Driven By Hunger (Nectar in A Sieve)

A detailed Summary of Driven By Hunger (Nectar in A Sieve)

Kamala Markandaya does a remarkable job of illustrating the typical Indian lifestyle and culture in her novel, Nectar in a Sieve. The theme the author illustrates in Nectar in a Sieve is that hunger is a major motivating force in people's lives. This motivation leads people to commit anything, in order to prevent starvation.

Hunger is a familiar word and phase that poverty-stricken families undergo. Everyday is a new struggle to live and go through, searching in need of food. Hunger in the novel is the motivating force that drives many of the characters to endure various acts to acquire food, anywhere from leaving to a new land to prostitution. For example, Rukmani's sons, Arjun and Thambi come together and decide to go to the island of Ceylon, to find work that pays better than the tannery. " They are paying well...it would be good for us to work again. It is not fitting that men should corrupt themselves in hunger and idleness" (71). This conveys that Arjun and Thambi believe that they shouldn't go on, being deprived of various objects, and that they shouldn't go on, living a life of hunger without any money. The wanting of not experiencing hunger and idleness motivates their decision of going to Ceylon.

Now most of the characters in the novel struggle for survival, and strive to acquire food, to prevent death from starvation. Old Granny for one is a character that has known Rukmani since her youth. Old Granny sold sacks of nuts and berries, but as money and food became scarce, less and less people had money to buy anything, even food. As Old Granny grew older, she barely sold anything, and no one had any claim on her. "And so one day she quietly disappeared...she had died of starvation" (125). Old Granny was just one more person of which starvation claimed a life.

At this point, Irawaddy's husband returns Ira back to her family because it is discovered that Ira is barren. Although her two brothers, Arjun and Thambi have left to Ceylon, Ira's coming back to the family can be portrayed as one more mouth to feed with the meager supply of food for the family. One day, Ira's brother, Raja, goes out as usual, but did not come back. That night at dusk, two men brought his dead body. " He had been caught they said; something about money. What had my son to do with money, who had not a pie of his own!" (93). Three days later, two men arrived at Rukmani's door. "The watchmen were only doing their duty...no violence was used, only enough to stop him... He was seen in the yard, where he had no business to be and when the chowkidars caught him, they found he had stolen a calfskin" (94-95). Raja's motivation was hunger, for he wanted to eat, to satisfy his essential need of food. "Yo

Some common words found in the essay are:
Ira's Kuti, Nectar Sieve, Ceylon Rukmani, Ira's Raja, Arjun Thambi, Kamala Markandaya, Ceylon Ira's, nectar sieve, arjun thambi, motivating force, food money earns, money earns prostitution, novel nectar sieve, buy food, money earns, earns prostitution, food money, hunger idleness, novel nectar, acquire food,

Approximate Word count = 1002
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Politics