Chutney By Carne Vasios

Fruits, vegetables, spices and sugar: that is what chutney is made of, that is what life is made of. In Chutney by Carne Vasios, it is shown that humanity is precious and fragile; it can often be transformed, destroyed even, as a consequence of circumstances. The use of powerful metaphor, and simile both help in the characterization of the narrator and Mrs. Caziz, which supports this central idea and establishes the notion that in order to maintain a grip of humanity, one must always see the positive.

Humanity is breakable, yet when one remains positive they become harder to break, in this story the characterization of the narrator reveals an example of that person, the one who stays confident. The narrator, that voice heard, that name unknown,

the narrator is a young girl, that is all that is provided to the reader. Despite this lack of information, she is created in the reader’s mind because of her powerful, innocent voice: a voice filled with metaphor, and simile.

The voice of the narrator helps to establish the fragility of humanity, and the role of circumstance in molding it. The narrator is established as innocent, her descriptions prove as much. When first describing the Cazizs, the narrator illustrates their chutney store, calling it, “A store with was-white walls splotched with colors that spin together like amoebas dancing” (1). This description, this simile comparing a colorful wall to amoebas dancing, shows the imagination of the narrator and establishes her ethos. It shows how when one sees the good, the positive, even the mundane can help to brighten life, to strengthen one's grip on their humanity. The narrator is a product of circumstance though, and circumstance is not on her side. Her mother might be called crazy, her situation seems grim. She, as a young girl, has to take a job in order to keep herself fed, alive. Her mother’s mouth, one that is not very controlled, is personified in the

narrator’s dreams it “sprouts arms which strangle me[the narrator]” (1). This establishes that the narrator does not have a quality home, a safe place to grow up. She is forced at a young age to work, to provide for herself and her mother. Her circumstances would generally create a cynic, would generally rob her of her childhood, her humanity. Yet despite this grim environment, the narrator is youthful, innocent, and happy. Her diction, her use of metaphor, describing the clouds as cotton candy, she survives.
Humanity can survive a great deal when one manages to stay positive, but humanity is still fragile, that much is revealed through the characterization of Mrs.

Caziz. She is a tragic character, she traveled from India to America with her abusive husband. She does not have any family, save him. As the narrator puts it, “She is nowhere has nothing and nobody” (2). This characterization of Mrs. Caziz, one of a tragic lonely woman who has lost all grasp of her humanity is a melancholy one. Through the metaphor of saying that she is ‘nowhere,’ the idea that she has nowhere to go, no home, not even a family is made obvious. Circumstance, that invisible force that defines everyone, is not on Mrs. Caziz’s side. She has lost her humanity, her confidence and control over her life. Mrs. Caziz is so unsure of herself, she is so embattled in trying to find an identity that she cannot face other people. The narrator describes a woman who comes into the chutney store, “with a voice that sparkles like champagne. Her eyes are blue like every ocean colliding with an April sky. Mrs. Caziz takes one look at her and disappears down the stairs… When she is gone, Mrs. Caziz comes back” (2). Her humanity has been robbed of her, her confidence as well, by her husband. She is unable to stand the sight of a woman, confident, beautiful, and carefree. She is unable to think of herself as that person, a different person. She has been so beaten down by life and abuse that she cannot even stand in the same

room as her. Mrs. Caziz hides under a sari, and takes the abuse from her husband, she has given up. She “tucks her arms under her sari and snaps shut” (2), unable to face the harsh reality of her situation. Yet when she opens up, when the narrator gets her to talk, to be happy, she transforms. The tone of the narrator’s voice, of her characterization of Mrs. Caziz changes. Her humanity is not lost, just buried deep down, under mountains of purple flowers and the hand of “Mr. Ugly Monster.”
Her story is one that shows just how fragile humanity is, and in contrast with the narrator, shows how attitude can overcome circumstance. Humanity is fragile, and when dealt a bad hand, when life seems grim, it is easy to give up as Mrs. Caziz did. The narrator and her voice though, send a powerful message, that despite circumstance one can maintain their hold on humanity by staying positive.