The Rooftop Dwellers
I have to say, The Rooftop Dwellers by Anita Desai was one of my favorites of the prose that we studied. I thought it reflected Indian culture to outsiders very well, while at the same time revealing issues that women were experiencing in both India and the western world. I found that even though i did not have much in common with the main character, I found it easy to relate to her.
I also love the image of her cat. It always seemed to come and go, or jump on her lap at specific times. In fact, the entire image of her rooftop apartment was so cool. The awed feeling she got when she first walked in seemed to resonate with me for some reason. With the tree and the open air, it seemed the coolest place to live.
What I took from the story as a whole, was the contrast between old and new, eastern and western, woman and man. There seemed to be quite a few opposites portrayed. For example, this young woman has a job of her own doesn't wish to be married. She is independent, and yet there seems to be no room in society for single women of her age. There is nowhere for her to live except for the rooftop. There aren't a whole lot of single people her age, and there seems to be a general taboo of what a young woman is doing living alone. Her life embodies a huge clash of culture between the west and the traditional Indian way of life. For example, it seems odd that the family gathers around to watch T.V. at night in the setting that they are in, but they do!
One of my favorite parts was at the end, when she hears the servant boy listening to her music in the kitchen. This could mean a few things. First it could just be a revelation that he was the one that had been stealing from her all along. Also it could represent that he was being exposed to a more modern or westernized India. It's an odd yet interesting way to end the story.
I also love the image of her cat. It always seemed to come and go, or jump on her lap at specific times. In fact, the entire image of her rooftop apartment was so cool. The awed feeling she got when she first walked in seemed to resonate with me for some reason. With the tree and the open air, it seemed the coolest place to live.
What I took from the story as a whole, was the contrast between old and new, eastern and western, woman and man. There seemed to be quite a few opposites portrayed. For example, this young woman has a job of her own doesn't wish to be married. She is independent, and yet there seems to be no room in society for single women of her age. There is nowhere for her to live except for the rooftop. There aren't a whole lot of single people her age, and there seems to be a general taboo of what a young woman is doing living alone. Her life embodies a huge clash of culture between the west and the traditional Indian way of life. For example, it seems odd that the family gathers around to watch T.V. at night in the setting that they are in, but they do!
One of my favorite parts was at the end, when she hears the servant boy listening to her music in the kitchen. This could mean a few things. First it could just be a revelation that he was the one that had been stealing from her all along. Also it could represent that he was being exposed to a more modern or westernized India. It's an odd yet interesting way to end the story.
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