Summaries

Exposition (page 7-8)

The whole story is based on the letters between the sisters Olivia and Marcia in the 1920s. Olivia leaves England to live with her husband Douglas in India. But there she elopes with the Nawab who is an Indian prince. Douglas gets married to Tessie and they become the grandparents of the first-person narrator in the story. Olivia always is a forbidden topic for Tessie and her sister Beth but after Douglas’ death an old friend from India named Harry appears and leaves them the letters written by Olivia to her sister Marcia. The narrator wants to tell Olivias story and so she leaves for India. The book is divided in the parts of the narrator’s journal and Olivias life in 1923.

Journal 2 February (page 8-11)

The narrator just arrives in Bombay which is completely different to her expectations. She got a picture from India by the letters and now everything changed. Her first night she spends in a room in the women’s dormitory of the Society of Missionaries hostel with six other women. A woman who is also awake shares her experiences with the narrator because she already spent 30 years in India. Among typical tips like “use boiled water only” she speaks about the bad changes of the last 30 years and directs the narrator to the dormitory’s window to strenghten her observations of Indias downfall. The narrator looks down at a bright street in which some people are sleeping, buying or looking for food. She also catches sight of some crippled children. By changing the window she gets sight of A’s hotel which mainly is visited by bedraggled Europeans. The woman announces that she may say that she has seen everything you can see on the earth like a young European being deloused by his monkey. She gives the narrator the advice to trust on Christ Jesus because otherwise there would be no survival because nothing human means anything in India. By the look at the poor figures outside the narrator also thinks like that.

Journal 16 February (page 11- 13)

The narrator finds a room in Satipur which is sub-let to her by a government officer called Inder Lal. She likes the view at the bazaar and her room because of the space and privacy. Although her landlord is displeased, her room is empty apart from a tiny desk to lay out her papers.  She already visited Olivia’s house because now it is office area. Olivia’s house now embodys the Water Board, the Health Department and a sub-post office.

Journal 20 February (page 13- 15)

The narrator gets to know Inder Lal’s mother and his wife Ritu. She wonders about the untidy house and and by trying her Hindi she recognizes that the mother is constantly checking her for being a possible wife for her son like she did it with Ritu. Although she is dressed like an Indian women and eats Indian food (which she consideres as strange behaviour to the Indians after the Raj) she is still runned after by children and called “hijra”. Because of Olivia’s letters and because she has seen them she knows that the hijras are eunuchs- built like men but dressed like women.

Journal 24 February (page 15-18)

Inder Lal offers the narrator to show her the Nawab’s palace in Khatm. Although she wonders about his offer to go with her instead of staying with his family on a Sunday they travel by bus to the spacious palace. While Inder Lal is interested in talking about his troubles in his office the narrator wants to find out more about the Nawab. Let in by a watchman both inspect the interior of the palace which is not that impressive. Since the Nawabs death in 1953 the palace is uninhabited because his nephew wants to sell it to the Government. They see the marble halls and the main drawing room and although the narrator also is interested in the Nawab’s privat mosque they leave for seeing the garden. The men decide to visit the watchman’s Hindu shrine. She is anxious to get out because of the crowd and missing ventilation but gave five rupees donation. The watchman lay sugar and flower petals in her hand so that her hands still smell as she writes.

1923 part 1 (page 19- 24)

After a few month in Satipur Olivia begins to be bored because she spends most of the time alone at home. A change in the routine is the invitation for dinner at the Nawab’s dinner party where she and Douglas are as well invited as the Crawfords (Collector & wife), the Minnies and the prevented Saunders (Medical superintendent & wife). Olivia is excited because it is her first time at the palace and she will wear her evening dress. Having a view at the impressive prepared dining room she feels like she has come to the right place in India. This feeling is disturbed by the old-established British guests because she feels bored by the anecdotes of former happenings. Another Englishman called Harry also shares her feelings about the British-Indians and also about the noble and fair Douglas. Olivia feels like the Nawab who appears to listen closely has already formed his conclusions about his guests because she notices him looking at her- and so he is the first person in India who is interested in her as she was used to. After the party being alone in the house was no longer boring because she knows that the Nawab would visit her and he really does after four days. He brings several people including Harry with him and stays all day. The day goes by in a flash and so she is excited when Douglas comes home. A few days later both receive another invitation but by hearing that the Crawfords are not invited Douglas refuses. Although Olivia wants to go and they argued, he declines the invitation the next day.

