Nectar In A Sieve Hope

1st Hour

Hope is the feeling responsible for preventing people from giving up and quitting. The power of hope gives people a reason to keep fighting for the future they desire. In Kamala Markandaya’s novel, Nectar in a Sieve, which takes place in the 1950s, she tells her readers about the hope of two destitute farmers in rural India: Nathan and Rukmani. They face monsoons, droughts, and other hardships that attempt to destroy their lives and those of their children, but through the troubles, they meet wonderful people that help them survive and flourish. Throughout the novel, Markandaya shows the true importance of hope and how it helped Rukmani’s family never give up.

To begin with, even though many valuable things are lost, the family

Shortly after the storm destroys everything, Rukmani is already talking about the marvelous plans she has for the future. Her plans did not seem feasible considering their condition, but Rukmani was acting almost as if that tragic event never happened. She was able to act this way because of the hope she had that the future would be better. Moreover, the family condones each other’s actions while they are starving. Once Nathan tells Rukmani that he gave their rice to Kunthi, Rukmani tells him of the times that Kunthi came to her for rice, and “it seemed to me that a new peace came to us then, freed at last from the necessity for lies and concealment and deceit…” (32). As a result of sharing their secrets, they could unite against Kunthi and forgive each other for their wrongdoings. Unity brings strengths, which leads to a hopeful future.

During the first part of the novel, the two oldest boys try to earn money for their parents. They go to the tannery that they abhorred so much just to work and get more money for food. Nathan and Rukmani do not want them to work there, but they choose a path that will earn more money. They would not have ignored their parent’s wishes had it not been for the hope they possessed for the future. Later, the oldest child, Irawaddy, resorts to prostitution to try and save Kuti. After the enigma of Ira’s disappearances is solved and becomes normal, Rukumani said that, “she would leave at night, and with her earnings, Irawaddy was able to buy rice and salt, and milk for the child…” (38). Although her parents did not concur with her decisions, she was able to help feed everyone. She only became a prostitute because of the hope that by earning money that way, she would help Kuti survive. A final reference is that Selvam always believed in the greater good and protected his family. Selvam said that “‘it is perpetual shame to me that I have nothing to offer my parents. Yet I promise they shall not go in need.’” (51). He volunteers to assist his parents the best he can by taking care of Ira and her albino child, Sacrabani. His actions are driven by a sole element -- hope . Overall, the children do their best to support their family, powered by their faith in the