i
ASPECTS OF POSTMODERNISM
OF THE SOCIAL CONDITION
DEPICTED IN BHARATI
MUKHERJEE’S
THE MANAGEMENT OF GRIEF
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
In English Letters
By
GAYUH PENDHIKA PRATAMA PUTRI
Student Number: 134214035
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
ii
ASPECTS OF POSTMODERNISM
OF THE SOCIAL CONDITION
DEPICTED IN BHARATI
MUKHERJEE’S
THE MANAGEMENT OF GRIEF
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
In English Letters
By
GAYUH PENDHIKA PRATAMA PUTRI
Student Number: 134214035
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
vii
“Religion is a cultural
composition
that
entails diverse elements: feeling, rite,
belief, myth, dogma.”
viii
I dedicate this work for people who are still
searching for freedom, who are still
searching for a voyage in life, who are still
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First of all, I would like to thank God Almighty who gives me the idea to
write this undergraduate thesis and whose revelation makes me understand that
the diversity is a beautiful and unique thing in this world as well as in fiction.
I also would like to thank Dr. Gabriel Fajar Sasmita Aji., M.Hum. who
showed me the steps and helped me solve the difficulties in the process of writing
the thesis. I would also like to thank Dra. A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A., Ph.D who gave
me useful advices in improving my writing.
My next gratitude is addressed to my parents, especially my mother for the
patience to support me whenever I feel weary. I also thank my family and my best
friends, who cannot be mentioned one by one, for giving me the spirit of love and
motivation, so that I can finish this thesis. I am also grateful to my friends in the
class 2013 English Letters Sanata Dharma University for the happy time and
experiences I have. I express my gratitude and love to all of you.
x
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH .. vi
MOTTO PAGE ... vii
A.The Depiction of the Setting in The Management of Grief ... 25
B.The Aspects of Postmodernism in the Settings ... 48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 56
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 59
APPENDICES ... 61
xi ABSTRACT
Gayuh Pendhika Pratama Putri. Aspects of Postmodernism of Social Condition
in Bharati Mukherjee’s The Management of Grief. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
In the plural society, diversity becomes a crucial problem. It is what happened in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief . To examine the problem, this undergraduate thesis applies the aspects of postmodernism. Postmodernism has aspects to discuss the problem through the way of communication in which the communication becomes an important thing in human life. The way of communication mentioned is legitimation and sublime in which the problems of society involved.
This undergraduate thesis attempts to show the aspects of postmodernism of the social condition depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. In order to be systematically organized, there are two problem formulations. The first is how the elements of setting are depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief, and the second is what the aspects of postmodernism of the social condition are found.
In gathering data, this undergraduate thesis requires library research to conduct. It uses both printed texts and website references. The primary source is a literary work written by Bharati Mukherjee, The Management of Grief. The secondary source is taken from cultural studies books, printed and website references.
xii ABSTRAK
Gayuh Pendhika Pratama Putri. Aspects of Postmodernism of Social Condition
in Bharati Mukherjee’s The Management of Grief. Yogyakarta: Department of
English Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2016.
Dalam masyarakat yang majemuk ini, keanekaragaman menjadi masalah yang rumit. Hal itulah yang terjadi di The Management of Grief karya Bharati Mukherjee. Oleh karena itu, untuk menggali masalah tersebut skripsi ini menggunakan aspek pasca modernisme yang berkaitan dengan gagasan permainan bahasa. Pasca modernisme memiliki aspek untuk menganalisis masalah melalui cara berkomunikasi karena komunikasi merupakan hal penting dalam kehidupan manusia. Cara berkomunikasi yang disebutkan dalam permainan bahasa yaitu legitimasi dan sublimedimana permasalahan sosial terlibat.
Skripsi ini mencoba untuk menunjukkan bahwa aspek-aspek pasca modernisme dari kondisi sosial digambarkan dalam The Management of Grief
karya Bharati Mukherjee menggambarkan aspek dari pasca modernisme. Agar terorganisir dengan baik, skripsi ini berpedoman pada dua rumusan masalah. Pertama, bagaimana setting digambaran dalam buku The Management of Grief
karya Bharati Mukherjee, dan yang kedua yaitu apa saja yang menjadi aspek dari pasca modernisme dalam kondisi sosial berdasarkan setting yang digambaran dalam buku The Management of Grief karya Bharati Mukherjee.
Dalam pengumpulan data, skripsi ini menggunakan metode pustaka. Skripsi ini menggunakan referensi teks tertulis dan website. Sumber utama dalam skripsi ini adalah karya sastra yang ditulis oleh Bharati Mukherjee, yaitu The Management of Grief karena skripsi ini merupakan pembelajaran literasi dengan pendekatan pasca modernisme. Sumber lainnya diambil dari buku, teks tertulis, dan website tentang budaya.
Dalam dasar menelaah isu pasca modern dalam The Management of Grief,
skripsi ini mencoba untuk menunjukkan bahwa apa yang terjadi di masyarakat dalam cerita tersebut adalah aspek-aspek pascamodernism dari kondisi sosial. Kondisi sosial dalam cerita tersebut digambarkan melalui elemen-elemen setting,
1 CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A.Background of the Study
Interaction and communication are two important things in human life.
Those are necessary due to human‟s different facts, such as faith, opinion,
attitude, the way of thinking, or custom they might face in the society. These
phenomena show that people in this world, actually, try to exist. Thus, people
want to be considered in society by all the various things they have.
The phenomena of the various things, such as different customs, religions,
and nations, are shown in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. This short story tells about how people face and manage griefs. The griefs
were caused by the Sikh terrorist bombing of Air India Flight 182. It was an
actual accident occured on June 23, 1985, which killed 329 passangers and
crews. This story depicted griefs of Shaila Bhave, Kusum, Dr. Ranganathan,
and Indo-Canadian immigrants who were from different cultures and nations.
The accident made them realize to support and respect each other.
Bhave is an immigrant who lives in Canada. She faces the fate by losing
her husband and two sons. As an Indian, she has forms of grief which are
specific to her culture. She regrets losing her husband because she never
called her husband‟s name and showed her love to her husband as Western
people do. In her grief, she is helped and supported by the Sharmas and
friends from Indo-Canada Society. However, when Bhave is in a grief, Judith
Bhave‟s help to communicate with people who are also in a grief. It is
because Templeton thinks Bhave is a strong person to communicate with the
other survivors.
