The Role Of Memories In Mistry's A Fine Balance

In the novel A Fine Balance, many of the characters undergo massive changes in their lives, and all they have to show for it are their memories. Remembering past times was used as a way of coping, a way of overcoming fears, and a way for the characters to find themselves. The good memories, as well as the bad, played a huge role in the lives of the characters. Even though background knowledge about the characters wasn’t necessary, the characters’ memories add depth to the plot. Mistry uses memories in the novel to further develop characters like Dina, Maneck, Ibrahim, and Ishvar and Om.

Memory is a very obvious motif in the novel. The stories of the characters are partly told through flashbacks, which allow the reader to have a better understanding of their past lives. Throughout the novel, characters remember the past, and yearn to go back to those days. When Ishvar and Om were first beginning their tailoring

jobs with Dina, Om remarked, “‘I am sick of the city. Nothing but misery ever since we came. I wish I had died in our village. I wish I had also burned to death like the rest of my family.’ Ishvar’s face clouded, his disfigured cheek quivering with his nephew’s pain. He put his arm around his shoulder. ‘It will get better, Om,’ he pleaded. ‘Believe me, it will get better. And we’ll soon go back to our village’” (91). Ishvar and Om were in the foreign city, and used their memories of their little village to spur them on. There are also multiple times when characters mention their pasts, and use it as a way to connect with people. For example, you can see it when Ishvar and Om tell Dina and Maneck their story. It is also evident when Dina tells her story. The characters were interested in each other’s memories, and were able to form a closer bond. By remembering their past, they kept a piece of themselves grounded. Not all of the characters’ past lives were good, but it gave them something to hold on to.
Dina Dalal was the first main character you get to know in the novel. One of the first things revealed about Dina is her past. You learn about her troubled childhood, but you also learn about how she deals with these memories. “Dina Dalal seldom indulged in looking back at her life with regret or bitterness, or questioning why things had turned out the way they had…And if she did sink into one of these rare moods, she quickly swam out of it” (15). From this passage, you would assume that Dina didn’t like to dwell in the past, but throughout the book, she continues to remember it. After Rustom died, Dina held on to the violin, but tried to avoid it. Eventually, she opened the case and saw that it was in horrible condition. She also saw Rustom’s bike, which caused her to faint. Clearly, these past memories pained her. She decided to sell the violin, and let go of the past. Her ability to do this shows her resiliency throughout her life. Dina always said that she didn’t like remembering, but secretly, she always seemed happy when relaying her past. She told her story to Maneck, Ishvar, and Om, and happily remembered the times she spent with Rustom. “‘But sometimes, against my will, the thoughts about the past come into my head. Then I question why things turned out the way they have, clouding the bright future everyone predicted for me when I was in school, when my name was still Dina Shroff’” (419). You learn a lot about Dina from the way she remembers. She drives out the bad times with the past good memories. At times, she may grudgingly try to forget her past, but it still makes up who she is. The bad memories and good memories are still with her, and those cause her to rejoice and feel sorrow.
Maneck was another character in the novel whose memories haunted him. When he was younger, he lived a relatively good life in the mountains, but had distant relationships. After being sent to boarding school, his relationship with his parents dwindled, and after meeting Avinash, those memories of chess haunted him. “He stared at the chessboard, where every piece harboured a ghost within its square. Thirty-two ghosts began their own moves, a dancing, colliding, taunting army of memories willing to do battle with his will to forget” (409). Through this passage, you see how Maneck is scared of his memories and wants to forget them. In this way, he seems like he’s trying to avoid the good memories because he knows they won’t last. Maneck didn’t want to remember the aftermath, another lost relationship with a person he cared about. Many of Maneck’s thoughts are about memories, and usually they aren’t pleasant thoughts. “Memories were permanent. Sorrowful ones remained sad even with the passing of time, yet happy ones could never be re-created—not with the same joy. Remembering bred its own peculiar sorrow. It seemed so unfair: that time should render both sadness and happiness into a source of pain” (330). This quote reveals Maneck’s state of mind, and how he usually feels hopeless. You can see his distress, and the way he deals with memories. He appears to be very pessimistic. On the outside, Maneck appears to be a nice young man, but on the inside, he is constantly in distress. Mistry used Maneck’s memories and thoughts to reveal his true character, which eventually led to his downfall.
Ibrahim started off being the grumpy rent collector, but throughout the novel, he becomes a more developed character and you learn about who he is.

Through the telling of his past with the folders, you learn about his conflicting feelings. “The plastic divisions inside were starting to tear, and the near compartments seemed ready to rebel; within bodily compartments the rebellion had already begun. Which one would win this ridiculous race between plastic and flesh, he wondered” (90). Ibrahim thought this as he examined his plastic folder. At this point in his life, he had already been a rent collector for years, and his past memories of yelling at people for money were bothering him. He felt like he was about to crack under the pressure, and eventually he did, when he brought the goondas to Dina’s flat. He stopped yelling, and became softhearted. After years of dwelling on his past and living with conflicted feelings, Ibrahim let go of the past and started over again. His past memories pushed him to become good, and stop living under the command of

others.
Ishvar and Om lived very hard lives. From the beginning of the novel, their struggles with the caste system are revealed, and you follow their journey up. No matter what the obstacle, Ishvar and Om always seem to be hopeful. Even after their family died, they tried to make the most of their situation and make money as tailors. When they were captured and put into a labor camp, they still had hope that they could come back. They were always hopeful, and the good memories they made meant a lot to them. “‘Calling one piece sad is meaningless. See, it is connected to a happy piece—sleeping on the verandah. And the next square—chapatis…So that’s the rule to remember, the whole quilt is much more important than any single square’” (480). Ishvar said this as he looked upon the quilt that Dina made. His optimism is evident. The good memories outweighed the bad. Throughout all their hardships, they still managed to find the bright side in everything. Even after losing their legs and being castrated, they wouldn’t give up. “‘Don’t talk rubbish. What do you mean, life is over? Have you forgotten Shankar? He doesn’t even have fingers or thumbs. You still have both hands, you can sew. Dinabai has an old hand-machine, she will let you use it when we go back’” (531). Om still talked about sewing after losing their limbs. After something like that, most people would give up, but Om and Ishvar still tried to make the most of their situation. They had their happy memories to guide them, and this led them to try to live the happiest lives they could.
Everyone possesses memory, but life depends on what you choose to do with that memory. Some of the characters in A Fine Balance chose to cherish their memories, some of them tried to forget their pasts, and others used their memories to change for the better. No matter how they were used, memories affected all the characters, for better or for worse. The characters’ memories represented who they were, and who they are, and no one could take that away from them.