4. By saving four annas a day for their journey, how long do Rukmani and Nathan figure they will have to work before being able to make the journey back to their village?

5. Where is Old Granny's body found?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Rukmani and Nathan travel to the city to find their son. Instead of finding their son, however, they find his wife and learn that their son has deserted her. Ammu is now a single mother, as is Ira back in the village. Single parenthood drastically changes both of their lives.

a. Compare and contrast the lives of Ammu and Ira as single parents.

b. Compare and contrast single parenthood in the novel and in our society.

c. How did living in the city versus being in the village impact the situations of both Ammu and Ira?

Essay Topic 2

Both Ira and Kunthi turn to prostitution to earn money.

a. Describe Ira's motives for prostituting her body.

b. Describe Kunthi's motives for prostituting her body.

c. Do their motives make their actions any less objectionable? Why or why not?

Essay Topic 3

Nathan is portrayed as a kind, albeit poor, farmer. While this is generally true, the reader learns that Nathan is all too human and makes mistakes too.

a. Describe Nathan's character strengths and character weaknesses.

b. Give three concrete examples from the story that reflect one of Nathan's character strengths from the answer above.

c. Give three concrete examples from the story that reflect one of Nathan's character weaknesses from the answer above.

d. Identify Nathan's greatest mistake. Why does he confess to Rukmani and how does she react to his news?

(see the answer keys)

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