The Power and Value of Poetry

The book’s events, characterizations, and narrative contemplations are all defined by its thematically central consideration of the power and value of poetry. Those considerations are defined by the attitudes and actions of protagonist Deven Sharma, a professor of Hindi at a small rural college. Deven once had dreams of becoming a poet, and a small degree of accomplishment in terms of realizing those dreams. He let go of pursuing them in order to make a living for himself and his family, but those dreams, and the love of poetry from which they originated, remain very much alive in him. This is why he goes to the increasingly extreme lengths that he does in order to connect with the famous Nur, the poet who inspired so many of his dreams, and why he becomes so profoundly disillusioned when he sees the...