Sherry's Writing Portfolio

Essay Draft Two

Sherry Yan
May 13, 2007
Draft Two

Title

The Grass-Eaters by Krishnan Varma, an Indian writer, is a short story written in 1985. Varma tended to focus on the life of the poorest in India of the contemporary time. In The Grass-Eaters, Varma narrated an amusing and absurd experience of Ajit Babu and his wife Swapna, a poor couple in the lowest social caste, who shifted from place to place in order to look for somewhere inhabitable. When telling the story, Varma adopted a genre of black humor in depicting the dire life of the poorest. His accomplished mastering of black humor as well as words and phrases maximizes the integral artistic effect, arousing great amounts of laughter, which then leaves so deep an impression on the readers.

However, despite the fact that I really enjoy the intense amusement brought by the well-elaborated absurd descriptions, I hold such a view that the reason why The Grass-Eaters is so profound and impressive is that the black humor in the story evokes much reflection between the lines besides mere laughter. Many humorous descriptions of the story often arouse many questions in readers besides mere laughter, which are accompanied by much contemplation concerned. Amusement in the black humor does bring much laughter, but it is rather the reflection it evokes that guides readers deep into the real desperate life of the poorest in India and to the social issues veiled by the letter of the story, which renders the whole article more profound and impressive.

Firstly, much employment of black humor in The Grass-Eaters induces readers to imagine the ridiculous scene, which to much extent matches the real dire life of the poorest and provokes much contemplation. Rather than straightly describe the horrible life of the poorest, Vamma carries it out in a humorous way through the talk or the psychological activity of the couple, evoking much pondering and imagination. Through imagining the scenes, readers paint the miserable life of the poorest themselves and are inclined to be deeply impressed by the appalling misery behind amusement.

Much reality of the life of the poorest is conveyed in this way to the readers. For example, Ajit once proposes several suggestions of somewhere to live for Swapna, in which the living status and economic predicament of the couple is conveyed:

"She firmly rejected all my suggestions: the railway station platform (too many residents); a little-used overbridge (she was not a kite to live so high above the ground); a water tank that had fallen down and was empty (Did I think that she was a frog?)." (57)

Laughter is easily aroused by these amusing suggestions and further invited by the explanations in parentheses. Imagining the all these places, most common readers nowadays might find them incredible as abodes, however, besides laughter, readers can easily get the implication that these seemingly incredible abodes might be some kind of quite nice lodges for the couple; otherwise Ajit would not list them as some suggestions for Swapna. If there really exists some advantage in the absurd living places, then what can be easily concluded is likely to fall on the common ground of these almost uninhabitable places—"free of charge". Such imagination and reflection leads the readers deep into the miserable life of the poorest. Since the poorest Indians are so penniless that they cannot afford the rent of almost anywhere inhabitable, they have to find some place comparatively suitable for human residence based on the imperative foundation of completely free of charge. The couple in the story perfectly typifies those poorest in the most severe predicament. In their search for a lodge, Swapna insists on somewhere relatively spacious and close, which induces Ajit's suggestion of an overbridge and a tank. On seeing these seemingly inconceivably absurd suggestions, readers are apt to feel it complicated at the imagination aroused by them. However, it is due to the contradiction between the impulse to laugh and to woe that they walk step by step closer to the real life of the poorest.

One of the most amusing and descriptions of the story evokes much imagination and provokes reflection on the clothing of the couple. Ajit narrates that what he and Swapna dress like this: "I make do with a loin cloth and Swapna with a piece slightly wider to save our few threadbare clothes from further wear and tear. I can spare little from my pension for new clothes." (58) Amusing words sketch an absurd scene in front of readers, evoking much laughter which is followed by lamentation of the same amount, since imagination of the couple's dressing engraves such a horrible living status on people's mind that the couple are so poor that they can hardly afford covering their naked body. What's more worth pondering is the description after this narration that invites much imagination:

"Swapna finds it very embarrassing to be in my presence in broad daylight so meagerly clad and so contrives to keep her back turned to me. Like a chimp in the sulks, I am fed up with seeing her backside and tell her that she has nothing that I have not seen. But she is adamant; she will not turn around." (58)

