Clear Light of Day Essay Questions

How do feminist themes color the story of Clear Light of Day?

The primary protagonists in Clear Light of Day are Bim and Tara, sisters who seem to be worlds apart. While Bim is rebellious and yearns to be a ‘heroine’ someday, Tara is timid and is happy to be a ‘mother’ when she grows up. The book focuses on the individual dynamics between the characters but also comments on the situation of women as a whole. Bim often gets defensive of her spinster status, and more than once taunts Tara for her supposedly easy choice of life. Tara is not a complete doormat, but her life is very traditional in terms of gender relations and expectations.

The two sisters grew watching their brother, Raja, getting preferential treatment; Bim, in particular, was frustrated with this. She refuses to get married because she does not see how it will improve her life, and decides she will be independent, teach, and make her own choices. Desai also offers feminist commentary with the comparison of Bim and the Misra sisters: like Bim, they are teachers and providers of their household, but they are not strong enough to speak up against their exploitative brothers.

Does Bim’s character want to escape in the same way Tara and Raja did? Why/ why not?

It is very obvious that Raja and Tara want to escape the Das household: Raja strains under the yoke of his family, religious obligations, and the repression of his intellectual and romantic aims. As soon as he heals from his sickness, he leaves the house to emulate the life of Hyder Ali, his idol. Tara also finds her household stifling and harsh. She and Bim do not get along well, Aunt Mira and Baba are difficult, and she dreams of a husband and a family. As soon as she meets Bakul she is gone. Bim, though, makes a point of remaining in the Das home and taking care of the remaining family. She does not marry, she does not travel, and she teaches local girls who come to her house. She is snide regarding Tara's "cosmopolitanism" and her travels, and she seems more or less content to live as she always has. However, even if Bim is happy with some of the choices she made, she does seem to yearn for an escape in other ways. She wants to escape the past and its hold on her; she wants to improve her relationship with Raja; she wants to open herself up to change and peace. Her escape, then, is not physical but rather mental/emotional.

How does the historical setting of the novel influence its narrative?

The plot of Clear Light of Day jumps between several decades, the climactic actions set in 1947 during the Partition of India. Although the siblings, due to their religion and location, are not directly affected, the Partition puts the wheels in motion for everyone. Wary of communal tension, Hyder Ali, landlord and neighbor of the Das family, retreats to Hyderabad. Raja follows him because he idolizes him, and later marries his daughter. Bim looks upon this act as a betrayal to his family and begins to hold a grudge against him. She turns reclusive and subsequently, a rift occurs between her and Tara. The Partition of India also superimposes the theme of separation as a symbol for the drift that has occurred between siblings who were once close to each other.

How does the novel's title relate to and inform its story?

Desai frequently uses imagery of light and dark in the work. She describes the house and the well primarily in terms of darkness: dusty, stagnant, deep, oily, dismal, shabby, etc. Obfuscation and gloom characterize the past as well, especially for Bim. She can only see things through certain lenses and will not allow the light of clarity to shine in one her and show her that some of her grievances and prejudices are misleading or harmful. At the very end of the novel when Bim has her epiphany, Desai writes, "Although it was shadowy and dark, Bim could see as well by the clear light of day that she felt only love and yearning for them all" (165). Desai interweaves the image of actual dark, as in the night, and metaphorical light, as in Bim's realization of how much she loves her family. Thus, the title refers to Bim's sloughing off of the weight of her past and her embrace of clarity and peace.

Why does Bim become so upset at Dr. Biswas's characterization of her when she does indeed spend time taking care of her family, as he suggests?

Bim feels woefully misunderstands when Dr. Biswas lauds what he perceives as her sacrificing nature. For Bim, she is not simply choosing to give up on life and devote herself to serving others. She isn't exiling herself or taking on the role of a martyr. Rather, Bim is consciously making the decision to stay in the Das household, take care of her aunt and her brother, not marry, and pursue an education. Certainly some aspects of this situation are feminine in their attributes, but Bim is making choices that are authentically her and she does not wish to be seen as a stereotypical, self-sacrificing woman. Biswas is only being ignorant and condescending in his depiction of her.