A change in one’s attitude can change one’s life. In the book, Nectar in a Sieve, the author, Kamala Markandaya, depicts one family’s struggle to survive through the never ending changes occurring in their lives. This story takes place in a small village of India during the late 1940’s. At this time in history, Britain has taken control of India. The story’s main character, Rukmani, experiences change in her youth and at the time accepts change as inevitable. Later, Rukmani, experiences change differently. Rukmani comes to realize that change is occurring faster as time goes on, but refuses to accept she has no control.
To begin, as a young girl, Rukmani is never bothered or upset by change. She views change as something that transpires at a snail’s pace. “Change I had known before, and it had been gradual” (Markandaya 25). Rukmani is saying that change happened so rarely and over such a long period of time that it was hard to be aware of it. Rukmani’s attitude as a youth is full acceptance of the inevitable, unaware of her power to change her future. The first major change that occurs in her life was the death of her parents, which is something she could not control. Rukmani adopts the attitude that all change is predetermined and therefore takes a very passive attitude towards it. Little does she know she will one day come to the understanding that while change can be tolerated, certain circumstances are within her control. It is soon that Rukmani declines to accept all change as unavoidable. Now, a mature, young women, she knows that the effects of some of the changes in her life depend hugely on her response to them. The British are building a tannery in the small village at this time in the novel. Rukmani g...
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...a life away from her family, so instead she takes charge and finds a way to make money so she can eat and return to her small village. Change becomes a constant in Rukmani’s life, and she greets it with authority.
In summary, Rukmani learns early on in her adult life that she has the power to control certain circumstances and the outcome of any change that comes her way. She lets go of the attitude of full acceptance, learns to tolerate change, and takes action to make sure her future includes what she desires. The overall theme of this story is that knowledge is power. Rukmani is a perfect example of the novel’s message because it is through her learning to take action and control that she has power over change. Rukmani’s change in attitude changes her life.
Works Cited
Markandaya, Kamala. Nectar in a Sieve. New York, New York, U.S.A.:Signet Classics, 1954
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