Readers are likely to burst into laughter when coming across this extremely amusing scene. But what's more touching in this description is not the amusement aroused but the sorrow evoked. Since it is too tough for the couple to keep adequate clothing on them, such woeful farce ensues. Possibly readers may even imagine themselves as Ajit and may wonder what they may feel if they have to face wife's back everyday in the daytime merely because being too poor to buy some clothes. Lots of imagination like this not only reveals to the readers the extreme shortage in economy of the couple that they really cannot afford much clothing except a strip of cloth, but also a real life of the poorest, soaked with impoverishment and misery.

What's especially striking is the last sentence of this paragraph: "After nightfall, however, she relents: we are both nightblind." (58) Readers are easily amused at such a turning point after so intense a stalemate, since they may have never thought of such a solution as "being nightblind". But after laughter, curiosity naturally grasps them. Is "nightblind" merely an exaggerative expression of Varma, or is it indeed the fact? Associating with all the miserable scenes imagined above, readers may prefer the latter. It's highly likely to be true that the couple are indeed nightblind, and the reason might be the malnutrition caused by too less food, which then results in the lack of vitamin A, the pathological cause of nightblind. Through imagination and pondering, readers may involuntarily reveal such a fact that despite the superficial optimism of Ajit, the health of him and Swapna has already declined, causing much inconvenience in their daily life. However, they have to struggle to live on regardless of all these handicaps. Contemplation over these issues impresses readers much more intensely than the laughter the absurdity evokes, especially when through imagination, readers may find out that the handicap resulted from poverty has already induced many disadvantages that can never be compensated for by mere optimism.

The shortage of food of the couple is conveyed through a similar thought-provoking turning point in the following part of the story, which explains the title of the article—"The Grass-Eaters". "Grass is our staple food now: a mound of green grass boiled with green peppers and salt, and a few ladles of very thin rice gruel." (58) Laughing through this narration, some complicated feeling arises in imagining the couple chewing grass. What unfolds in front of the readers is the woeful fact that the couple can afford almost no food because of poverty that they have to turn to wild meadows that are gratuitous. Now all the imaginary scenes piece together and compose a real and dire life: they live where is generally deemed uninhabitable, dress themselves in strips of cloth generally regarded as unwearable and feed on bits of grass that common people consider inedible. Readers may feel amused at such absurdity, but it's the imagination and contemplation that leaves truly deep impression of the freakish life of the couple.

Actually the life of the poorest in India of that time is just like what is pondered above. Their lives consist of nothing but those related to deaths. Their lives are so horrible that today people may take it for granted that such living standard cannot be better described other than "absurd". Tactfully Varma wove the true life of the poorest through the black humor, embroidering a monogram of "Absurdity" and "Desolation" on readers' minds.

Secondly, some of the humorous depictions in the story attract readers to reflect on the possible cause of the incredible absurd behavior of the couple and to try analyzing the feeling of them as well as the posture they takes up. Such reflection and analyses assist readers to put themselves in the shoes of the couple to experience the miserable contentedness of them, thus arousing intense compassion and sorrow and help readers form a deep impression of the mood of the poorest, finally enhancing the appeal of the whole story.

What evokes much analysis and pondering is the couple's attitude to different domiciles and their feeling about them. In the story the couple shifts several times from one place to another to look for a residence. The following quotes describe what they think and experience in one of these lodges, which actually refers to an abandoned-looking freight wagon they discovers accidentally at the railway terminus. Varma narrates it in such humor:

"A whole wagon to ourselves—a place with doors which could be opened and shut—we did nothing but open and shut them for a full hour—all the privacy a man and wife could want—no fear of waking up with a complete stranger in your arms... it was heaven. I felt I was god." (57)

The humorous description paints such a scene vividly: a couple of a man and a woman keep opening and shutting the gate of a wagon for a whole day with brilliant grin from ear to ear, which is so funny that it might be rated as one of the world's most ridiculous scenes. However, readers may come up with some doubts at the same time: why are the couple in such high spirits when they find this deserted wagon? Merely for it has six facets and can be shut? Isn't it very common that people live somewhere that can be closed? More doubts and reflection come up in the following paragraph which tells about their shifting for a new home again.

