Chinta / C Character Analysis in A House for Mr Biswas

Known as “C” until she mentions her real name in the third chapter, Chinta is Shama’s sister and closest confidant in Hanuman House. Chinta is Govind’s wife and the third most powerful woman in the house after Mrs Tulsi and Padma. She is strong-willed and protective, often arguing passionately with Mr Biswas when he disrespects the family. The narrator notes her suave card-playing and insistence on making disgusting ice cream for the children every Christmas; later, she accuses Mr Biswas of stealing eighty dollars from her room, which leads to his eviction from the Shorthills estate. Eventually, she moves with her family to the Port of Spain house, where she suffers merciless beatings from Govind and beats her children in turn whenever they misbehave.

Chinta / C Character Timeline in A House for Mr Biswas

The timeline below shows where the character Chinta / C appears in A House for Mr Biswas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...responded that he was Ajodha’s nephew, and Seth said he remembered selling Ajodha some land. C, one of Shama’s sisters, brought Mr Biswas some tea with “a frank, unimpressed stare,” and... (full context)

Education, Work, and Language Theme Icon

...sisters talked about their husbands’ ailments and took care of each other’s children; Shama and C were close, so Mr Biswas approached C’s handsome and jovial husband, Govind, a former coconut-seller... (full context)

...was never paid for the signs he painted. She refused, and they resumed bickering, until C and Seth’s wife, Padma, came upstairs to beg him to stay. C revealed that her... (full context)

...enemy—and so he decided to stay, thinking “he had already won” and feeling pity for Chinta and Padma, who showed little emotion because she had ostensibly been called to resolve Seth’s... (full context)

Colonialism, Oppression, and Escape Theme Icon

...in fact wore a crucifix, the weekend before he left for his examinations for the Catholic college. Shama began taking Mr Biswas upstairs, and Chinta ran to make sure she did... (full context)

...commotion downstairs, Govind came upstairs and attacked Mr Biswas, who “allowed himself to be pummeled.” Chinta called the others to stop Govind before he killed Mr Biswas and got sent to... (full context)

...Hanuman House was governed not by chaos but by a strict hierarchy: Padma ruled above Chinta, who superseded Shama, Savi, and then himself at the bottom. He realized that the adults... (full context)

...sick, gave Mr Biswas cold leftovers, and asked whether he planned to return to The Chase that night. And “he knew then that he hadn’t intended to go back, ever.” He... (full context)

...children whenever they even talked to Savi. She “had to satisfy them.” He asked whether “Chinta would break up a dolly-house Govind buy?” as Shama continued to cry for the rest... (full context)

...infuriated Mr Biswas, and he told Savi to call the rest of the Tulsis crab-catchers. Chinta and Mr Biswas argued—she wondered if he learned anything in school—until she complained to Shama,... (full context)

...misfortune; the children went to sleep and the sisters played cards and read downstairs, with Chinta going back and forth between “her frowning card-playing manner” and the Ramayana she had resolved... (full context)

...since fighting with him years ago, Govind “put himself on the side of authority,” and Chinta acknowledged this by taking care of Anand. They put Mr Biswas in the Blue Room... (full context)

...Biswas join him and Dehuti in Port of Spain; on his way out, Sushila and Chinta commented on his evident low caste. (full context)

...asked what the adults have been saying about his column, and Anand replied, “nothing,” although Chinta thought he “look[ed] like a crook.” Shama came in with the new baby, asking it,... (full context)

...Savi began to love the city’s lights and gardens, although it took the promise of Coca Cola and “real icecream” (not Chinta’s homemade slush) to convince Anand to come. Mr Biswas... (full context)

When Shama and the children went to Hanuman House for Christmas, they felt like “complete strangers.” The Tulsi Store and people of Arwacas felt strangely provincial,... (full context)

...Mr Biswas distasteful—when his son bragged to Anand about his books, which were all by W.C. Tuttle, Mr Biswas called them “trash,” and Anand agreed. A few days later, the man... (full context)

...with beating these cows, he mostly withdrew from family life. Along with “the reader of W.C. Tuttle,” he started cutting down the trees and sending the fruit to Port of Spain.... (full context)

“The man Mr Biswas now thought of as W.C. Tuttle” cut open a pumpkin, dismantled the old electricity plant and decided to build a... (full context)

W.C. Tuttle’s next project was buying a lorry and hiring it to the American army, which... (full context)

...with every paycheck. “He continued to plunder” amidst the house’s chaos. It turned out that W.C. Tuttle was selling whole trees and Govind whole lorry loads of fruit, and Mr Biswas... (full context)

...their children had a chance. They simply did not go to school for awhile, but W.C. Tuttle finally decided to take them himself, although they needed to get to school by... (full context)

...fell off a branch, and his widow wailed for days. However everyone forgot him after W.C. Tuttle took over driving. Later, Anand found Hari and his wife sitting gloomily at the... (full context)

Govind and W.C. Tuttle pursued other business opportunities: taxi-driving and opening a quarry, respectively. The widows started a... (full context)

...secret; in the meantime, the widows’ children roasted a sheep in the woods, which infuriated W.C. Tuttle. He and Mr Biswas made their wives cook separately from the rest; Mr Biswas... (full context)

Later, Chinta declared that eighty dollars were missing from her room, and both the theft and the... (full context)

...put a “FOR RENT OR SALE” sign outside the Shorthills house. The Tuttles, Govind and Chinta’s family, and a widow named Basdai also came to Port of Spain; the Tuttles took... (full context)

In Port of Spain, W.C. Tuttle played a gramophone incessantly and quarreled silently with Govind over parking space; Basdai started... (full context)

...they were buying land, building mansions, and sending their children abroad to college. Govind and W.C. Tuttle continued to provide transport for the Americans and started growing wealthy. For the first... (full context)

Back in Port of Spain, Chinta and Govind were singing the Ramayana to drown out the sound of W.C. Tuttle’s gramophone.... (full context)

W.C. Tuttle was “a useful ally” in these fights, in part because, like Mr Biswas, he... (full context)

...a driver’s safety award instead. But soon, he started taking out all his anger on Chinta, whom he beat often and mercilessly. This led the family to respect Chinta, who gained... (full context)

Chinta and Govind’s son Vidiadhar began a rivalry with Anand at school, where they were both... (full context)

...homonyms and synonyms that he was saving for last. The Biswas children despaired; Govind and Chinta’s rejoiced at Vidiadhar’s apparent success, despite his lack of private lessons. The next Monday, all... (full context)

...and Vidiadhar was demoralized to learn that he did not even pass the exam. Distraught, Chinta stopped feeding Vidiadhar and started threatening everyone in the household. The Tuttles asked Anand to... (full context)