Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The Village By The Sea - theme of poverty

Desai depicts the scene of poverty in several ways. She shows the setting as being a paradise. The way there are 'scarlet hibiscus blooms, sweet-smelling spider lilies and bright butter-yellow allamanda flowers' gives a happy atmosphere which adds to the paradise feeling. Desai shows contrast between this paradise by describing it as being unpleasant and ugly. 'Bridged the swampy creek' shows the contrast netween the paradise and the ugliness and poverty. Desai also shows the loss of hope which is represented through Lila's father being constantly intoxicated with the quote 'stench of drunken-ness' shows that and 'it was a smell she has known and hated since she was a small girl' shows that he has been getting drunk a lot since she was a small child. Lila's younger siblings Bela and Kamal have a lack of education and therefore have no motivation. 'They had not washed or changed for school' this quote shows their lack of motivation. Lila is also forced to take on a parental role because of her ill monther and constantly drunk father