Thomas's Writing Portfolio

Essay Draft Three

Thomas Feng
June 15, 2007
Draft three

Optimism, or Despair?

Poverty is awful. But it can be worse if you give up your hope and faith instead of struggling to get rid of it. This is what I have learned from “The Grass-Eaters” by Krishnan Varma. In this novel, Krishnan tells the story of an Indian school master, Ajit Babu, who adopts an optimistic attitude towards the poverty and miseries he suffered. He finally grows so accustomed to it that he is able to watch in peace and contentment the passing scene that reflects the darkest side of the society. However, despite the optimism and even the sense of humor Babu showed, there is a deep sense of despair that lies underneath it. 

At first sight, Krishnan’s description of poverty in Calcutta seems astonishing. But considering that the population of India is one of the largest throughout the world, second only to that of China, the Indian government is confronted with extreme difficulty in its arduous effort to raise the overall living conditions of its people. Besides, in India, the gap between the rich and the poor has been widening for a long time, posing a serious social problem. After taking all these into consideration, such descriptions seem to make sense. And the hero, Babu is exactly such a typical Indian who has suffered from grinding poverty.

Babu almost experienced all the miseries one can imagine. With the change of his residence as a clue, the novel develops in such a way that provides us with an overall view of the wretched life Babu is leading. He once lived on a footpath “so crowded with residents, refugees and locals that if you got up at night to relieve yourself you could not be sure of finding your place again” (56). It is common sense that only homeless tramps live on a footpath. And the scene of a footpath serving as home for flocks of migrants and poor citizens will surely breach the wildest imagination of any one. After that, Babu moved to a cement pipe which Babu “found more comfortable” (56) than any of his previous homes. When the couple came upon the pipe, “unbelievably, it was not occupied and, with no prompting from [Babu], [his wife] crept into it” (57). In a developed country, will anyone be surprised to see a vacant cement pipe and treasure it as his or her sweet home? This detail conveys the idea that poverty is conspicuous and pervasive in India. In that pipe, Babu’s wife gave birth to their fourth child, whose three sisters and brothers had died. And his latest home is on the roof of a house, made from two rows of coal tar drums and a tarpaulin. It’s really hard to imagine that such a crude shelter can be a permanent residence for anyone. Moreover, he suffers from physical handicap, namely the loss of an ear and a leg. Apart from all that has been inflicted on him, we should not neglect the fact that Babu actually is a school master. Even a well-educated civilian has to spend most of his time and energy striving to survive, to meet the basic needs of his life. Then it is not hard for us to speculate how the ordinary people make a living.

Even under these circumstances, Babu still shows great optimism. Generally, when we try to define the word “optimism”, we tend to associate it with an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place. And Babu seems to be content with everything. Whether it is about his diet, his handicap, or the roof he and his wife occupy, he always finds some good reasons to be satisfied with. Some concrete examples might give some light to this point. When it comes to his loss of one leg due to a fall from the roof of a tram, Babu says, “I don’t mind my handicap at all; I need wear only one sandal and thereby save on footwear” (58). What a light tone! We have every good reason to admire him for his optimism. As regards his sweet home on the roof of an old building, with a tarpaulin serving as the roof and rows of coal tar drums functioning as walls, Babu describes its advantages as low rent, better ventilation and illumination, being free from the disturbance of rats and mice and rodents, as well as spacious room for his son to play. (58) Nothing else can better demonstrate just how optimistic Babu is, because anyone else in a similar situation is very likely to complain about the chilly wind in winter and the scorching sun in summer, let alone the sense of uncertainty aroused by the lack of a settlement.

But it is exactly this positive attitude he adopts that seems a little bit strange. Usually, when someone relates a sad and miserable experience, it’s common to speak in a grave and depressing tone. What on earth is the author’s underlying implication by creating such a contrasting effect? If you read this story once or twice, you might find it amusing and even burst into laughter when you read the humorous comments given by Babu. However, the more you read, the stronger a feeling becomes. It is a feeling beyond joy or sorrow, a feeling that requires contemplation. How can Babu be that philosophical? According to the context of the story, Babu and his wife are both Hindus. So it is apparent that he doesn’t believe in God. Then it can't be the salvation that he is expecting. “With no fears and anxieties” (59), and with no expectations and anticipations, Babu is leading a robotic existence, indifferent to any external changes. To be specific, what lies beneath his routine daily life is a deep sense of despair.

There are a number of details in the passage that illustrate this despair. However, some of them simply hide beneath the surface. Only with the help of an in-depth analysis can one search, feel, and finally find them.

It is common sense that people are most sensitive to pains, both physical and mental. A handicap always brings with it a severe, long-lasting, even permanent physical pain. But Babu seems to have grown numb to this kind of pain. As is mentioned above, Babu doesn’t mind his handicap at all and actually feels satisfied with the advantage his handicap brings him: the need to wear only one sandal which saves wear and tear on footwear (58). He himself might be amused by his own words. But I am not. How can a normal person care so little about his or her own body? Does one more sandal matter so much that it can compensate for the loss of a body part as well as the physical pain and inconvenience? Only someone like Babu who has grown totally numb to misery and hope might think so. Then where does this numbness come from? It comes from the loss of hope and the despair in one’s future life. If someone sees no future, then today doesn’t make much sense either.

The loss of a child can be a great pain for most families. But for Babu, it’s easy to talk about his three short-lived children. “One died of diphtheria back home in Dacca; two, from fatigue, on our long trek on foot to Calcutta (57).” He speaks in such a calm and peaceful tone that I can hardly sense any sorrow. It’s really abnormal and weird for a human being to relate his or her children’s deaths in an emotionless way, unless he or she has become so accustomed and numb to such tragedies that no sensations can penetrate the shield and tug at the heart strings. Babu describes his fourth child as “someone to look after [him] in [his] old age, to do [his] funeral rites when [he] dies” (57). He doesn’t lay a high expectation on his child. I doubt if he had thought about it. It seems that his biggest wish is to live and die peacefully, without struggling or protesting, without any intention of controlling his own destiny.

When the story comes to its ending, when the couple are content with their poor life and “quietly look at the passing scene: a tram burning, a man stabbing another man, a woman dropping her baby in a garbage bin” (59), I am in deep sorrow. Had it not been for the despair, anyone in such a situation would have done something. At least, they should have asked “Why? Who is to blame? How can we change this?” While I admit that by acting in a philosophical and optimistic way, Babu certainly avoids much disturbance that otherwise might have occurred if he tries to do something to change this situation. Nevertheless, this seeming optimism is in effect a kind of escape from reality. Poverty certainly is awful. But what really matters is to try whatever means possible to fight against it, rather than pretend to be “enjoying” the poverty and believe in the so-called optimism.

There is no doubt that this story contains wonderful description about the life of the poor. Babu’s life peacefully goes on as the story ends. But this strong sense of despair that lies underneath the surface still lingers on. And we should not be content to look quietly at the passing scenes of Babu’s wretched life. Perhaps it is a story involving not only Babu’s life, but also the attitude and aspiration we should have in our own lives.

Work Cited

Krishnan, Varma. “The Grass-Eaters.” 1985. Rpt. in “The International Story”. Page 56-59

30.5.07 10:01