"The Village By The Sea" characters-ANITA DESAI

LIST OF CHARACTERS

Family: Bela, Hari, Kamal, Lila, Mother, Father, Pinto

Villagers of Thul: Ramu, Biju

Bombay People: Jagu, Hira, Mr Panwallah, Sayyid Ali, the de Silvas

Others: Mr Pinto

HARI-MINDMAP:

Challenges

*Being a figure of authority

*Needing to find a job

*Struggling without a mother or father

*Knowing he is not educated enough to get a proper job

*Making the decision to go to Bombay

*Once in Bombay, Hari is basically lost

*Job in eating house in very hard and trying

*The rough life in Bombay is a huge challenge for Hari

*He must save money for his family back home

Important relationships

*Hari and Lila share an earnest to keep their family alive and well as the two oldest most capable children. Both strive to do good for the family and want to care for them and each other as much as possible being brother and sister.

*Hari and Jagu are a complicated pair who do not speak often but ended up with an understanding of each other even after Jagu made the mistake of taking Hari to his home in the slums. The two work alongside each other, and keep finding small details about one another that make them more similar than they had ever expected (such as both being from small villages).

*Hari and Mr Panwallah meet when Hari had begun his work at the eating house in Bombay. Mr Panwallah was kind to Hari in very small ways at first but eventually their little acquaintence led to Hari becoming Mr Panwallah's apprentice in the watch makers shop where he learnt many skills meaning he had a steady plan to make money for his family when he finally returns to Thul. Hari is very, very grateful towards him and his generosity.

Behaviour

*Hari quickly gave me the impression that he had lost all hope in his families survival and that was one to give up quite easily when the going got rough. He proved this when he made his somewhat foolish decision to go to Bombay to get away from his families destiny of ruin and despair. Although, when he was given the chance to try again and make his life work...he jumps at the opportunity, making the most of it and trying so hard to earn as much money to get by on and ended up not spending a single thing during his time in Bombay except for the presents for his sisters. Hari proves to be a very proud man who strives to get by with what he is given even though he seems a little lost at first.

Themes of character

*proud

*strong

*determined

*occasionally seems at a loss

*comes across very serious

*logical

*understanding

"The Village By The Sea" passage-ANITA DESAI

"They pushed and shoved because they were in turn being pushed and shoved by the Bombay crowds that thronged the docks - people in a hurry to get something done, so many people in such a hurry as the villagers had never seen before. It was only out of the corner of his eye that he saw, briefly, before being pushed on, the great looming sides of steamship berthed at the docks, cranes lifting and lowering huge bales, men bare-bodied and sweating carrying huge packing cases, boxes and baskets on their heads and shoulders, grunting as they hurried, women like the fisherwomen at home with their saris tucked up between their legs as they ran with baskets of shining, slithering fish from the boats to the market, straw and mud and fish scales making the ground dangerously slippery."

This passage from the novel "The Village By The Sea" by Anita Desai describes what the villagers of Thul enter into when they venture to Bombay to protest against the factory overtaking their town.

We see how they are overwhelmed with the fast-paced action that surrounds them. With so many people crowding the wharf, the villagers are "pushed and shoved" around and seem to be out of place simply due to their inexperience in these situations. Having never been to Bombay and only ever been a part of the small, relaxed village life, Hari is absolutely amazed and shocked by the size of everything. Desai tells of what he notices, and that being over sized boxes and machines operating everywhere and people rushing around to get so many jobs done. Everything he sees, even if only out of the corner of his eye, is described as "huge" or "great and looming" because this is what struck him most at that moment. Of-course it would, because of the life Hari is used to leading. Small, simple and uneducated.

As well as evoking a crowded, rushed, larger than life scene, the writer also adds the danger factor by saying the ground is a slippery mix of "straw, mud and fish scales." This encourages the idea that the city life is much more dangerous and unpredictable than the simple life in a small coastal village such as Thul. Hari notices the similarities between his insignificant village and Bombay, but notes that these similarities are set apart by the fact that everything is speed up and enlarged in this overcrowded city.

SPEECH-hypnosis

DEFINITIONS...

-hypnosis: neuro-hypnotism "sleep of the nervous system"

-hypnotherapy: therapeutic hypnosis

DIFFERENT VEIWS AND THEORIES...