Journal 28 February (page 24- 29)

One of the former British bungalows serves as a rest-house for travelers. A group of three Britains arrives but the watchman refuses to open the bungalow because they have no official permit. The young British couple came to find peace in India but just found misadventures. They became interested in the Hindu Religion because of a swami. The other young man called Chid is dressed like an Indian ascetic and is on a pilgrimage on the instruction of his guru. Although he shall sleep under trees, he always sleeps in hotel rooms. Finally, the watchman let them in but it is musty, dark and foul smelling inside. From the verandah there is a view on the untended Chrisitan graveyard where the Saunders buried ther baby and set an enormous gravestone. The narrator becomes aware of the fact that the traveller’s house must have been the Saunders bungalow.

 

1923 part 2 (page 29- 49)

Olivia has always been affected by graveyards and so she is also affected by the one at Satipur. By seing the newest grave (that of the Saunder’s baby) she is very sad and depressed because she is afraid of having a dead baby, too. Douglas tries to comfort her by telling her that nowadays the babys do not die that often. The next day Olivia visits Mrs. Saunders who is still the same gloomy person lying in bed in her sloveny house. By hearing all the details of Mrs. Saunders illness Olivia becomes aware that her interlocutor is not that highly educated so that she is not one of the British persons normally found in India. Mrs. Saunders also has an emotional release when a servant enters the room wearing shoes which is a sign of disrespect. The real reason for that outburst is that Mrs. Saunders really wants to go home but her husband does not. After that Beth Crawford invitesOlivia to accompany her to visit the Begum. Olivia is again impressed by the palace. Mrs. Crawford is prepared with various topics and so she i the dominant figure. Olivia is not able to join the conversation because she can not speak Urdu and so she just waits for the Nawab to come in. After that she and Mrs. Crawford visit Mrs. Minnies, a close friend of Mrs. Crawford. Olivia feels uncomfortable and excluded although both try to include her. She is bored by their conversation but asks if the Nawab is married. Olivia comes to know that he is married with a mentally ill woman. Then she hears about some problems Mr. Minnies has with the dacoits and a problem three years ago coming alongwith the breaking up of the Nawab’s marriage with Sandy. Later Harry explains to her that the Nawab rules since he is 15 and so he has always been a ruler and he wants to get everything he wants, although he never lost his generosity. But Sandy’s family did not want the marriage because in their eyes he is not even rich. They met in London and Sandy’s family moved to Paris when she fell in love with him. The Nawab followed as he was used to get what he want. Harry also was asked to come along and he did. Harry wants Olivia to accept the invitation from the Nawab because he really wants her and Douglas to come.  Douglas is very esteemed and because of his great way of doing his job he is respected by the local rich men. Later on he tells her that by speaking Hindustani one is able to insult other people with the most flowery courtesy. Olivia also wants to learn it but Douglas refuses- it’s a man’s game. Later the Nawab visits Olivia to tell her that his palace is unhappy because of the turned down invitation and to pick her up for a picnic. Olivia feels unable to decline and so they go. After a horrble ride they have to walk the rest of the way. Olivia feels close to tears because of the heat and the rough way. By the time they arrive she is relieved because it is a cold and green place. The Nawab shows her the shrine and tells her the shrines history. Then he announces that Olivia is the same type of person as he is and continues to compliment her. After giving her a deep look and embarassing her, they have picnic and play a game of musical chairs with the cushions. Olivia and the Nawab are the two remaining persons and the Nawab wins.