"If I tried to persuade her to change her mind, pointing out all the advantages of living in a wagon—four walls, a roof and door absolutely free of charge, and complete freedom to make love day or night—she still sniveled." (57)

Readers may easily discover some obvious contradictions between the conception of the couple and the conventional notions, which thus lead to the absurdity. Most people may regard an abandoned-looking freight as so strange and uninhabitable an abode, however, the couple seem to have a crush on it at the very first sight and regard it as the most invaluable treasure. When they find it unoccupied, they wax so raptured that they keep opening and shutting the gate for a whole day, however，it cannot be commoner for a house to have a door, or in most cases several doors. When persuading Swapna, Ajit even cites "four walls, a roof and door" as the advantages of a wagon, but the fact is that nowadays most people consider these components most basic and integral parts of an abode. On the issue of a living place, it is apparent that what ordinary people consider most common is deemed as most precious by the couple. Such strong contradiction and sharp contrast are surely more than mere laughing stock that they render readers to try analyzing what lies below these literal amusements. One of the most reasonable answers to all the above doubts is that: perhaps the couple has hardly ever inhabited somewhere with a real door and rarely has the chance to live in an abode with four walls and a roof, which indicates an unbelievably dire living state of the couple. Standing on the ground of the couples, readers may feel the ecstasy at the sight of a deserted wagon really understandable on the basis of the above analyses and reflection. Furthermore, they may experience a more intense feeling of helplessness hidden below the superficial exhilaration, which is more striking than the amusement engendered by the absurdity.

The misery of exhilarating at a new living place repeats several times in the whole story. When finally Ajit decides to live on a roof, he accomplishes the new lodge in the following way:

"It's not bad as it sounds. The roof is flat, not gabled, and it is made of cement concrete, not corrugated iron sheets. The rent is far less than that of other tenants below us..." (58)

"We have far more light and ventilation than they. We don't get nibbled by rats and mice and rodents as often as they do. And our son, Prodeep, has far more room to play than the children below." (58)

Reading through all these humorous mental descriptions, readers may experience a mixed feeling of amusement first and lamentation ensuing. The miserable life of the poor couple is thus rendered extremely potent and impressive since the readers don't get it through reading the descriptions of misery, but through self-reflection and analyzing the absurdity. This process of analysis is just like working on a problem. It's undoubtedly more impressive if you work the answer out than merely read through the key provided. All these analyses and reflection contribute to readers' understanding the true feeling covered by amusement and induces intense compassion. The reason why couple take up such a low standard of living place is likely to be their adoption to the dire living status. Readers may feel a subdued sense of helplessness hidden behind the woeful content, strong compassion ensuing. Their living environment being so severe and hostile, in order to live on, the helpless couple have no choice, but to adjust themselves to it and to appear content for self-consolence.

Another striking part that arouses much sympathy lies approximate to the end of the story. The tenant below Ajit comes out with a theory that if one reduces one's food by five grams everyday, one will not sense the diminution and some day later, one can live without consuming any food at all. The tenant practiced the theory and the result is described in the following way. "He can get around, however badly he totters, because he has two legs; but I have only one. I lost the other after a fall from the roof of a tram." (58) After nightblindness, another handicap, mutilation, is revealed in this paragraph. Serving the same function as an absurd and dramatic turning point as that of "nightblindness", it meanwhile largely enhances the readers' the compassion for the couple. It is through analyzing their woefully freakish content that readers feel chokingly besieged by intense lamentation and deep sympathy. Such strong resonance reaches the climax in the posture that Ajit takes upon being disabled: "I don't mind my handicap at all; I need wear only one sandal and thereby save on footwear." Just like Ajit's former claim that he doesn't feel living on a roof quite bad, here his sorrow has been transformed into a desperate optimism enveloping a soul of despair, all of which can never be experienced by merely laughing at the absurd scenes, but can only be understood by analyzing and reflecting on all the desperate absurdity.