In facing the grief, Bhave has new relatives who are Kusum and Dr.
Ranganathan. Even though they have lost their relatives, they give motivation
to each other. Besides, this story tells how people show their care without
seeing the diversity. The way of it can be viewed through either two
perspectives which is modernism or postmodernism.
In modernism, it shows the condition concerning a set of cultural and
aesthetic. Besides, it develops in conscious opposition to classicism in which
it emphasizes the truth behind surface appearance.
Sarup (1993: 131) argues that
Modernism concerns a particular set of cultural or aesthetic styles associated with the artistic movement which originated around the turn of the century and have dominated the various arts until recently. Modernism developed in conscious opposition to classicism; it emphasized experimentation and the aim of finding an inner truth behind surface structure.
In other words, modernism had led human beings to the condition in which
there is a social differentiation. It means that there is a distinction of the fact
and value, and ethic and theory. Besides, modernism also has the features that
relate to the narrative and the condition of modernism itself. The basic
features of modernism is mentioned by Sarup (1993:131) that
of the notion of an integrated personality in favour of an emphasis upon the Freudian „split‟ subject.
In defining the condition of modernism, it also relates to the definition of
postmodernism in which one of problems in modernism appears in
postmodernism. In postmodernism, it suggests human beings about the
changes of the way of thinking towards the social condition they are facing.
The condition means that technologies and sciences serve a facility for human
beings to communicate without direct interaction.
Consequently, there are some effects later, such as communication
problem. Postmodernism attempts to have a new view for the condition of
technology and science. People do not only depend on them, but also know
how to use as the useful things.
Postmodernism sees the reality as a diversity, pluralism, fragmentation,
and skepticism. It means that postmodernism as the theory tries to show that
language games is a term to open the consciousness of perspectives to receive pluralism. It is because human beings use language in their activities to
express their thoughts, feelings, opinions, or idea. Barker (2004: 106-107)
said that
Language is important to an understanding of culture for two central and related reasons: first, language is the previleged medium in which cultural meanings are formed and communicated; and second, language is the primary means and medium through which we form knowledge about ourselves and the social world. Language forms the network by which we classify the world and make it meaningful, that is, cultural.
In postmodernism, to understand the social condition, it can be seen
communicate each other and understand the different knowledges. As the
result, the society can receive the pluralism as what postmodernism concerns.
By respecting the pluralism, people can reduce the conflict. As this era
shows, there are conflicts because of the diversity, such as religion and
cultural conflict. It is because this era is marked by the radicalism and
fundamentalism. People who live in the pluralism have to know how the
changing of the social condition is important.
The literary work criticizes a conflict or condition of society in this era is
Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. This story presents us how the aspects of postmodernism depicted through the social condition of the
characters which is the setting of event happens and facing their grief. They
show the condition of postmodern when they criticize the reaction of
government towards the conflict and the effects of that.
Besides, they use a language games as postmodernism said when they value the fate and live are from God. Another condition of postmodernism
depicted through this short story is the pluralism. Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief tells about how they facing the pluralism in the same place and solving the problem together without making another problem.
They have toleration for a grief.
In this case, setting is an important thing to be discussed because it is a
basic to prove and understand how unconventional setting is seen by the
aspects of postmodernism. Setting as an intrinsic element of literary work
Hence, this undergraduate thesis focuses more on setting and aspects of
postmodernism are depicted in the story.
B.Problem Formulation
1. How are the elements of setting depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief?
2. What are the aspects of postmodernism in the social condition depicted as
the setting in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief? C.Objectives of the Study
The point of this undergraduate thesis is to prove that the social condition
of the characters in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief represents aspects of postmodernism. In order to find the evidence of the condition of
postmodernism in the short story, problem formulation has to be formulated.
Based on the problem formulation, there are two objectives of study. The
objectives are: First, to depict setting in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. Second, to analyze aspects of postmodernism in setting depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. It is because this undergraduate thesis focuses on setting, and studies how the condition of the
story depicts aspects of postmodernism.
D.Definition of Terms
There are five terms should be explained, so that the title of this
undergraduate thesis becomes clear for the readers. They are social condition,
general, social condition is a term referring to a condition of the society. It is
usually related to geographical, political, economical, or social status.
Social is defined in (yourdictionary.com, September 19, 2016) as “of or
having to do with human beings living together as a group in a situation in
which their dealings with one another affect their common welfare: social
consciousness, social problems” whereas condition is defined in
(yourdictionary.com, September 19, 2016) as “Anything that modifies or
restricts the nature, existence, or occurrence of something else; external
circumstance or factor.”
The second term is postmodernism. Sarup (1993: 131) said that
Postmodernism is a name for a movement in advanced capitalist culture, particularly in the arts. There is a sense in which if one sees modernism as the culture of modernity, postmodernism is the culture of postmodernity. The term postmodernism originated among artists and critics in New York in the 1960s and was taken up by European theorists in the 1970s.
The term of postmodernism is also mentioned by Barker (2004: 156) that
“We may understand postmodernism to be a notion that refers us to questions
of culture and knowledge while the idea of postmodernity relates to historical
patterns of social organization.”
This undergraduate thesis uses the word „postmodernism‟ to refer to the
problem of culture and society. Thus, the questions of this undergraduate
thesis is not confined by the text, but it attempts to extend through the culture
„postmodernism‟ also includes to related terms, such as postmodern,
postmodernity, and postmodernist.
The third term is language games. Barker (2004: 108) said that
“The concept of a language games is strongly associated with the ordinary language philosophy of the „later‟ Wittgenstein, for whom the meaning of words derives from the usage in a complex network of relationships between signs, and not from some essential characteristic or referent. Thus meaning is contextual and relational; it depends on the relationships between words that have „family resemblances‟ and on specific utterances in the context of pragmatic narratives.”
This undergraduate thesis uses this term because it relates to the topic in
which language is an important to communicate in the society. Besides,
language games is related to postmodernism which uses language games
referring to the meaning of the context of words.