Journal 8 March (page 49- 52)

The narrator notes that from this moment on Olivia’s letters to her sister became longer because she needed someone to confide in. Olivia never told Douglas although she wanted to. The narrator then gives an account of her own daily routine. In the morning she wakes up early because of the temple bells. Then she buys some vegetables and curds at the bazaar and cooks a meal. Up to the evenings she works on her papers. Sometimes she walks to the post office and then waits for Inder Lal to accompany him to home. First he was embarrassed but now both became friends. He tells her about his wife Ritu who had been chosen as his wife because of her suitable family background. He considers her as unintelligent and is not sure wheather she is pretty or not. Along with these conversations the narrator notices a great longing in his eyes although he looks careworn.

Journal 10 March (page 52- 54)

The narrator works hard at her Hindi and so she is able to have her first conversations. She tries several times to establish contact with Ritu but she is too shy. It is heating up at that time and so the narrator sleeps like the other residents in the courtyard. That makes her happy because of the sense of communion. One night Ritu begins to scream loud so that Inder Lal’s mother tries to get her into the house. The narrator helps her and the mother then scatters rice over Ritu’s head and mumbles some incantations. Soon Ritu begins to feel fine again.

Journal 20 March (page 54- 56)

After that experience Inder Lal’s mother and the narrator become friends. They start to go to the bazaar together and the narrator really likes to listen to her. She is very proud of her son  and likes to roam around with her friends who are widows like her. The narrator feels like Inder Lal’s mother has her best part of life now. As the narrator accompanies her often to her friends she gets to know Maji who is a kind of leader among the widows. Maji is said to have certain powers. One day the mother and the narrator visit the suttee shrines for widows who burnt themselves with their dead husbands. Altough it was outlawed in 1823, there were cases of burnings in Olivias times.

1923 part 3 (page 56- 61)

When Mr. Crawford is away and Douglas is alone in his district a widow is forced by her family to burn herself with her dead husband. Altough he hurries to save the woman all he can do is to arrest her sons, brothers-in-law and a priest. Olivia still has not told him about the picnic and the Nawab’s visits every second or third day. One day the Nawab and Douglas meet and the Nawab congratulates him because of the way he handled the situation with the burn. This situation is also the main topic when Mr. Crawford gives a dinner party after his return. While all the guests think that the widow wanted to be burnt and do condemn the suttee, Olivia wants to take another stand just not to agree with them. Moreover, she would burn herself with her dead husband because she would not want to go on living.

Journal 30 March (page 61- 63)

When the narrator goes home with Inder Lal they hear terrible groans coming out of one tomb. The narrator returns to investigate and finds Chid in it. After he and the couple left the traveller’s rest house, he became sick. So he lay down at the tomb. The narrator decides after Chids request to take him home with her.

Journal 10 April (page 63- 65)

Chid already is fine again but stays anyway. He takes everything he needs and also searches the narrator’s posessions but he is not demanding. For that reason the narrator already has locked up her papers because of his dirty hands. Whole Satipur considers Chid as holy and also that it is a privilege for the narrator to give him shelter. Inder Lal is also very impressed with Chid and visits him often. Chid is always hungry for food and sex. Although the narrator asks herself why she goes him ahead with using her to reach a higher plane of consciousness she does not keep him off.

Journal 15 April (page 65- 67)

Altough the shrine of Baba Firdaus originally is built in thanksgiving now it is sacred one day a year to Hindu women because offerings at this shrine are said to cure childlessness. The narrator accompanies Inder Lal’s mother and her friends at the day called the Husband’s Wedding Day. She has a lot of fun and feels like she is part of everything- the crowd at the shrine and the women.

