Summary

To celebrate the British victory in World War II, the Parsees hold a Jashan prayer at the beginning of Chapter Five. The priests are seated in front of the fire altar. During the service, Godmother winks at Lenny. Afterwards, Cousin shows Lenny a pressed butterfly. Lenny refuses to hold it. She kneels at the altar and prays to God. After the service, Colonel Bharucha gives a speech. He and his audience debate the merits of Gandhi’s calls to boycott salt and his plans to march to the sea. Colonel Bharucha warns Pasees not to stir up trouble because they are a minority. He then rehearses the history of the Parsees from Persia to India. Lenny does not know this history. They then debate where thy should go if they decide to leave. The conversation ends in a good mood with a dirty...