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Part 2, Chapter 20
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
One afternoon, at the hour when Nanda Kaul usually takes her afternoon rest, she discovers that Raka has slipped away. Nanda Kaul feels very put out because she yearns for Raka’s attention. The girl’s rejection hurts and angers her. While she pouts, the phone rings, breaking Carignano’s customary silence. It’s Ila Das, using a rare opportunity to make a phone call to reiterate her desire to visit Nanda Kaul and Raka. Somewhat reluctantly, Nanda Kaul invites her to tea on the following afternoon.
At the end of the novel’s second section, Nanda Kaul and Raka have completely switched places. Far from being a weighty responsibility, Raka is independent and self-sufficient, needing even less from Nanda Kaul than Nanda Kaul was prepared to offer her. On the other hand, Nanda Kaul’s oft-denied need for attention and companionship has become painfully obvious. Because she is so focused on Raka, she misses the chance Ila Das offers her for that attention and companionship, seeing it as a distraction rather than a potential gift.
Themes
Impatiently, Nanda Kaul goes out to the verandah. She wants Ram Lal to bring her tea. She wants Raka to reappear. She stands to look out over the distant plains, then sits back down to watch the hoopoe strutting under the apricot trees. She thinks with disgust about the things she added to her history in her failed attempts to keep Raka’s attention. She feels the urge to sweep the house clean, not for herself, but of herself.
In the previous chapter, Raka’s frustration with Nanda Kaul’s fantasy world suggested that readers should take the old woman’s stories with a grain of salt. Now, Nanda Kaul herself insinuates that she made things up—although it’s not clear where the line between truth and fiction lies—to keep Raka engaged. This, in turn, suggests a willingness to lie to herself if she sees a reason to, like sparing herself pain. Now that she’s shown herself to be untrustworthy, she’s warned readers to accept her words cautiously from now on—and asked to go back and reconsider what she’s already said.
Themes