1923 part 4 (page 67- 76)

The Husband’s Wedding Day alwas is a very problematic day for Major Minnies because the Muslim Indians do not like her Baba Firdaus shrine taken over by the Hindus at that day. Altough the Nawab plays the situation down, is was an explosive setting. Mrs. Crawford and Mrs. Minnies visite Olivia to reassure her but when they speak their minds about the Nawab Olivia is uneasy. Then Harry visits her but he also knows nothing about the current situation. He tells her that the Nawab lets the ruffians in his palace and speaks to them absolutely eager to see them. Harry also stays some days at Olivia’s and one of those days Mrs. Crawford visits her to talk about Simla. But they talk about Harrys wish to go home to England to visit his ill mother. So Mrs. Crawford arranges his journey home with some of her friends but the Nawab comes to take Harry home.

Journal 25 April (page 77- 79)

Satipur is accepting all sorts of people- foreigners, beggars and cripples. And so also the narrator and Chid become part of the town. Because of the dust storms everyone is restless but Chid. The narrator hates this and also is so annoyed that she throws him out. But suddenly Ritu comes in and so she stops screaming at Chid because she does not want to scare her. When Ritu begins to scream like she did at one night Chid joins her like a communicant.

Journal 30 April (page 79- 80)

Ritu’s state became worse and so she is locked up in the house. Her screams still are hearable and everyone is used to that except the narrator. Ritu has a treatment which means that a hot iron is held to her body to exorcise the evil spirit in her. Later on the narrator talks to Inder Lal who also is not certain about the treatment but wanted to try it. By meeting an colleague Inder Lal again complains about an anonymous letter.

Journal 2 May (page 80- 82)

Maji advises Ritu pilgrimage and so she, Inder Lal’s mother and Chid hit the road. Moreover, Maji and Chid get along with eachother and the narrator is glad to be alone again. By having a description of the pilgrimage and the wonderful feelings and nature the narrator also feels like having a journey to the Himalayas.

1923 part 5 (page 82- 90)

Olivia really stays with Douglas in Satipur while the other women leave for Simla. So she tries to be lively and amicable for her husband. Harry mostly comes early to drive her to the palace. The Nawab wants to hear her playing piano and so he takes him with her to an underground chamber. It is full of unused things which only seem to be there to have them. There are also two pianos and the Nawab tells Olivia that they were meant to be for his wife Sandy but she never played them. Olivia tries to play on one of them but they are out of tune. It is that time when Olivia and Douglas seriously speak about having children.  At that evening Mr. Crawford and Major Minnies are invited for dinner and they have a relaxed time together until they speak about the Nawab who is said to be bankrupt and involved in robbery. Olivia leaves the dinner confused.

Journal 12 June (page 90- 96)

Chid writes letters to the narrator who is surprised on it. Mostly he connects the letters with a request. The narrator keeps the letter together with Olivia’s. Inder Lal also is interested in the letters and tells her that Chid is an old soul. But he does not understand why the narrator came to India because India has nothing to offer in his eyes. He also is angry about the conditions and the superstitions in their minds. The narrator is reminded to Karim (the Nawab’s nephew) and his wife Kitty in London. She visited them before she left for India. There she first saw the Nawab’s palace and Amanullah Khan on paintings and got to know that the Nawab sold most of the family jewelry because of his lifestyle.

1923 part 6 (page 97- 102)

Harry is ill and so Olivia visits him. But he is angry because he does not want her to come anymore to the palace because Douglas does not know and it is a discourtesy to him. He also mentions a conflict with the Nawab who did not want to answer several questions. Nevertheless, Olivia explains to him that she visits him and the Nawab because of the friendship and that even in India people can be just friends. Then the Nawab enters and worries about Harry who tells him that Olivia asked about the dacoits. So the Nawab wants her to ask questions about him directly to him. Olivia and Douglas take a stroll through the graveyard as they usually do on sunday evenings. She asks him about the dacoits and gets to know that the Nawab is said to protect a gang of dacoits and gets money in return. Olivia becomes sad maybe because of the fact that she is not getting pregnant. Beside the grave of the baby she breaks down and Douglas does not help her up.

