the late 1940s to approximately the 1970s. The entire novel takes place in the family
home. Although the characters leave the house for small amounts of time, the bulk of
the story takes place in the house. The house grows older with time, and its inhabitants
either pass or move away; Bim and Baba are the only two who remain throughout the
entire novel. The four parts of the story move back and forth in time from the siblings'
childhood to adulthood in each of the four parts, although even these center around the
family home, as well. Language and Meaning
Anita Desai uses language to her advantage, providing her readers with a great deal of
imagery, extremely colorful language, and recurring themes to emphasize the
development of her characters. Her vivid descriptions provide her readers with a clear
picture of her native country of India, where the story takes place, and also clearly
portrays the setting and, most importantly, her characters. Desai uses a variety of
literary devices, including metaphors, recurring themes and imagery in her colorful
descriptions that add a great deal to the story by painting a clear picture in the minds
of her readers of her characters, their personalities and childhood experiences, as well
as the setting that, although it appears the same on the surface, shows signs of small
but significant change upon closer inspection. Structure
The story is divided into four sections. The first section centers on Tara's visit to her
childhood home and takes place while the children are all grown up. The second
section moves back in time to when the siblings are growing up and is told primarily
from Bim's point of view. The third section takes place even further back in time,
when the brothers and sisters are even younger, as children, growing up in their home.
Finally, the fourth section goes forward in time, back to where the novel began, and is
told equally from the points of view of Tara and Bim. This structure is very
appropriate for the telling of this story because it gives the reader a full understanding of each
of the characters, which would not have been possible if the story had been
told in first person, from the point of view of only one character. Instead, the structure
allows the reader to relate and understand the novel's two main characters, Tara and
Bim, which leads to a conclusion that culminates with the resolution of the
relationship between the two of them.
home. Although the characters leave the house for small amounts of time, the bulk of
the story takes place in the house. The house grows older with time, and its inhabitants
either pass or move away; Bim and Baba are the only two who remain throughout the
entire novel. The four parts of the story move back and forth in time from the siblings'
childhood to adulthood in each of the four parts, although even these center around the
family home, as well.
Language and Meaning
Anita Desai uses language to her advantage, providing her readers with a great deal of
imagery, extremely colorful language, and recurring themes to emphasize the
development of her characters. Her vivid descriptions provide her readers with a clear
picture of her native country of India, where the story takes place, and also clearly
portrays the setting and, most importantly, her characters. Desai uses a variety of
literary devices, including metaphors, recurring themes and imagery in her colorful
descriptions that add a great deal to the story by painting a clear picture in the minds
of her readers of her characters, their personalities and childhood experiences, as well
as the setting that, although it appears the same on the surface, shows signs of small
but significant change upon closer inspection.
Structure
The story is divided into four sections. The first section centers on Tara's visit to her
childhood home and takes place while the children are all grown up. The second
section moves back in time to when the siblings are growing up and is told primarily
from Bim's point of view. The third section takes place even further back in time,
when the brothers and sisters are even younger, as children, growing up in their home.
Finally, the fourth section goes forward in time, back to where the novel began, and is
told equally from the points of view of Tara and Bim. This structure is very
appropriate for the telling of this story because it gives the reader a full understanding of each
of the characters, which would not have been possible if the story had been
told in first person, from the point of view of only one character. Instead, the structure
allows the reader to relate and understand the novel's two main characters, Tara and
Bim, which leads to a conclusion that culminates with the resolution of the
relationship between the two of them.