3 Books

Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai (1999)

Exam Syllabus

“Fasting, Feasting” depicts the lives of two particular individuals smothered by their overbearing parents and cultural traditions. Uma and Arun have to navigate their future while being forestalled at every step. The fates of their relatives are interspersed in the novel, and their stories contribute to a shared sense of entrapment. Their sister, Aruna marries well but is bound by her own expectations of greatness. Their cousin, Anamika, is portrayed to be beautiful, smart and the ideal woman, but meets a tragic fate of marrying into an abusive family.

The novel is highly appropriate to introduce to secondary school students; there is an abundance of meanings for students to mine for and interpret. The vignettes of life in India and Massachusetts in part I and II of the book respectively bring out the common sense of entrapment in both Indian and American cultures. A key theme is that of entrapment experienced by her characters. Uma is bound by Indian traditions, family expectations and disappointment. As a teenager, she was handwringed, despite her desperate objections, into giving up her convent education to look after her newly born brother instead. She also “costs money! Costs money!” (p.146) and represents a shameful burden for her family due to her unmarried status, and the fact that she was cheated of her dowry twice. Even as an aged adult, a possibly fulfilling appointment as housekeeper for the Nurses’ dormitory was prevented by her family. Her mother remarked, tellingly, “My madcap wanted to run away and leave her Mama?” in an “affectionate” manner (p.143). Arun is similarly trapped by family connections and forced to interact with family friends, the Pattons, over the summer break. On another level, Arun has been thrown into the cages of consumerism and has to negotiate his new environment.  Desai’s deft description of character quirks and features bring them to life and heightens the readers’ emotional attachment to the fate of the characters. For instance, her account of Anamika’s achievements and subsequent downfall after her marriage is heartwrenching. Part I ends with Anamika’s sea burial, and a particular line stands out to summarise Anamika’s autonomy in her fate: “What Anamika’s family said was that it was fate, God had willed it and it was Anamika’s destiny. What Uma said was nothing”(p.151).

However, the text might prove difficult for students to grasp the underlying themes, or situate themselves in the cultural contexts illustrated. Teachers will have to scaffold students’ understanding of cultural contexts by first introducing students to the cultural norms and traditions of both Indian and American culture. The link between Part I and Part II will perhaps be challenging for students to make as well: why has Desai chosen to focus on two different landscapes? How is Arun's American experience related to the earlier stories that had taken place in India?

Divergent by Veronica Roth (2011)

Young Adult

It seems that the apocalyptic dystopian fiction is a trend for Young Adult novels nowadays. Well in my time (NOT THAT LONG AGO), the Young Adult scene was dominated by books of fantasy and magical adventures (Harry Potter 4eva <3). One thing that hasn't changed is the thematic issues typically covered: the themes of self-discovery, growth and success. Divergent is no exception. It is the first book of a trilogy depicting the struggles and adventures of Beatrice “Tris” Prior as she discovers and manages her deviance from the norm. In this case, "norm" is the categorisation of people into five distinct types, so that they know their role in society and perform what is required of them. The system is unable to slot her conveniently into any category, and this kickstarts Tris's fight to hide her identity in order to survive. If Percy Jackson can become a literature text, I'm pretty sure Divergent has potential to appear on the list of approved texts soon. Roth has done an excellent job in characterisation, and Tris, as well as the supporting characters, have been well-developed as believable, real persons. 

The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh (2000)

Alternative

I had never read historical fiction until I had to read “The Glass Palace” for a history module in NUS – I always thought: why bother with fiction when there are non-fictional historical accounts? The novel turned that bias on its heels, and I found that through fictional narratives, history became more than an accumulation of factual events but something that the reader is able to live through the eyes of the characters portrayed. In the novel, Rajkumar is a boy who lived through the tides of political and social chaos in late 19^th century Burma. The reader follows his journey to wealth (teak business) and his relationship with a palace maid named Dolly. Concurrently, the fate of the disposed Burmese royalty is traced. They are relocated to an isolated area in India (Ratnagiri, to be exact) where they are worshipped, but their actions are carefully monitored. Even at the King’s death, “[the British] are afraid that the King’s body might become a rallying point in Burma!” (p.117) and hence refused to allow the coffin to be “stored in such a way that we could transport the remains to Burma someday”(p.117).

The novel would be useful as a companion for Secondary Four students when they learn more about Southeast Asia, specifically during the decolonization period. It provides good background knowledge for those who take special interest in Burmese history in the colonial period. As a literature text, the novel suitable given that it is stylishly written with excellent use of language, rife with imagery and complex thematic issues. However, the length of the text might prove challenging even at Secondary Four level (470 pages).