Journal 15 June (page 103- 109)

One of the town beggars in Satipur is an old woman. When the narrator is on the way to her washerman she only recognizes the old woman lying on the ground because of the way she is lying. At first the narrator wonders wheather she is dead but thinks that it cannot be because the other people do not notice her. At home she wonders about herself because she had not checked wheather the woman was dead or not and so she decides to go back with Inder Lal. The narrator realizes that the woman is very ill and notices a stream of excrements coming out of her. For the first time she feels the Hindu fear of pollution. Later she goes to the hospital to ask a doctor what to do. So she gets to know that she has to bring her in by her own. En route home she passes Majis hut and tells her about the situation. Maji knows the old woman very well and so they hurry on to find her. Maji and the narrator stay with the ill woman until the sun rises and also her life is coming to an end.

1923 part 7 (page 109- 116)

When Olivia tells Douglas about a visit at the palace because of sick Harry she decides that from that point on Douglas knows about her visits at the palace. So the two do not meet often: Douglas comes home late and goes straight to bed and gets up early. One day Olivia is awake and sits with him in the breakfast room. She notices that his face became heavier and says that she wants to ask Dr. Saunders to have a look at Harry. After a short quarrel she also mentions that she wants to ask him also why she is not getting pregnant but Douglas wants her to wait. He also wants to have a few free days to go with her to Simla. Before being picked up for the palace she walks over to the Saunders but Dr. Saunders had already left. Mrs. Saunders is out of bed but just because she is afraid of the servant’s bad thoughts. At the palace the Nawab is amused because of Olivia’s idea to bring Dr. Saunders in. Anyway, he sends a car and the doctor arrives and the Nawab plays his game of showing absolutely exaggerated interest while Dr. Saunders just talks on and on. When this game begins to bore Olivia and Harry the Nawab leaves the room with them and pays the doctor by his servants. The Nawab says that all the British are the same and so Olivia is shocked and sad. But the Nawab calms her down and talks about his dream in which Mrs. Crawford appeared as a hijra.

Journal 20 June (page 116- 120)

The narrator invites Inder Lal to a picnick at the Baba Firdaus shrine. Because of the heat before the monsoon and the awful journey to the shrine the place seems to be the Paradise. While the narrator inspects the surrounding and wonders about the contrary Husband’s Wedding Day Inder Lal lays down under a tree. After that they eat their sandwiches wich is a new thing for Inder Lal. He shows her the custom to tie a red string to the lattice in the shrine to fulfill a wish. He wants to know the narrators wish but is depressed when she knows his wish at first go. When the narrator has the strong desire to get close to him she lays her hand on his and so they become lovers.

1923 part 8 (page 120- 127)

As usual Harry arrives with the car but he wants to stay at his “oasis” and listen to Olivia playing piano. But Olivia wants to leave for Khatm because somehow psychological ill Harry holds up their arrival. This ends in an argument and Olivia calls Harry jealous. So they leave for the palace where the Nawab already waits for them to go to Baba Firdaus shrine. The Nawab bothers about Harry because he does not join Olivia and the Nawab. At the shrine both meet some armed men who seem to be familiar with the Nawab but he sends them away and gives Olivia a red string. They tie it because it is said to fulfill a wish. Olivia wishes to become pregnant but soon she reverts to the armed men. The Nawab manages to avoid a real answer by touching her arm and holding an emotional speech about his ancestor Amanullah Khan. When Olivia tries to soothe him by touching his chest he helds her hand so that she feels a magic magnetism and has no possibility to escape him and has sex with him.

Journal 31 July (page 127- 129)

Maji as a former midwife informs the narrator that she is pregnant because she is able to see it by the way a pregnant woman walks and behaves. So Maji offers her an abortion as it is usual in India to avoid dishonour and suffering.

Journal 15 August (page 129- 131)

Chid returns from his pilgrimage. He is absolutely changed and ended his Ascetic way of life. Furthermore, he does not speak about the happenings during the pilgrimage. So he just accepts boiled food and sleeps so that Inder Lal is disappointed in him. The narrator has not told him about her pregnancy although he mostly visits her at night to sleep with her. Once she tries to tell him at the British graveyard but realizes that she does not want to destroy their relationship.

