Partition
Clear Light of Day is set during the India-Pakistan Partition of 1947. Although the lead characters are not directly involved in the event, the partition affects their lives in subsequent years. The characters live in Old Delhi, which could be considered as the better part of town, and thus they do not have to witness any violence of the partition; however, the Partition ends up dividing the family to an extent anyway. Raja moves to Hyderabad to follow his hero, Hyder Ali Khan Saheb; Tara marries out of desperation to leave her dysfunctional family; and Bim and Baba remain in a house full of ghosts of their childhood. It is also important that their separation is not a product of some grievous circumstance, but rather due to their choices. Their "partition" is self-inflicted.
Family
Clear Light of Day is primarily concerned with the Das family, but the Das siblings often compare their situation to that of other families such as the Alis and the Misras. Family is something from which one wants to escape, such as with Raja and Tara; something that exasperates, angers, and confuses; something that can be lacking, as with the Das parents; and something that can be unlike what you thought it would be, as with the close relationship between Aunt Mira and the siblings, Bim's closeness with Baba, and Bim and Tara's realization that they are more alike and love each more deeply than they'd thought. Family is one of the few sustaining things in times of duress, and even though it is not perfect, it is worth investing in. Desai suggests that family makes us who we are and that we should forgive those whom we love in order to achieve peace.
Adolescence
A major part of the book is dedicated to the early years of the Das siblings and to how that period shaped their current lives. While Bim and Raja as the eldest siblings were sure of themselves and ambitious, Tara and Baba were the least loved and grew up to be dependent—albeit in different ways— on others. The children were hardly ever cared for in their household, and so they constantly looked for affection from each other. Their experiences in adolescence were responsible for their future selves, including their oft-tense relations with each other. Raja, who was selfish and proud, becomes a rich, pompous man who is still trying to be the hero he idolized, Hyder Ali. Tara is constantly dependent on her husband and others to make decisions for her. Bim witnesses the degradation of her widowed aunt in her house and the limitations of marriage, and she decides to live a life of independence.
Escapism
The Das siblings are constantly trying to escape their immediate surroundings. This need is fuelled by the lack of attention they get from their parents. Raja starts inclining towards Islamic culture against his family’s wishes, Tara first seeks attention from Mira Masi and starts to spend more time with the Misra sisters, ultamtely marrying Bakul and leaving Old Delhi. Baba also tries to escape his immediate surroundings, albeit in a more unconscious manner, by constantly playing the same music on a loop. These three characters are propelled by the need to repress unpleasant memories of their childhood. Bim appears to be the only person who doesn’t want to escape her family. However, as the story progresses, one sees through chinks in Bim’s armor. She is constantly hurt by her siblings and needs to escape—this time, ironically, into the past.
Women's role in society
Bim and Tara are often compared to each other, and characters often express their opinion on one or the other based on their docility. While both sisters belong to the same surroundings, they derive their sentiments and motivations from different experiences. Bim is independent and strives for perfection, whereas Tara is an escapist and looks towards others for emotional support. The sisters are also deeply influenced by Mira Masi, their widowed aunt, and her struggles in the society, as well as the Misra sisters who despite being appropriately groomed are deserted by their husbands for not being educated. At certain points, Bim also compares herself with Raja and longs for the entitlement and the attention he gets for being a boy. Overall, Bim is able to transgress some gender boundaries but Desai is aware that 20th-century Indian culture is not one in which women have the same opportunities as men.
Memory and the Weight of the Past
The main characters in Clear Light of Day are constantly drawn into the past and memory. Indeed, Bim's current life is like a shrine to the past: the same house, the same routine, old papers kept, rooms never changing their decor. Bim dwells in the past in her mind as well, thinking on various grievances and memories that shaped her. Tara lives more in the present because she knows what letting in the past will do: weigh her down, make her feel as if she were sinking into the dark and scummy well. Nevertheless, Tara comes to see that some engagement with the past is necessary because it shaped her and because she needed to gain understanding and resolution to things that had haunted her. Bim, for her part, finally sees the danger in dwelling too much in the past, and releases some of her heavier, more noxious memories.
Forgiveness
One of Bim's major struggles in the novel is her inability to forgive Raja. She blames her ire towards him on the letter he wrote about being her landlord, but it is clear that her hurt stems from something deeper—something like Raja leaving the house and leaving Bim alone with the rest of the family, with whom she was not as close. Bim clings to her bitterness, believing it makes her powerful and incapable of being hurt again. However, by the end of the novel, Tara's visit has forced Bim to confront some of her own issues and to realize that her love of Raja is worth setting aside her grievance. She will accept him for who he is and will let him back into her life; her constant anger was only hurting her, rather than sustaining her. This decision to forgive was not made rashly or easily, but Bim's ability to get there reveals her to be a thoughtful, intelligent, and sympathetic character.
