A Deserving Durwan
After reading Jhumpa Lahiri’s “A Real Durwan,” I noticed that the contrast between the character of Boori Ma and the tenants of the apartment was similar to a theme of genuineness vs. phoniness we had see before. In the likes of Salinger especially, we covered the topic of the purity and genuineness of youth compared to the fake and materialistic world of adulthood. While this story didn’t share the age gap, in my perspective, Boori Ma embodied such ideas of genuine emotion, morals, and family values, while the apartment members were much more fake in their interactions with her and the occurrence of the new basin.
At the beginning of the story, it seemed like Boori Ma had a very strong and real connection with the members in her community. While her stories were somewhat far fetched, it seemed like the people embraced her role as a cleaner and “gatekeeper” of the small town, and respected her place in society. Boori Ma herself was content with such role and “honored the responsibility, and maintained a vigil no less punctilious than if she were the gatekeeper of a house on Lower Circular Road, or Jodhpur Park, or any other fancy neighborhood.” Both sides were satisfied with the relationship, and people largely ignored her stories, agreeing that there might have a grain of truth or that it was just her way of living. However, as the story progressed, it was clear these intentions of friendship and community were only partially real. As soon as the basin arrived, the prominence of the tenants’ materialistic desires came apparent and their attention was directed towards this beautiful new contraption. As soon as Boori Ma showed even the slightest bit of suspicion in respect to the robbery of such basin, she was kicked out and shunned for her “betrayal.”
For me, the complete switch in perspective goes to show the true intent of the tenants. They cared not about Boori Ma or her character, but about what she brought to the community and what she did for them. As soon as something superficial was introduced into the scene, their attention was completely diverted. Boori Ma herself embodied the values of family as her stories displayed her connection to her previous family and her actions proved to be for the better of the community (and not just herself). The contrast in character became evident at the ending of the story, but it could be seen throughout the majority of the second half as well. When the basin arrived, the tenants began to think about how they might improve the decor of the building and sold their family heirlooms and possessions, things that held value to a family, for temporary gain. In the end, it is only a greater blow to Boori Ma when she literally loses her life savings at the marketplace, a place of materialistic consumerism. When she comes home after a very sad ordeal, she is greeted by aggressive accusations and an undeserved outcome.
At the beginning of the story, it seemed like Boori Ma had a very strong and real connection with the members in her community. While her stories were somewhat far fetched, it seemed like the people embraced her role as a cleaner and “gatekeeper” of the small town, and respected her place in society. Boori Ma herself was content with such role and “honored the responsibility, and maintained a vigil no less punctilious than if she were the gatekeeper of a house on Lower Circular Road, or Jodhpur Park, or any other fancy neighborhood.” Both sides were satisfied with the relationship, and people largely ignored her stories, agreeing that there might have a grain of truth or that it was just her way of living. However, as the story progressed, it was clear these intentions of friendship and community were only partially real. As soon as the basin arrived, the prominence of the tenants’ materialistic desires came apparent and their attention was directed towards this beautiful new contraption. As soon as Boori Ma showed even the slightest bit of suspicion in respect to the robbery of such basin, she was kicked out and shunned for her “betrayal.”
For me, the complete switch in perspective goes to show the true intent of the tenants. They cared not about Boori Ma or her character, but about what she brought to the community and what she did for them. As soon as something superficial was introduced into the scene, their attention was completely diverted. Boori Ma herself embodied the values of family as her stories displayed her connection to her previous family and her actions proved to be for the better of the community (and not just herself). The contrast in character became evident at the ending of the story, but it could be seen throughout the majority of the second half as well. When the basin arrived, the tenants began to think about how they might improve the decor of the building and sold their family heirlooms and possessions, things that held value to a family, for temporary gain. In the end, it is only a greater blow to Boori Ma when she literally loses her life savings at the marketplace, a place of materialistic consumerism. When she comes home after a very sad ordeal, she is greeted by aggressive accusations and an undeserved outcome.
I agree that the theme of greed and materialism play a large role in "A Real Durwan."The tenants of the apartment didn't really care for Boori Ma as a person. They only like her because of the work she did for the apartment. When the basin is stolen, the tenants get angry and kick her out, even though it wasn't her fault.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I like how you made a comparison to Salinger, and I agree that the residents ended up focusing too much on material goods for their building. One thing that I found interesting was that in the story, it was mentioned how the residents liked how Boori Ma kept the outside world out (or something like that). But at the end, they're bringing all these workers in and trying to get all these outside things. Also, I think it's very insightful to notice how that Boori Ma loses her life savings at the market, which, as you say, is a place of materialistic consumerism.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really cool concept that you bring up. I like the theme of genuineness vs phoniness and how different aspects of the story tie into each. I'm curious as to which you think "wins" in this case then. It is as though Lahiri is trying to say something about how people each characteristic and how it should be as opposed to how it is. This blog post also kind of reminded me of Lindsay's in that you both touch base on how technology is associated with greed and superficiality. Great post!
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