The fourth term is legitimation. This term is used because it is the way of
communication in the aspects of postmodernism which is discussed in this
study. As Lyotard (1984: 8) said that
Legitimation is the process by which a legislator is authorized to promulgate such a law as a norm. Now take the example of a scientific statement: it is subject to the rule that a statement must fulfill a given set of conditions in order to be accepted as scientific. In this case, legitimation is the process by which a “legislator” dealing with scientific discourse is authorized to prescribe the stated conditions (in general, the conditions of internal consistency and experimental verification) determining whether a statement is to be included in that discourse for consideration by the scientific community.
It means that legitimation is used by legislator in making rule in order to
fulfill a given set of conditions, so that, it is accepted as scientific. Then, the
fifth term is sublime. Lucy (1997: 35) said that
defined, sublime is an order of judgement. The sublime, as distinct from the beautiful or the horrible, is not to be found in nature, but in the mind. While the sublime is both „universally valid‟ and „independent of interest‟,the analytical process by which anything is judged to be sublime is a cultural ahievement, not a natural priori condition.
This undergraduate thesis uses this term because it is one of the aspects of
postmodernism which explains that communication is used to express
9 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
A.Review of Related Studies
Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief is a short story with religious and cultural theme overarching it. It descibes how immigrants who
lost their relatives, in terrorist bombing, face the grief with the various of
cultures and religions in their surroundings. To analyze this study, there are
some studies to consult in order to enrich any perspectives that important for
the study. The first study, written by Katleen Brogan, entitled “American
Stories of Cultural Haunting: Tales of Heirs and Ethnographers.” It deals
with Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief, as a short story, invoking ghosts to dramatize some points in the story. In its article (1995:
150), she mentioned that
In “The Management of Grief” (1989), Bharati Mukherjee invokes ghosts to dramatize the divided loyalties and ultimate transformation of immigrants to North America.
Brogan‟s study attempts to analyze how ghosts invokes in the short story
to dramatize the loyalties and ultimate transformation of immigrants who lost
their relatives. It also reflects a phenomenon concerning with the questions of
ethnic identity and transmission. Brogan (1995: 151) said that “Plainly, the
contemporary American ghost story is not solely an African-American
widespread concern with questions of ethnic identity and cultural
transmission.”
By concerning with the questions of ethnic identity and cultural
transmission through the ghosts, she can show the readers how story tells
about historical moments and emphasizes on ethnic and differentiation of race
in the society.
From the above quotations, Brogan considers ghosts as a key point to the
short story. Unlike this undergraduate thesis which focuses on cultures and
religions through social condition, Brogan‟s study focuses on ethnic and
differentiation race through the ghosts.
The second study is Mukherjee‟s stories of American transformations.
The title of study is “Looting American Culture: Bharati Mukherjee‟s
Immigrant Narratives” written by Jennifer Drake. This study attempts to
show how Mukherjee‟s stories create an unsettled time that links to the events
of everyday life so as to rethink American narratives of immigrants. Drake
(1999: 60) said that
Mukherjee's stories of American transforma- tions create an unsettled "time of writing" that links "the event of the everyday and the advent of the epochal" so as to rethink American narratives of immigration. In her tales, people and nations scatter and gather.
In that study, it attempts to show that Mukherjee, as an American writer,
attempts to show the struggle of immigrants and the imagination in social life.
The imagination as social practice and social fact link to fractals, chaos,
Drake (1999: 62) said that
The imagination as social practice and social fact works where myth logic meets fractals, chaos, fuzzy set theory; globalization is ineffectually understood purely in terms of Western or U.S. hegemony; narratives of Americanization here and abroad must be interrupted by narratives of indigenization; neither the center nor the periphery can hold, or hold on.
From the quotation, in Mukherjee‟s imagination, America is a place in
flux and a metaphor representing freedom from Indian. In their society, they
face fractals and chaos. Darke (1999: 64) said that “In Mukherjee‟s
imagination, America is a place in flux, a metaphor that represents freedom
from Indian history-as-fate.”
From the quotation, it can be concluded that Darke representing the
freedom from Indian history, as their fate, through a metaphor. This
undergraduate thesis considers The Management of Grief is a shot story as a cultural and religious story that shows the aspects of postmodernism of the
social condition as the setting. The main difference between this
undergraduate thesis and Darke‟s study is the object of the study. Darke‟s
study attempts to prove the freedom of immigrants in the society through a
metaphor, whereas this undergraduate thesis attempts to relate the social
condition as the setting in the short story with the aspects of postmodernism.
As this short story focuses on the setting, there is a study that analyzes
another story with the seting as the turning point. The third study is written by
Lisistrata Lusandiana entitled “Power Struggle Between Modernism and
Galilea.” She attempts to analyze the description of the society in the novel that shows the setting of time and place.
According to her thesis, Lusandiana stated the theory from Holman and
Harmon (2009: xxxix-xi) that
The analysis of the society as setting is based on what Holman and Harmon said about setting, that it can be constructed upon these elements: “first, the actual geographical location, second, the occupations and daily manner of living of the characters, third, the time or period in which the action takes place, fourth, the general environment of the characters, such as religious, moral, mental, social and emotional conditions through which the people in the narrative move.”
In this part, the time and place in which the actions take place are
described. The actions can include conflicts, the condition of characters, such
as religious, moral, mental, and emotional.
In this undergraduate thesis, The Management of Grief is one of the stories written by Bharati Mukherjee consisting wide-ranging in both setting
and theme. The fourth study that discusses about Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief is Parameswaran‟s journal (1990: 363). It is mentioned that “Bharati Mukherjee‟s second volume of short fiction consists of eleven
stories that are wide-ranging in both settings and themes.”
This undergraduate thesis will analyze The Management of Grief through the setting point of view which explains the condition of the characters during
the chaos. The Management of Grief is the final story in the collection entitled
The Middleman and Other Stories. It implies that Mukherjee‟s works
From those four studies have mentioned, this undergraduate thesis stated
on aspects of postmodernism of the social condition as the setting in Bharati
Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. In this undergraduate thesis, there are different perspectives from the previous studies.
The first is Katleen Brogan‟s study. It discusses about “American Stories
of Cultural Haunting: Tales of Heirs and Ethnographers.” The second is
“Looting American Culture: Bharati Mukherjee‟s Immigrant Narratives”
written by Jennifer Drake. The third is from Lusandiana‟s study that discusses
the description of the society through Restrepo‟s The Angel of Galilea by modernism and postmodernism approach. The fourth is Parameswaran‟s
study discussing about the background of The Management of Grief is written by Bharati Mukherjee. In this study, it mentions that culture and event at the
time influence the short story.
