Out of her frustration and anger, she loses her fear of Viraf and plans on telling him in the car that she knows what he did to Maya. She struggles not to let the terrible secret out in front of Sera, but gets nervous when she and Viraf drive alone together to the market. She didn’t accuse him outright, but rather let her sorrow at Maya’s loss of innocence be known by crying out indiscernible words of pain; he inquires about how Maya is doing but does not admit anything. When Bhima leaves the car she calls him “sir” of the more affectionate nickname “baba”: she has made her position clear.
Bhima and Sera are sitting together drinking tea at the end of the day when Viraf furiously storms into the house. Bhima enters the conversation between angry Viraf and Sera and is accused by Viraf of stealing money (seven hundred rupees) from Banu’s house. Sera says there must be a mistake and defends Bhima, saying the money must have been simply lost because Bhima is no thief. As Bhima realizes that he has been planning to set her up for this for weeks, she feels so betrayed and angry that she lashes out at him. She disrespects him, calling him a “dirty dog”, and claims (in front of Sera) that he “stained my family’s honor” (301). Sera reacts with horror at the way Bhima is speaking to him, so Bhima finally tells her what Viraf did to Maya. Sera does not believe it, and calls her crazy, saying “I can excuse you stealing from me, but to challenge my son-in-law’s honor, that I can never forgive you for” (303). She fires Bhima and she immediately must gather her things and leave.
Bhima initially feels guilty and wonders whether Sera will be able to live through this latest betrayal. She then comes to the realization that her words left a gaping hole in the family, even though Viraf denied them, could still not be completely filled. Angry that Sera had discarded her without hesitation, she also is struck by the idea that she really was, ultimately, Sera’s employee- not her friend. With all these conflicting emotions, she decides to go to the beach. She buys balloons and just stares out at the ocean for a while contemplating life. She thinks of the balloonwalla from long ago, of the millions of other people in the city, and lets go of the balloons, symbolizing letting go of her burdens and her lost ones. Ultimately, Bhima renews her hope in the future: “Tomorrow. The word hangs in the air for a moment both a promise and a threat” (321).
This book lived up to my expectations one hundred percent! It was engaging throughout, offered rich descriptions and emotional events, and also helped me see the world from different perspectives.
Class and class are still themes throughout the last chapters of this book. Viraf’s position of authority over Maya allowed him to control the situation and manipulate her into letting him, in essence, rape her. He then uses his superior social status to deter her from telling anyone, because apparently a servant would not be believed over a powerful man like himself. Bhima finally starts to realize, after being forced to leave the Dubash household, that she and Sera were never friends and were never truly equals. Bhima notes to herself the differences between her and Sera: “You, an ignorant, uninformed woman. And Serabai, educated and foreign traveled. A woman who reads the newspaper every day while you grovel for the tidbits of information that fall your way like breadcrumbs” (308). The seriousness of the Bhima’s need for income also becomes clear when she is fired by Sera: “Hell is working for less money for a strange family and watching Maya throw her future away like rotten fruit” (304). Another theme of this book, however, are the common human emotions that draw everyone together, no matter their class. For example, both Bhima and Sera were abused by their husbands; both women had experiences love and loss; their entire families had experienced abandonment and betrayal.
I think this book was amazing! The storyline was perfect; every detail fit into place. The complex relationships were thought-provoking, the different perspectives were engaging, and the unfamiliar Indian society was interesting to read about. Umbrigar’s poetic style is terrific at conveying the emotional situations to the reader. Her descriptions are so vivid: “The wind is whipping her like a cruel master, trying to pull the balloons out of her hands” (318); “Bhima had never known that hate could have such a jagged edge” (281). It definitely has the potential to become a classic. I believe that it can be read many years from now and still be engaging and relevant to society. In the context of the class system, Umbrigar deals many with the idea of loss, love, abandonment, and betrayal- emotions that will always challenge the human soul. In all, this book holds great insights for the reader no matter the time period: “In the presence of immortality- the endless churning of the sea, the plowed fields of the sky, the loose gypsy wind- the rest of her life feels absurdly, ridiculously mortal and transient” (318). Another thing that people in any culture or time can appreciate is the reminder that we are, individually, small parts of a much greater thing. Umbrigar states that our problems and abilities are really rather small in the grand scheme of the universe: “Along with the entire gigantic metropolis, with all its residents crawling along their individual destinies like an army of ants pretending to be an army of giants…” (320).
**These are my favorite quotes, language-wise, displaying Umbrigar’s excellent style of writing:
“She is too intent on talking to the sea, on handing over her burdens to it” (320)
“Suddenly she had a yearning to be close to the water, to hear in its wild but controlled thrashing the violent turmoil of her own soul” (312)
“With her words she had birthed a fire that had scorched all of them. The fire had consumed her, turning her future and dreams to ash” (310)
**I believe these quotes are very deep and thought-provoking:
“The land was stained permanently with pools of blood; it bulged and swelled under the outlines of countless millions buried under it. But the sea was unspoiled and eternal and seemingly beyond human claim” (319)
“Bhima marvels at the paradox: A solitary man, an exile, a man without a country or a family, had still succeeded in creating dreamworlds for hundreds of children, had entered the homes of strangers with his creations of color and fantasy and magic” (314)
Group Post #2:
The book ended with more hope than it started out with. Bhima finally realized that the father of Maya's baby is viraf. What makes it worse is that Viraf is married. Bhima tells Viraf that she is going to ruin his marriage In order to avoid problems, Viraf tells Sera that Bhima stole money from her. Bhima is fired because of this. Since Viraf is of a higher class than Bhima, he is believed, and Sera fires her. We all like the book and it met our expectations. It went beyond the expectations of Anne and Megan. The book ties in with the work because at the end when Bhima is fired, she is hopeful to get a new job. also Bhima worked a hard job as a servant for a long time. Class is very important, and you see that in the relationship between Bhima and Sera. Also Bhima wants Maya to stay in school to escape the lower class. Xome other "themes" simmilarities between women and the challenges that all women face, "love and loss" and abandonment.
Overall the book was a very good read. It was interesting, and keeps you on your heels. Anne and Megan both said "It could be a classic" because it discusses issues that will always be relevant.
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