Summary
The next part of the book begins with the narrator recounting his grandmother's retirement ceremony. She gives an emotional speech and everyone speaks highly of her. In the days and weeks following her retirement, she struggles to find meaning in her daily life. She starts going back to the school constantly, which bothers the principal and other teachers. The narrator notices that she no longer takes any interest in the events of his day or his parents'.
He flashes in back in time briefly and describes his grandmother Th'amma's childhood in Dhaka. She grew up in a crowded, strict household with a stern and commanding father who died when she was young. His oldest son, Jethamoshai, stepped in to fill the void but could not quite manage the family. He was frequently temperamental and would fly into a rage, but then immediately regret it and buy the younger children small gifts in secret. Eventually the family succumbed to vicious infighting and the house had to be divided. Still, the narrator's grandmother managed to have a cordial relationship with her aunt, arranging multiple weddings, including Mayadebi's marriage to Shaheb. She eventually married a railway engineer who died very young. After this, she took a teaching position in Calcutta and left Dhaka behind for many years.
The narrator says that to fill her time, his grandmother eventually started taking walks by a lake near their home. One day, the narrator says, his father came home after a particularly stressful time at work. His attempts to relax are interrupted when the narrator's grandmother by talks about a fateful encounter she had on her walk. She informs him that one of her family members is still alive and living nearby. The whole family is surprised by the warmth and animation she displays as she talks about him. She demands that they go see him and try to learn more. The narrator's father is reluctant initially, but eventually acquiesces to her demands.
A driver arrives at their door and when asked about the relative, says that they are deceased. The narrator's grandmother insists that they go anyway. The narrator's father is nervous, as the area is clearly very economically depressed and potentially dangerous. The narrator notes that this is the sort of neighborhood his middle-class family constantly warns him he could fall into if he does not work hard enough. They talk with the widow of the man they were going to visit and she reveals that his father, Th'amma's uncle, is still alive. The narrator's grandmother says that he must be brought back, while also ignoring the obvious suffering of the widow.
The narrator then describes a letter that Tridib sent to May, showing its impact on her, while also narrating the events of the letter itself. Tridib talks about a time he saw a woman walking her dog. A man comes up to her and begins to speak with her. They eventually embrace and have sex inside a house with was damaged by a bomb. Tridib sees this happen through a hole in the wall and describes it in vivid detail. May is scandalized but also overwhelmed by the letter, so much so that she finds herself unable to focus during a conversation with a clarinetist in her rehearsal group.
The narrator moves forward in time and returns to Calcutta, describing his father's enjoyment of giving good news. In this particular scene, his father returns home and informs the family that Shaheb has received a major promotion at work and will now be posted in Dhaka. The narrator's grandmother is initially incredulous, and she thinks that Shaheb is unimpressive and weak. However, her feelings quickly shift when she is told that they can go visit them. She realizes this is her chance to go home for the first time in a very long time. They begin making travel arrangements and the narrator tells his grandmother what the experience of flying is like.
The narrator jumps forward in time once again and describes Ila and Nick's wedding. He arrives late, losing track of time after having a beer at the pub. The event is obviously painful for him. He spends most of his time talking to May. He drinks heavily, falls asleep, and is woken up by her at the end of the evening. They travel home together and he makes multiple sexual advances toward her, which she rebuffs. The next morning he wakes up and apologizes profusely for his behavior. She accepts his apologies and leaves to go shopping.
Analysis
This section once again returns to the theme of family. Beginning with a summary of the narrator's grandmother's family backstory, this part of the book deals with her fixation on returning to the people she was separated from. After hearing about her uncle, the narrator's grandmother becomes extremely focused on bringing him home from Dhaka. The novel frames this aspect of her character in an interesting way, as it shows that she values some of her family members highly, while also highlighting her myopic viewpoint on what family means. She cares deeply about her uncle, who she only distantly remembers, but shows absolutely no concern for her cousin's widow. Like her ideas about her country, her view of family is largely constructed around her imagined ideals and not actual reality. She leaves no room for disagreement or alternative points of view.
The idea of nationalism also reappears here, in the way that the grandmother is determined to "rescue" her uncle from Dhaka. Her view of his circumstances as tragic belies her belief that Calcutta is far superior and that it is where their family truly belongs. This ultimately seems very divorced from reality, as the speaker notes that she herself is from Dhaka and left largely because of economic and political circumstances. In this way he shows that her vision of India is largely based on her beliefs, going so far as to call it her "imagined country." This proves to be particularly tragic as her determination to bring her uncle back from Dhaka will prove to have horrible consequences.
Love also continues to be a major theme here, as the narrator is distraught over Ila's wedding to Nick. May tries to provide him with some comfort, but he quickly begins to harass her, seeming to displace his romantic and sexual feelings for Ila onto her in a disturbing manner. This moment, along with the scene about Tridib's letter, appears to portray the danger of desire, as they both show how people can be overcome with emotion in a way that is harmful to them. They also function in contrast to each other, as one shows the beginning of a potentially loving relationship while the other shows an instance of upsetting and unwanted physical contact.
Class is another major thread in these scenes, particularly in the moment when the narrator's family visits the impoverished neighborhood. The narrator notes that this is exactly the kind of place that his mother warns him not to fall into. She admonishes him about working hard because the alternative is that he will be trapped in this setting otherwise. This comment reflects the class prejudice and anxiety that he grew up surrounded by, underlining his parents' persistent concerns about sliding backward in the social world. He notes that he "looks away" from the scene, because he neither wants to acknowledge it nor to make the people living in it feel scorn or shame. As a member of the middle class, the narrator is asked to ignore these economic circumstances while also doing everything he can to avoid them.
This section also examines the fulfillment of roles and responsibilities, both within the family and at work. The narrator says his grandmother's dislike of Shaheb comes from the fact that she believes him to be incapable of doing his job, making important decisions, and being a good husband. She is well aware of the fact that his wife handles all of their family matters and essentially salvaged his career with their family connections. She finds this behavior deeply unappealing, and because of it she does not respect him. As the narrator explains it, her opinions about family appear to be significantly informed by her belief that everyone has obligations to fulfill and that failing to do so is deeply shameful. It also reflects her opinions about nationalism and violence. The narrator comments that she believes men should know how and when to employ controlled, decisive acts of violence. She admires this quality in Robi and the student from university who was arrested. However, she finds Shaheb lacking this quality and this makes him less of a man in her eyes.
