Analysis Of Kamala Markandaya's Nectar In A Sieve

“‘Why do you not demand--cry out--do something?’” (43) In contemporary Western society, giving up or “crying out” is common. However, in Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve, as the book’s epigraph implies, notwithstanding all the adversity and loss she faces, Rukmani has a perseverance that stems from the hope of the culture she lives in. Rukmani attempts to fix the damage that the monsoon has done to her family’s crops and house, though it might seem futile. In spite of the poverty the drought brings them, and the holdups Kunthi brings, she is unrelenting in their fight to stay alive. Even in the book’s ending, she has hope for her children.

When the monsoon damages her family’s crops and house, perseverance seems futile. Even though she knows repairing is only a temporary remedy for

Similar to the monsoon, this next major hardship derives from the wildness of nature, though it is an issue from the opposite side of the weather spectrum. During the drought, Sivaji, a representative of their landlord, comes to gather payment for their rent. They coax Sivaji to give them additional time. To make money sufficient enough to retain their land, they sell much of their kitchenware, one of her trunks, clothing, food, and their bullocks. They believe that the land is more valuable than these belongings, because the land will bring them prosperity in the future. Nathan wants to sell the seeds, but Rukmani disagrees. “‘Let us keep our hope for a next harvest,’” (75), she says. If they sell their seeds, they are admitting defeat, and are letting go of the hope that they can replant and recover wealth. Rukmani even breaks into her secret emergency reserve to keep her family nourished. After Kunthi steals these rations from them, instead of giving up or pleading for assistance, they scavenge, eating rotten potatoes, bamboo shoots, gutter food, and even