This undergraduate thesis attempts to show how the aspects of
postmodernism of the social condition are depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s
The Management of Grief.
B.Review of Related Theories
This undergraduate thesis has two points to be discussed. They are the
depiction of the setting and aspects of postmodernism. Therefore, this
undergraduate thesis needs theories on the two fields to answer and analyze
1. Theory on Setting
The aspects of postmodernism of the social condition in the short story can
be seen by disclosing the setting.
Abrams (1999: 284) argued that
The overall setting of a narrative or dramatic work is the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs; the setting of a single episode or scene within such a work is the particular physical location in which it takes place.
In this undergraduate thesis, Abrams theory is used to analyze the setting
of the short story in which the action, time, and place mentioned the action
and accident occured. Before depicting the social circumstances of the story,
it depicts a single episode or scene in which the accident or activity happen.
After depicts the single scene of story, the conflict of the characters in the
story appears. The conflicts and the condition that characters face can be
found through the elements of setting, such as location the accident takes
place, time, and the environment in which the characters move and face
various condition in life. However, before analyzing the setting in detail by
using general local, historical time, and social circumstances, this
undergraduate thesis depicts the setting by using the theory of setting of V.
Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs in Fiction: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. It is to divide the settings in the short story easily.
Such a view follows the theoretical assumption that “Setting refers to the
natural and artificial scenery or environment in which characters in literature
Roberts and Jacobs divide the term of setting into two types of settings.
They are natural setting and manufactured setting. Natural setting is defined
as “Nature, in short, is one of the major forces governing the circumstances of
characters who go about facing the conflicts on which the plots of stories
depend.” (1987: 191). On the other hand, manufactured setting is defined as
“Manufactured things always reflect the people who make them. A building
or a room tells about the people who built it and live in it, and ultimately
about the social and political orders that maintain the conditions” (1987: 191).
To support Robert and Jacobs‟ theory, this undergraduate thesis needs
another theory of setting. The theory of setting is from Harmon. Harmon
(2009: 508) said that
The elements making up a setting are: (1) the geographical location, its topography, scenery, and such physical arrangements as the location of the windows and doors in a room; (2) the occupations and daily manner of living of the characters; (3) the time or period in which the action takes place, for example, epoch in history or season of the year; and (4) the general environment of the characters, for example, religious, mental, moral, social, and emotional conditions.
This undergraduate thesis uses Harmon theory to analyze the social
condition of the short story through the place and time the action and accident
happened, occupations and daily manner the characters have, and the moral,
cultures, religious, and emotional condition the characters have in facing the
grief.
2. Theory on the Aspects of Postmodernism
Lyotard, as a postmodernist, attempts to create a society in which there is a
narrative and science in which they have their own thought to solve problem
by language. Sarup (1993: 145) mentioned that
Lyotard believes that there is a conflict between narrative and science (theoretical knowledge). Narrative is disappearing and there is nothing to replace it. He seems to want the flexibility of narrative knowledge – in which the aesthetic, cognitive and moral are interwoven – and yet want also to retain the individualism which developed with capitalism.
It also mentioned that
Lyotard argues that art, morality and science (the beautiful, the good and the true) have become separated and autonomous. A characteristic of our times is the fragmentation of language games. (Sarup, 1993: 145)
From those quotations, it can be seen that there are the notion of
postmodernism which are about the ability to deal with time. As Sarup (1993:
146) said that “Two significant features of postmodernism, as described by
the American critic Fredric Jameson, are „pastiche‟ and „schizophrenia‟.”
The explanation of „pastiche‟ and „schizophrenia‟ are mentioned by Sarup
(1993: 146) that
The practice of pastiche, the imitation of dead styles, can be seen in the „nostalgia film‟. It seems that we are unable to focus on our present. We have lost our ability to locate ourselves historically. As a society we have become incapable of dealing with time.
By seeing the notion of postmodernism, it draws the attention to three
aspects of postmodernist thought. Sarup (1993: 150) said that
Firstly, there is a tendency to reduce all truth-claims to the level of rhetorics, narrative strategies or Foucauldian discourses conceived as existing solely by virtue of the differences or rivalries between them, so that no single claimant can assert itself at the expense of any other.
Secondly, a related point, there is often an appeal, especially in Lyotard, to the Wittgensteinian notion of „language games‟ (sometimes called „forms of life‟). A belief in heterogeneous language games, each involving a different set of cognitive, historical or ethico-political criteria, implies that is not possible to decide between rival interpretations.
Thirdly, there is a turn towards the Kantian sublime as a means of devaluing cognitive truth-claims and elevating the notion of the
unpresentable (that is to say, intuitions that cannot be „brought under‟
adequate concepts) to absolute pride of place in the ethical realm.
It is also mentioned by Lyotard (1984: xxiv) that “Simplifying to the
extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives. This
incredulity is undoubtedly a product of progress in the sciences: but that
progress in turn presupposes it.” Hence, there are the differences between
narrative and scientific text. It is clarified by Lucy (1997: 66) that
Before raising them, though, I want to clarify what Lyotard thinks the differences between narrative and scientific texts (or knowledge or language games) comprise. The basic difference is that narrative language-games are heterogeneous as opposed to the more restrictive outcome-oriented, rule-governed game of science. Science, because it is dominated by rules, is end-directed, whereas narrative (or more broadly art), because it produces rules only in and as itself, is completely free from having to legitimate what it „is‟ according to any external criteria.
Lyotard also mentioned how the postmodern condition is, in The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. As he said, the postmodern condition is marked by cultures. That condition influences the way of
Lyotard (1984: 4) said that “The “producers” and users of knowledge must
now, and will have to, possess the means of translating into these language
whatever they want to invent or learn.”
From the term of knowledge, then it develops into problems in which
postmodernism mentioned. For instance, political power or economical
problem occurs in society. Those problems can be analyzed by language games as the aspect of postmodernism. It is because people as human beings who live in the world use language as they communicate with each other. It is
mentioned by Lucy (1997: 79) that “This or that language-game might
change, but „the world‟ never could: because any notion of the „world‟ would
be locked inside a particular language-game‟.”