-induce by hypnotic induction, commonly composed of a long series of preliminary instructions and suggestions

-form of unconsciousness resembling sleep

-contemporary research suggest it is really wakeful state of focused attention and heightened suggestibility with diminished peripheral awareness.

-a state of physical relaxation accompanied and induced by mental concentration

-can be entered into at any time of the day and in fact we do on a daily basis

-conscious reasoning part of the mind is less active

SYMPTOMS/SIDE EFFECTS...

-fluttering eyelids

-relaxed/loose muscles

-tingling sensation, coolness of warmth

-swallowing can be more difficult

-rate of breathing changes

-twitching of the legs/arms/fingers

SPEECH IDEA-hypnosis

TITLE: "you are getting very sleepy"

TYPE: Thought provoking/informative

RESEARCH:

-how it works/process

-who can do it

-what happens

-side effects etc.

-history...?

-examples of cases

-personal experience

Describe one challenge faced by a character or individual in the texts. Explain why this challenge helped you understand the character or individual.

In the short story of "The Lemon Orchard" displays a character who has been taken by a gang of white men who wish to punish this black man for his actions against another man of the gangs colour. the captive/victim only ever says two words through-out the short story. This silence tells the reader of his dignity and refusal to be ridiculed by his superiors. It is a challenge for him to obtain this dignity and to remain brave-faced for it is all that he is left with.

As they walk through the lemon orchard he given questions (often indirectly), but will never answer. His silence represents his determination to remain dignified in front of these cruel, jeering men. Although, they soon get frustrated with him not answering and begin saying things such as '"Listen you hotnot bastard," he said loudly. "Why don't you answer?"' His refusal to speak soon provokes one of the men to strike him on the cheek and he is forced to relent his guard and say "Yes, baas." Yet amazingly, as he speaks "he straightens up" and speaks with "contempt that was missed by those who surrounded him." All that is left for this man is to fight for his dignity that he so strongly possesses, despite all else and the situation he is in.

The Lemon Orchard-Character Representation

The group of men that walk through the lemon orchard are described as harsh men who have a deep hatred for the black man they are escorting to a place unknown. There is a certain status within the group, most noticeably a leader. The leader is a large man who wears clothes that give a threatening message and an obvious, violent personality. The men who accompany this figure of authority don't seem to be as 'tough' as him but are still menacing enough to make the small black man absolutely terrified and unable to speak. Although, together these men have the same views on this 'kaffir' and all wish to give him what he deserves for what he has supposedly done. the poor black who was taken refuses to speak from fear of sounding scared. he tries very hard to stop his teeth from chattering incase it may be mistaken for cowardice. He is portrayed as a proud man who will not undermine his dignity even in a situation as hostile as this. His determination to remain brave-faced is somewhat destroyed by the mens jeering manner and cruel actions against him. Also his stubbornness got him into more trouble when he refused to speak and therefore was punished with a blow to the face, again the white men continue to be disrespectful and inhumane.

The Lemon Orchard-passage:pg126

"This man wore trousers and a raincoat which they had allowed to pull on over his pyjamas when they had taken him from his lodgings, and he shivered now with chill, clenching his teeth to prevent them from chattering. He had not been given time to tie his shoes and the metal-covered ends of the laces clicked as he moved."

This small passage gives a little explanation of how the man was taken "from his lodgings" and out into the cold of the night. The reader is given a small idea of the happenings before this moment in time as they walk through the lemon orchard. The man was clearly taken by force away from his previous location (we aren't given information as to what or where this place was) and the fact that he had no time to tie his laces tell us that he was taken quite quickly also. 'They' had "allowed" him to put on trousers and a raincoat over his pyjamas which portrays that 'they' are in charge and that the man would have to do whatever 'they' demand of him.

His shoe laces have metal-covered ends that click as he move which depicts the silence in their procession towards their destination for the clicks to be heard. The clicks give the idea of terrifying mystery as, silently, the time goes by and he his unable to fathom the extent of what they are to do to him. With each click taking him a step closer to his now inevitable fate in the orchard with these menacing figures of authority who have brought this upon him. His teeth are clenched with the cold and not wanting to break the silence that seems to be compulsory as he is lead through the darkness.

Sian Anstis