In the whole story, Varma did't directly narrate the awful living status of the poorest, but the analyses and reflection evoked by the black humor attains the same effect of straight narration, and more probably, they effect more intensely than direct narration. Interlaced amusement and analyses gradually guide readers down the stairs flight by flight and finally deep into the innermost feeling of the poorest of that time, calling up great compassion as well as lamentation.

Thirdly, many expressions scattered around in this story are modified in a well-elaborated way of black humor, evoking much association of the social environment. Such associations help readers to further approach the status quo ante of the poorest and the whole social background as well, which thereby guide readers to reflect on the morbidity of the contemporary society and the very crux that give rise to all the absurdity. All these associations and reflection unfold to the readers the profoundness contained in this short humorous story, The Grass-Eaters.

Actually such invitation to association has been elaborately arranged from the very beginning of the story. In the first several paragraphs, Ajit recalls a tutoring experience several years ago. The student is "a spherical boy" (56) with his father portrayed as an "ovoid father" and his mother modified as a "cuboid" (56) woman. Laconic as the humorous description is, it not only successfully creates an amusing atmosphere, but also vividly embodies the characters of the family members, imposing a deep impression on the readers. However something more impressive may loom in readers' mind when they continue reading. In the following paragraphs, Ajit introduces the first abode of he and his wife, which is a footpath crammed with residents, refugees and locals. On a cold evening, Ajit wakes up only to find that the one lies beside him is not his wife Swapna but an elderly lady, which is expressed by Varma as "a bag of bones" (56). Associating "a bag of bones" with the above mentioned "spherical", "ovoid" and "cuboid" quite naturally, readers are inclined to feel strongly amused at the sharp and humorous contrast. Much laughter is invited when the readers imagine the profiles of these characters according to the geometrical shapes and "a bag of bones". What's more, readers may come up with some reflection at the meanwhile of laughing.

When carefully staring up and down the imaginary figures of the family members and the old lady, readers may wonder involuntarily why the figures of the former seem so convex, plump and huge, while that of the latter appears so concave, skeletony and diminutive? Associate the question with the context, it is easy to find that the family is quite better-off that they can afford employing a tutor, possibly representing the bourgeoisie, while the old lady is an inhabitant of the crowded footpath, which is typical of the poorest in India. Thinking of this, readers may easily realize a more important reason why Varma described the figures in such sharp contrast. Aren't their figures characteristic of their classes, which simultaneously embody their living status? Middle class live a well-off life, enjoying abundant food and spacious housing, which may be the primary reason why they appear in plump figure. The poorest assuming such a haggard appearance, it may be beyond imagination what a horrible life they have to live. Maybe in their lives, not only is food and living space so miserably meagre, so it is with every resource. What emerges in front of the readers is the sharp contrast between different castes, displaying the severe social disequilibrium in India in the middle of the 20th century

A more thought-provoking point lies where arouses enormous laughter. When Ajit proposes to Swapna that they may live in a tank, such a whimsy pops up in his mind: "Did I think that she was a frog?" Amused at so ridiculous a metaphor, readers may intensely feel Swapna and frog especially incomparable except for the similar habitat—"a water tank that had fallen down and was empty". It seems that besides Swapna's urgent need for a place to live, nothing else in her can leave an impression on Ajit and that her strong desire for a stationary home is the only characteristic in Ajit's mind. Actually, to some extent, this conjure hints the real status of the poorest of the contemporary time. In Indian society of that age, people of the lowest hierarchy owns nothing except for their own life, neither does the society offer any aid to them. Thus the only target of them is to maintain their lives with all their effort through looking for food and water, for some place to live and something to cover their naked body in chilly days, the entity of which occupies all their attention that anything else just means nothing to them. Maybe in Ajit's mind, everything else in Swapna turns out to be insignificant, while only her request for a stationary home makes sense, since housing is something that matters in their living on. If all the other characteristics of Swapna can be neglected, she can really be compared to a frog in terms of living in a water tank, thus it's possible that Swapna does equal a frog in Ajit's mind. In association of what kind of life people live in India then, readers may gradually weave up a clearer scene of the contemporary society, in which the poor are actually equal to animals.