In the term of language games, it includes sublime and legitimation.
Language games itself is mentioned by Lyotard (1984: 10) that
What he means by this term is that each of the various categories of utterance can be defined terms of rules specifying their properties and the uses to which they can be put–in exactly the same way as the game of the chess is defined by a set of rules determining the properties of each of the pieces, in other words, the proper way to move them.
In the definition of language games, Lyotard argued that “The last observation bring us to the first principle underlying our method as a whole:
to speak to fight, in the sense of playing , and speech acts falls within the
domain of a general agonistics.” (1984: 10). In this part, those aspects of
The first is legitimation. Lyotard (1984: 8) argued that “Legitimation is the
process by which a legislator is authorized to promulgate such a law as a
norm.” He also mentioned that
In this case, legitimation is the process by which a “legislator” dealing with scientific discourse is authorized to prescribe the stated conditions (in general, conditions of internal consistency and experimental verification) determining whether a statement is to be included in that discourse for consideration by the scientific community. (1984: 8)
It means that legitimation is an impact of scientific demoralization. It is the
condition when the society is developed by the scenarion of the
computerization. In this condition, governmental agencies or pirvate firms
guide a certain decision for managing telecommunications industry. It
mentioned by Lyotard (1984) that
It has been described extensively by the experts and is already guiding certain decisions by the governmental agencies and private firms most directly concerned, such as those managing the telecommunication industry. To some extent, then, it is already a part of observable reality. Finally, barring economic stagnation or a general recession (resulting, for example, from a continued failure to solve the world‟s energy problems), there is a good chance that this scenario will come to pass: it is hard to see what other direction contemporary technology could take as an alternative to the computerization of society.
The second aspect is sublime. Lucy (1997: 35) mentioned that
example of powerful forces, objects or events that induce powerful feelings of fear, delight or grandeur.
It means that the words understood to express an idea is called as sublime,
but for a culture it is not a sublime. In another meaning, sublime is words
creating an imagination of someone to see a literary work.
C.Theoretical Framework
Theories on setting which are purposed by Abrams, and Harmon are used
to map the social condition in the short story as setting. By showing the social
condition as setting, this undergraduate thesis will answer the question on
how is setting depicted in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief . Theories on postmodernism which are purposed by Sarup, Lyotard, and
Lucy are used to show and see the aspects of postmodernism depicted by the
setting on how the social condition depicts those aspects in Bharati
Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief. Besides, this undergraduate thesis can see how this short story can show a new perspective to see problem, the
21 CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
A.Object of the Study
The Management of Grief is the final story of fiction book The Middleman and Other Stories written by Bharati Mukherjee, an American author. Mukherjee was born in Calcutta, India. When she was young, she lived in
London with her parents and sisters. However, she returned to India in 1951
to study at the universities of Calcutta and Baroda. Then, she studied at the
University of Iowa Writers Workshop for her doctorate. She and her husband
Clark Blaise lived in Canada for ten years. She has published three novels
The Tiger’s Daughter (1972), Wife (1975), and Jasmine (1989); two story collections Darkness (1985) and The Middleman and Other Stories (1988); two works of non- fiction Days and Nights in Calcutta and The Sorrow and the Terror. The Management of Grief is the story taken from The Middleman and Other Stories. It had recently won the 1988 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.
According to some reviews, The Management of Grief shows the cultural dissonance. It refers to the fact that this short story explores the cultural gap
between a Canadian social worker and Indian immigrants in Canada. Besides,
this was an actual terrorist bombing of an Air India flight occured in 1985
that was killed 329 passangers and crews. The most of them are Canadians of
Another review criticizes about the language that is used in the short story.
It says that it is unrealistic because all of the characters are Indian, but they
speak English. The Management of Grief is accessible to a broad American society.
In this case, this short story focuses on Shaila Bhave, an Indian immigrant,
who lost her husband and two sons in terrorist bombing of Air Indian Flight.
Besides, this short story pictures the condition of people who lost their
relatives. Bhave, who is considered as a brave person to face the condition,
helps Templeton to communicate with people in their grief. Then, she
manages their grief together with the people who have the same grief. After
managing the grief, Bhave continues her new life.
B.Approach of the Study
The short story is analyzed by using Postmodernist Appproach. This
approach is perfect for analyzing this study because this undergraduate thesis
discusses more about the aspects of postmodernism. In the aspects of
postmodernism, there will be discussions about communication, language,
and social condition in which postmodernist approach mentioned. Guerin
(2005: 300) stated that
Postmodernism questions everything rationalist European philosophy held to be true, arguing that it is all contingent and that most cultural constructions have served the function of empowering members of a dominant social group at the expense of "others." Beginning in the mid-1980s, postmodernism emerged in art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion, and other fields.
Postmodernist approach also shows how postmodernism sees social
Guerin (2005: 300) mentioned that “Societies must have order. Jean
-FranÇois Lyotard argues that stability is maintained through “grand
narratives” or “master narratives,” stories a culture tells about its practices
and beliefs in order to keep going.”
Since this undergraduate thesis sees that The Management of Grief teaches a meaningful way on facing a problematic condition,it is the best to
do this study by using postmodernist approach. Postmodernist approach
enables this undergraduate thesis to dig deeper about language, pluralism, and
culture which are depicted in the social condition of the short story.
C.Method of the Study
In gathering the sources, this undergraduate thesis used a library research.
Library research is the most relevant method to use among other methods.
The sources are taken from books, journals, texts which are related to the
study, and web site references. The primary source is The Management of Grief by Bharati Mukherjee. In analyzing, this undergaraduate thesis needs secondary sources which are two books on literary research, A Glossary Literary Terms Seventh Edition (1999) by Abrams, and A Handbook to Literature 11th Edition (2009) by Harmon, three books on Postmodernism,
An Introductory Guide to Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism (1993) by Sarup, Postmodern Literary Theory An Introduction (1997) by Lucy, and
There were several steps taken in order to analyze and finish this study.
The first step was close reading the primary source The Management of Grief
by Baharati Mukherjee. As the primary source was read, studying the
elements of the work raised the intention to study the elements deeper. The
second step was making list of elements which included social condition,
pluralism, and the way of communication. The third step was close reading
the secondary sources in order to narrowing this study could be finished. By
reading those, the topic was decided to this undergraduate thesis. This would
dig more about social condition in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief and relate it with postmodernism.
