Nectar in a Sieve Analysis

562 Words2 Pages

“There must always come times of hardship.” There are times of hardship, but there must be a decision: accept the change, or cry for help? This was a quote by Kamala Markandaya. She wrote the novel the Nectar in the Sieve. In the novel, Rukmani and Nathan married very young. They had seven kids: Ira, Arjun, Thambi, Murugan, Raja, Selvam, and Kuti. A white man, Kenny, helps her get pregnant with her first child. He comes back every so often with the idea of buildings. those are the important characters of the novel. This is about a woman, Rukmani, who is the main character and narrates her life of hope, fear, and change. It is also about loss of loved ones. Markandaya agrees that it’s better to accept what cannot be changed.
On page 28, Nathan states “Bend like the grass, that you do not break” (Markandaya, 28). Nathan is practically saying to “go with the flow.” During this chapter, he is talking about the tannery building to Rukmani. Their taxes and costs for food and clothing are getting higher, and Rukmani and Nathan cannot afford to buy anything. He is telling Rukmani that every...

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