The guidance of associating and reflecting on the contemporary society is stressed by the following paragraphs. Occasionally, the couple comes upon a cement concrete pipe left over from long-age repairs to underground mains. "Unbelievably, it was not occupied and, with no prompting from me, she crept into it." (58) The spontaneous reaction of Swapna to some degree proves that in her mind, the only thing matters is also a stationary home, except which she has no more energy in considering anything else. Besides, the description that "Unbelievably, it was not occupied..." also arouses contemplation in readers in addition to amusement. The word "unbelievably" clearly indicates that such a pipe should have been occupied by someone else, implying that the deserted pipe is quite an appealing residence for many poor. Readers may find such idea ridiculous at first, but after laughter, they may find themselves sunk in deeper thoughts. Isn't it a horrible society if people live so miserable a life that they can't favor a pipe more as an ideal home? Varma never shouts these exclamations out directly in his writing, but he successfully evokes them by his exaggerative descriptions spiced by black humor, evoking oppressive associations and meditations.

The end of the story elevates the reflection to the highest level as well as the absurdity both in the life of the poorest and in the society of the age. The existence of the grass-eaters is summarized as the following:

"And now, we have no fears or anxieties. We have a home made of coal tar drums. We eat two square meals of grass every day. We don't need to wear clothes. We have a son to do our funeral rites when we die. We live very quietly, content to look at the passing scene: a tram burning, a man stabbing another man, a woman dropping her baby in a garbage bin." (59)

Readers may laugh at the conclusion, but what strikes more is the reflection it evokes. It is the reflection, the realization of the despair of the poorest that engraves the story of the grass-eaters on their mind. Such reflections come from the many doubts and associations that naturally arise around this summary of life: Do the couple really have no fears or anxieties? Do they really live very quietly? Do they really feel content when they witness the miserable passing scenes? What kind of society might be if arson, murder and abandonment are so flooding that people witness them so frequently? And most importantly, what on earth results in the morbid society as well as the dire and absurd life of the poorest? Boundary between truth and exaggeration becomes especially blurred here and maybe it is Varma's very intention to induce such bewilderment. What the answers turn out to be do not matter much now, what matters is process of reflection itself. At least in contemplation, readers can gradually understand what on earth this kind of quietude and content is in a desperate mood and what the dumbness to life caused by despair really is. No matter what is the real cause of the horrible life of the poorest, at least we can assert one point: something has been seriously wrong with this society and it urges remedy. Up till now, the readers have already stepped into the world of the poorest under the guide of Varma through their own inquiring, pondering and association, which can never be attained by mere amusement or laughter. Maybe we can understand the attraction of The Grass-Eaters in this way: the black humor brings much amusement and laughter to the reader, which appeals to them at first; while it is the reflection it evokes that elucidates the real despair of the poorest besides the direness of their lives, which gradually reveal the profound content of the humorous story on the morbidity of the contemporary India society. All above finally leaves an indelible impression on those who read and reflect all through this work.

Actually when I firstly started reading the story, I felt thoroughly amused at Varma's black humor, however, the further I proceeded in reading, the further I felt sunk in contemplation and shocked. When I finished the whole article, what impressed me most were those words that struck me strongly and arouse much contemplation rather than those that evoke most amusement. Thus I deem that the reason the reflection evoked by black humor between the lines plays an especially significant role in displaying the life of the poorest. Apart from this view, I also believe that besides revealing the true miserable life of the poorest, Varma also attempted to arouse some conscience in the multitudes in caring for the lowest class and in exploring the sticking point of the dire social environment as well as in rectifying the abnormal social status. Veiled by the amusement, the story requires much pondering and accordingly feedbacks more profound and deeper understanding not only in the dire life of the poorest and the horrible society of that time, but also in the status of the current time.

Work cited

Varma, Krishnan. "The Grass-Eaters" 1985. in The International Story: An Anthology with Guidelines for Reading and Writing about Fiction. Ruth Spack. New York: St. Martin's, 1994. 6-8.

24.5.07 03:15