Problem formulations were made as the guidance for the analysis. Firstly,
this undergraduate thesis discussed the depiction of setting. Secondly, this
undergraduate thesis observed aspects of postmodernism in social condition
25 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this part of the study, the answers for the problem formulation are
explained. This part is divided into two subchapters based on the answers of
the problem formulation. The first subchapter elaborates the depiction of the
setting. This subchapter consists of the setting representing the social
condition in the short story towards the accident happening in their life by
drawing their life timeline. The setting can be seen in the contexts the story
happens. Understanding these help to make a pattern on how the social
condition depicted in the story. The second subchapter deals with the aspects
of postmodernism. This subchapter elaborates the conflicts happened through
the social condition in detail, so that it can be used to reveal the aspects of
postmodernism depicted in the social condition in Bharati Mukherjee‟s The Management of Grief.
A.The Depiction of the Setting in The Management of Grief
Before depicting the social condition of this short story which is stated by
Abrams, this undergraduate thesis depicts the setting by using Harmon theory
to show the specific setting before applying Abrams theory which mentions
about social circumstances what this undergraduate thesis attempts to find
out. It is because in social circumstances, there are some elements which are
the general environment of the characters. Those elements help to understand
how the social condition can be depicted.
Therefore, the setting will be disclosed by applying the theory using the
quotations from the short story as the main source of data. To depict the
setting, the life timeline of the story is elaborated. This timeline will explain
the contexts and events happened. Besides, it is to show the changing
condition in the story depicting the problem and conflict. It will explain since
the grief to the recovery of the characters.
1. Geographical Location
a. Bhave’s House
In the beginning of the short story, it depicts the condition in Bhave‟s
house. There are some people who help Bhave to face the grief. Mukherjee‟s
The Management of Grief (1988: 179) mentioned that
A woman I don‟t know is boiling tea the Indian way in my kitchen. There are a lot of women I don‟t know in my kitchen, whispering, and moving tactfully. They open doors, rummage through the pantry, and try not to ask me where things are kept.
From the above quotation, it shows that people‟s conversation and
activities occur in the kitchen. Besides, it depicts that there are not only
people who lost their families, feel the grief, but also people around them
grieving. There are a lot of women, the Sharmas and friends from
Indo-Canada Society are in Bhave‟s house to help and accompany her to face the
grief. The condition is chaos and panic. It is because there are people who tell
about the terrorist bombing, and Bhave‟s and another people‟s condition.
of Bhave‟s friends. She lives across the street from Bhave‟s house.
Mukherjee‟s MToG(1988: 181) said that “Kusum lives across the street from me. She and Satish had moved in less than a month ago. They said they
needed a larger place.”
In the grief, Bhave and Kusum face this condition together because they
are neighborhood. Besides, they are also immigrants from the same country
which is India.
b. A Bay in Ireland
A bay in Ireland is a place where Bhave and Kusum express their grief.
Mukherjee‟sTMoG (1988: 184) said that
Four days later, I find Kusum squatting on a rock overlooking a bay in Ireland. It isn‟t a big rock, but it just sharply out over water. This is as close as we‟ll ever get to them. June breezes balloon out her sari and unpin her knee-length hair. She has the bewildered look of a sea creature whom the tides have stranded.
From the above quotation, it shows that there is a rock in a bay where
Kusum squats on it expressing her feeling. Bhave and Kusum choose to visit
this place because they attempt to remember the accident which occured in a
bay. It also pictures that in the grief the two women have a hope to find their
relatives in the bay. Bhave and Kusum express their grief by ruining their sari
in a bay, the place that the accident happened. Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 185) said that
In this place, they knee-deep and ruin their sari to express their feeling and
hope that their families know that they grieve to lose them. Dr. Ranganathan,
who also lost his relatives, experiences the sadness as those women feel. He
walks to get close with them in the bay. He feels what they feel. It is the
reason he tries to join them. Besides, he wants to share his feeling and support
them.
In this case, Dr. Ranganathan is one of the widowers from Motreal has
another way to face his grief. He brings squashed roses and float them on the
water. It is mentioned that “Dr. Ranganathan whips the pockets of his suit
jacket inside out. Squashed roses, in darkening shades of pink, float on the
water.” (Mukherjee‟s TMoG, 1988: 186). It shows that he attempts to involve the nature in his grief and remember his wife who loves roses.
c. Canada
In Canada, it depicts the condition of the apartment that immigrants live.
Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 193) said that
The high-rise apartment is a tower of Indian and West Indians, with a sparkling of Orientals. The nearest bus stop kiosk is lined with women in saris. Boys practice cricket in the parking lot. Inside the building, even I wince a bit from the ferocity of onion fumes, the distinctive and immediate Indianness of frying ghee, but Judith Templeton maintains a steady flow of information. These poor old people are in imminent danger of losing their place and all their services.
The above quotation shows that here are some people who will lose their
place and services. Even though it is the high-rise apartment and a tower of
Indian and West Indians, there are two rooms which are dark and stuffy
inside the building. Both of them are people who will be visited by
Templeton and Bhave. As Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 193) said that
The two rooms are dark and stuffy. The lights are off, and an oil lamp sputters on the coffee table. The bent old lady has let us in, and her husband is wrapping a white turban over his oiled, hip-length hair. She immediately goes to the kitchen, and I hear the most familiar sound of an Indian home, tap water hitting and filling a teapot.
They have not paid their utility bills, out of fear and the inability to write a check. The telephone is gone, electricity and gas and water are soon to follow. They have told Judith their sons will provide. They are good boys, and they have always earned and looked after their parents.
Those sentences show the condition of Indian people facing their life in
the difficult economic, but they attempt to accept the condition with a hope
that their sons will provide what have lost. Besides, it depicts that the
condition of the apartment is bad because the services has gone.
2. Occupations and Daily Manner of Living of the Characters
a. Treasurer
After seeing the condition, people in Bhave‟s house try to show their
emphaty to Bhave without disturbing her. They try to accompany and help
Bhave to face the grief. One of people who helps Bhave to manage her grief is
Dr. Sharma. He attempts to help Bhave in economic problem. It is because Dr.
