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Part 1, Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Fire on the Mountain, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Nature of Freedom
Honesty and Self-Reflection
Trauma and Suffering
Class and Privilege
Female Oppression
Summary
Analysis
On the day of Raka’s arrival, Nanda Kaul sends Ram Lal to fetch her great-granddaughter. While fussing over Raka’s bedroom, she runs into the bedpost, bruising herself. As she stares at the bruise, she tries to remember Raka. But her children—and even more so her grandchildren and great-grandchildren—all run together in her mind. Nothing differentiates Raka from the rest. It seems only disaster—Tara’s unhappy marriage, Tara’s sister Vina’s frequent illnesses and injuries—stand out in Nanda Kaul’s mind. Soon, though, Raka will be an actual child who needs care. Nanda Kaul worries about her ability to do so.
Nanda Kaul injures herself just before Raka’s arrival, and her physical bruise matches the sense of grievance she feels toward the daughter and granddaughter who sent the little girl to her. This moment also insinuates that Raka’s visit will mark Nanda Kaul’s life in a noticeable way, and it darkly hints that it will be painful rather than pleasant. Only disasters, after all, seem to make an impression on Nanda Kaul.
Themes
