Clear Light of Day Setting & Symbolism

Clear Light of Day Objects/Places

Old Delhi

Where the children grew up with their family and where their house still sits, unchanged.

New Delhi

The city where everything changes and where all the action seems to be far removed from the unchanged Old Delhi.

The Family's House

The novel takes place almost entirely at the family's house. Although characters come and go as they pass away or grow up and move out, the house itself remains unchanged and those who remain in it, Bim and Baba, seem unchanged, as well, when Tara arrives to visit as an adult, years later.

The Well

The well is located in the garden of the family house and becomes a strong symbol of death to the siblings after the death of their cow.

The Rose Walk

Both Section 1 and Section 2 begin with Tara's memory of walking with her mother along the rose walk. Its deterioration seems to serve as an indication of the passage of time from one part...
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