Sharma is the treasurer of the Indo-Canada Society.
b. Appointee of the Provincial Government
When they execute their tradition, Judith Templeton as an appointee of the
provincial government comes to meet Bhave to ask a help. Templeton thinks
that Bhave as an immigrant who lost her family in the terrorist bomb has
and political orders come to the short story as the setting. Mukherjee‟s TMoG
(1988: 183) mentioned that
“–and with the complications of culture, language, and customs. Someone mentioned that Mrs. Bhave is a pillar–because you‟ve taken it more calmly.”
At this, perhaps, I frown, for she reaches forward, almost to take my hand. “I hope you understand my meaning, Mrs. Bhave. There are hundreds of people in Metro directly affected, like you, and some of them speak no English. There are some widows who‟ve never handled money or gone on a bus, and there are old parents who still haven‟t eaten or gone outside their bedrooms. Some houses and apartments have been looted. Some wives are still hysterical. Some husbands are in shock and profound depression. We want to help, but our hands are tied in so many ways. We have to distribute money to some people, and there are legal documents – these things can be done. We have interpreters, but we don‟t always have the human touch, or maybe the right human touch. We don‟t want to make mistakes, Mrs. Bhave, and that‟s why we‟d like to ask you to help us.”
She asks to Bhave‟s help to have a communication with people who are
grieving. Templeton wants Bhave to have human touch because she has no
experience for facing the problem in which there are the complications of
culture, religion, faith, and nation. In this case, it shows that the political and
social problems begin. It is because Templeton as a member of an institution
can not handle and have no experience to solve a big problem. In this case,
Judith does not notice that Bhave is also a person in a grief who needs support.
In their grief, Judith Templeton as a Canadian worker offers them a help.
After the accident happened, some people who lost their family have to face
economic problem, such as losing their place and all their services.
Templeton comes to ask them to sign the bank papers in which they will have
a provincial trustee to pay their bills, and they will get monthly pension. As
papers, the release forms. With a stroke of the pen, they will have a provincial
trustee to pay their bills, invest their money, send them a monthly pension.”
Even though Templeton has offered a help, they still believe that God will
provide what they need. Besides, they think signing the forms means that they
sign their family‟s death. Even though they face some problems about
economic and politic, they still respect the diversity and have a toleration.
c. Immigrants
There is a woman as Bhave‟s friend named Kusum. Kusum is one of
Bhave‟s friends who has just moved, as immigrant, in Canada. She lives
across the street from Bhave‟s house. When the news comes to them, Kusum
has a tradition to celebrate her movement to the new house. Mukherjee‟s
TMoG (1988: 181) said that “Kusum lives across the street from me. She and Satish had moved in less than a month ago. They said they needed a larger
place. All these people, the Sharmas and friends from the Indo-Canada
Society, had been there for the housewarming.”
In this condition, Templeton comes to meet Bhave. Even though Bhave is
in her grief, she is still polite to treat Judith as a guest. Mukherjee‟s TMoG
(1988: 182) mentioned that “She gives me time at least to put on tea water
and pick up the mess in the front room. I have a few samosas from Kusum‟s
housewarming that I could fry up, but then I think, Why prolong this visit?”
Since Judith visits Bhave to tells the condition of people out there facing
their grief, Bhave decides to help Judith anytime she wants to call. Judith will
Mukherjee‟s TMoG(1988: 184) said that “She asks me if she may call again,
after I get back from a long trip that we all must make.”
The quotation indicates that Bhave will have a long trip with another
people who are in the grief. The trip they will have is in Ireland. In Ireland,
they will try to find the information and story about the accident and their
relatives.
After passing their grief, they reconstruct their life. They have culture to
execute. It is about marriage for the widows and widowers. Mukherjee‟s
TMoG (1988: 190) said that
Already the widowers among us are being shown new bride candidates. They cannot resist the call of custom, the authority of their parents and older brothers. They must marry; it is the duty of a man to look after a wife. The new wives will be young widows with children, destitute but of good family. They will make loving wives, but the man will shun them.
The quotation depicts the custom they have after being widows and
widowers. They can not avoid the custom because the authority for executing
the custom is in their parents and older brothers. In this case, a man has to
look after a wife. It does not stop in that process because there are some
processes they have to obey as the quote mentioned before. Besides, after
they have buried their family, they will return to Canada with a new bride.
Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 190) mentioned that “In a month they will have
buried one family and returned to Canada with a new bride and partial
3. Time
In this part, it depicts the setting of time in the short story. It begins when
they know the news about the terrorist bombing in the plane. Mukherjee‟s
TMoG (1988: 179) mentioned that
All morning, the boys have been muttering, Sikh Bomb, Sikh Bomb. The men, not using the word, bow their heads in agreement. Mrs. Sharma touches her forehead at such a word. At least they‟ve stopped talking about space debris and Russian lasers.
The quotation shows the time when they know the news. All morning,
boys and people, in Bhave‟s house, mutter and talk about the bomb. Four days
later after hearing the news, Bhave and survivors have a long trip to Ireland.
When Bhave goes to a bay in Ireland, she finds Kusum is squatting on the
rock. Besides, it is in June, the wind breezes Kusum‟s sari and unpin her hair.
Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 184) mentioned that
Four days later, I find Kusum squatting on a rock overlooking a bay in Ireland. It isn‟t a big rock, but it just sharply out over water. This is as close as we‟ll ever get to them. June breezes baloon out her sari and unpin her knee-length hair.
After getting the information about their relatives and chronology of the
accident in the hospital, Kusum and Bhave go to the bay again. It is at six
o‟clock on a Sunday morning. The two women women attempt to find the
hope that their families are still alive. Actually, they are desperate for lossing
their families after waiting in a hospital room and scanning photographs of the
dead. Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 185) mentioned that
ruined and her face is a twisted remnant of hope, the way mine was a hundred hours ago, still laughing but inwardly knowing that nothing but the ultimate tragedy could bring two women together at six o‟clock on a Sunday morning. I watch her face sag into blankness.
Since the survivors wait for the information about their families, they are
still in the hospital to know another photo that policeman and nun may find. It
is on the first day or two day the policeman shows them only one photo of
relatives they hope to find. Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 188) stated that “The
first day or two the policeman showed us relatives only one picture at a time;
now they‟re in a hurry, they‟re eager to lay out the possibles, and even the
probables.”