1923 part 9 (page 131- 143)

Olivia is pregnant but did not tell Douglas about it. One day when she is at Khatm everyone packs the things to go up to the mountains because of cooler climate. But at that day also Major Minnies visits the Nawab because he shall see the Viceroy because of his doubtful affairs. Afterwards the Nawab is very angry and Olivia tells him about her pregnancy to comfort him. She also tells Douglas about it at that night when there is a dinner with Major Minnies. They tell Olivia about the Nawab’s dacoits who now also are roaming the region Mr Crawford is responsible for. Major Minnies and Olivia also talk about their admiration and fascination for the Nawab. Major Minnies declaims an Urdu poem from the old Nawab. However, the Nawab is even more kinder after her confession. So he askes her whether she really will do this for him and says that she is so brave. He never has a doubt that the baby was his and so he wants her to stay with him. Douglas reacts similar and asks her wheather she is afraid and really wants to do it.

Journal 20 August (page 143- 144)

The narrator depicts the happenings after Olivia’s elopement. Douglas had a son, her father, who was born in India but was sent to school in England at 12. After that he joined the antique business and also Douglas and Tessie returned to England after the end of the British Raj. Mr. and Mrs. Crawford stayed a bit longer but also returned and the Minnies stayed. Chid wants to leave India but when they consult the Doctor at the hospital he has to stay there.

Journal 27 August (page 144- 147)

The narrator visits Chid every day to bring him food and talk to him. She is worried about him because his insides especially his liver and kidneys are in a bad state. In this time she also thinks much about Olivia because there has to be a special thing which changed her and made her stay in India. So the narrator decides to stay on because it seems the only way to find out what happened.

1923 part 10 (page 147- 149)

Harry talked to the Nawab again about his return to England and he agreed. When Olivia visits Harry he reveals that the Nawab said that he is just waiting for the birth of his son because then the English will “laugh from the other side of their mouths” (p. 148, l. 21). So Olivia asks Harry to consult the Begum because the only way out of this dilemma for her is an abortion.

Journal 31 August (page 149- 152)

The narrator is followed by a woman so that she goes to Maji who explains that she is a midwife having noticed her pregnancy. Maji offers an abortion again and the narrator accepts. When Maji stars the massage the narrator has the feeling of Maji transmitting something to her and suddenly she cries to stop because she is absolutely sure to keep the baby.

1923 part 11 (page 152- 154)

Olivia in a burqa is attended by two midwifes to one of the ramshackle houses in Khatm to have an abortion. There they start the professional massage when the Begum arrives also beeing interested in the procedure. One of the midwifes points a twig with paste to cause a miscarriage.

The End (page 154- 165)

Beth Crawford never spoke about Olivia until she was very old. On the contrary, Dr. Saunders expresses his angriness and his triumph because he always thought about Olivia as a rotten person. Major Minnies later even published a book in which he writes about the influence of India on the European consciousness and character. Olivia escapes from the hospital and runs straight to the palace. Harry leaves India shortly after Olivias elopement and lived first with his mother and later with his friend Ferdie. The Nawab often visits them because of his financial troubles. So he tries to get more money directly in England and consults a high authority because he has to keep up the palace, Olivia’s, Sandy’s and his mother’s house as well as he has to support them and his relatives. So he stays most of the time in England but also often with his mother, Sandy and sometimes with Olivia. The Nawab changed because his authority in Khatm was minimized by courts, he became fat, softer and milder. The narrator leaves Satipur to go up to the town of X where Olivia’s house is. She lived alone exept the few days when the Nawab was with her. The house looked similar to her old house in Satipur. She wrote a few letters to Marcia but their contact was not very intense and so Marcia got no letter after the Nawabs death altough Olivia survived him by six years. So she died there and was cremated at the Hindu cremation ground and not like her neighbours buried in the British cemetery. The narrator begins to unterstand that Olivia’s soul was suffused by India and the view she had from her windows. Feeling similar, the narrator decides to go up further to give birth to her baby at the ashram.