Three months pass after Bhave goes on to India from Ireland. Bhave meets
her family and friends. She gets power to continue her life from her families
and friends. They suggest Bhave to be strong and not to give up. Mukherjee‟s
TmoG (1988: 189) said that
Three months pass. Then another.
“Vikram wouldn‟t have wanted you to give up things!” they protest. They call my husband by the name he was born with. In Toronto he‟d changed to Vik so the men he worked with at his office would find his name as easy as Rod or Chris. “You know, the dead aren‟t cut off from us!”
In reconstructing her life, she executes a tradition in her family about a
marriage in which the widowers are shown new bride candidates. After
executing the tradition, Bhave goes to the tiny Himalayan village. It is on the
third day of the sixth month into the odyssey, Bhave makes an offering of
flowers and sweetmeats to the god. In that time, she feels that her husband
comes.
Then, on the third day of the sixth month into this odyssey, in an abandoned temple in a tiny Himalayan village, as I make my offering of flowers and sweetmeats to the god of a tribe of animists, my husband descends to me. He is squatting next to a scrawny sadhu in moth-eaten robes. Vikram wears the vanilla suit he wore the last time I hugged him. The sadhu tosses petals on a butter-fed flame, reciting Sanskrit mantras and sweeps his face of flies. My husband takes my hands in his.
After facing problems in her life, Bhave begins her new life. the quotation
above shows that the time after Bhave attempts to recover herself from the
grief, she gets the power after visiting the temple and believing in god of tribe.
Besides, she can feel that her husband comes to meet her. This is the last time
that Bhave can see her husband after the accident happened. The weather is
not cold like the days she lost her family. Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 196-197) mentioned that
One rare, beautiful, sunny day last week, returning from a small errand on Yonge Street, I was walking through the park from the subway to my apartment. I live equidistand from the Ontario Houses of Parliament and the University of Toronto. The day was not cold, but something in the bare trees caught my attention. I looked up from the gravel, into the branches and the clear blue sky beyond. I thought I heard the rustling of larger forms, and I waited a moment for voices. Nothing.
From the above quotation, it shows that the time when Bhave begins her
new life is a good day. It is different when she was in the grief. The time
when she attempts to recover her sadness and grieving is beautiful and sunny
day. This condition can influence Bhave to face the reality and continue her
4. General Environment of the Characters
a. Religious Condition
Even though Templeton has offered a help, they still believe that God will
provide what they need. Besides, they think signing the forms means that they
sign their family‟s death. Even though they face some problems about
economic and politic, they still respect the diversity and have a toleration.
In that condition, they try to face the the problem. Besides, they face their
grief. They still believe in God. They are not worried about losing their places
and all services. Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 194) mentioned that “We are strong people,” says the wife. “Tell her that.”
“Who needs all this machinery?”demands the husband. “It is unhealthy, the bright lights, the cold air on a hot day, the cold food, the four gas rings. God will provide, not government.”
Kusum is one of them who also grieves. She remembers her swami said
about fate. She realizes that the problem and the grief are a fate from the God.
All of religions, cultures, or nations will die if it is fated. Mukherjee‟s TMoG
(1988: 184) mentioned that
Kusum says that we can‟t escape our fate. She says that all those people– our husbands, my boys, her girl with the nightingle voice, all those Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Parsis, and atheists on that plane – were fated to die together off this beautiful bay.
Those sentences attempt to explain that what they face and experience are
fated by nature. People as human beings cannot escape from the fate,
especially a death. Hearing the news and information about the accident,
Kusum, who is a holy person, she tries to accept the fate that happens to them.
Kusum says that we can‟t escape our fate. She says that all those people– our husbands, my boys, her girl with the nightingale voice, all those Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Parsis, and atheists on that plane– were fated to die together off this beautiful bay. She learned this from a swam in Toronto.
The above quotation show that all of people cannot escape from their fate.
The fate does not come to a certain person. The fate comes to all of people
without choosing which one race, religion, culture, or nation to be in a grief.
In that place, they can meet people who have the same condition. They do
not see the diversity. The thing what they need is having a relative. Besides,
some of them rebuild their power facing the grief.
The term of relative is mentioned in the story, it is when two widows and
four widowers who have the same experience of loss spend their day in the
hospital room and scan the photographs of the dead. Mukherjee‟s TMoG
(1988: 184) said that “Six of us “relatives”–two widows and four widowers–
choose to spend the day today by the waters instead of sitting in a hospital
room and scanning photographs of the dead. That‟s what they call us now:
relatives.”
By seeing that condition, Bhave and Kusum meet Dr. Ranganathan who is
also in a grief, meet in a bay when Bhave and Kusum knee-deep in water to
remind Bhave‟s son who likes swimming. Dr. Ranganathan comes to share
his grief to them. The way Dr. Ranganathan remembers about his wife is
bring roses. It is because his wife likes pink roses. This way is to show how
They attempts to come back to the nature in order to remember their
family. It is because they think what happened in this world will be back to the
nature.
By reflecting the chronology, they realize what they have are only from
God. Kusum as the holy person who is always advised by her swami
reminding that the depression they feel is only a sign of their selfishness.
Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 185) mentioned that “I tell myself I have no right to grieve. They are in a better place than we are. My swami says depression is
a sign of our selfishness.”
Another part that they attempt to bring their grief back to the nature is
when Bhave floats her family‟s things into the water. It is stated that
But I have other things to float: Vinod‟s pocket calculator; a half-painted model B-52 for my Mithun. They‟d want them on their island. And for my husband? For him I let fall into the calm, glassy waters a poem I wrote in the hospital yesterday. Finally he‟ll know my feelings for him. (Mukherjee‟s TMoG, 1988: 187).
In the recovery condition, she has a travel with her family to the beach
resorts. Mukherjee‟s TMoG (1988: 190) said that
Courting aphasia, we travel. We travel with our phalanx of servants and poor relatives. To hill stations and to beach resorts. We play contract bridge in dusty gymkhana clubs. We ride stubby ponies up crumbly mountain trails. At tea dances, we let ourselves be twirled twice round the ballroom. We hit the holy spots we hadn‟t made time for before. In Varanasi, Kalighat, Rishikesh, Haridwar, astrologers and palmists seek me out and for a fee offer me cosmic consolations.
From the quotation, it shows that her voyage is the effort to reconstruct
