Materialism, Status, and Contentment Theme Analysis

Overwhelmed by the deep and all-consuming losses that she’s experienced throughout her life, Boori Ma lives squarely in the past, before the Partition of India and Pakistan left her destitute as a refugee. In contrast, the building’s residents, armed with a little more money and marginally better social standing than the poor doorkeeper, live in the present and the future. Instead of lamenting over their pasts, the residents focus on how they can better their present and work toward an even better future. While this may seem admirable at first, the story makes it clear that the residents are trying to advance themselves for the wrong reasons: to seem better or more impressive in the eyes of others. With this, Lahiri provides a sharp social criticism, suggesting that placing too much emphasis material possessions can create a perpetual sense of dissatisfaction for people. Additionally, it can blind people to the inherent worth of their fellow human beings, ultimately causing them to become judgmental and cruel in the pursuit of status.

Prior to the news of Mr. Dalal’s promotion at his job, the buildings’ residents are not overly preoccupied with matters of materialism. The building itself is “a very old building, the kind with bathwater that still had to be stored in drums, windows without glass, and privy scaffolds made of bricks.” In fact, the residents appear more concerned about personal worth and respect of each other—materialism has not yet blinded them. The narrator informs the reader that “no one in the building has anything worth stealing,” and that Mrs. Misra’s personal telephone is really the only exception. The narrator conveys how “the residents liked that Boori Ma […] stood guard between them and the outside world. Only one paragraph later, the narrator returns to this, emphasizing that “the residents were thankful that Boori Ma patrolled activities in the alley.” Boori Ma, in return, served her position well, “she honored that responsibility” and gave it all of her effort. In a moment of socialization, the residents assure Boori Ma that she is “always welcome” in their homes. As it rains, she drifts “in and out of various households,” as if part of the extended family. Clearly, at this point in the story, the residents are content just enjoying each other’s company.

Mr. Dalal’s promotion—which inspires him to bring home two new wash basins, one for his family and one for the rest of the residents to share—is the catalyst for the entire building to transform. His good fortune, initially looked upon with jealousy, inspires the other residents to make their own materialistic changes. Mr. Chatterjee, the resident intellectual, dubs the community basin “A sure sign of the changing times.” By “changing times,” he may be talking about modern technology more broadly, but it’s implied that he may be referencing the materialistic changes that result in the building. The new wash basin is not just a step toward convenience but rather signals that more is on the horizon. With change comes competition, as the other resentful residents quickly ask, “Are the Dalals the only ones who can improve the conditions of the building?” The wives of the building exchange precious keepsakes to contribute. One barters wedding bracelets for a fresh coat of paint, one sells a sewing machine to pay for an exterminator, and another pawns silver bowls to paint the shutters. Rather than a communal feeling of improvement, the building changes actually emerge from competitiveness. Instead of using the funds for individual assets (such as a private telephone), they contribute to communal property to gain status in the eyes of their neighbors while simultaneously losing touch with one another.

Although the building does begin to look nicer, the residents’ growing obsession with materialism and outward appearances has a steep human cost: the residents begin to abandon their own personal values and see less value in other people, sacrificing worth for status. As the residents increasingly value the outward appearance of their building, they value Boori Ma less and less. They see more sense in improving their building, and thereby improving their own social status, than in continuing to house a vulnerable older woman. When the basin gets stolen and the residents blame Boori Ma, one resident exclaims: “Boori Ma has endangered the security of this building. We have valuables. The widow Mrs. Misra lives alone with her phone. What should we do?” In the aftermath of the basin being stolen, it seems that the residents are now solely concerned with the safety of their material possessions, and are quick to devalue condemn Boori Ma if it means maintaining their elevated status. Moments later, as Mr. Chatterjee mulls over what to do, he glances significantly at “the bamboo scaffolding that now surrounded his balcony. The shutters behind him, colorless for as long as he could remember, had been painted yellow.” After taking in the building’s improved appearance, Mr. Chatterjee announces the final verdict: “Boori Ma’s mouth is full of ashes. But that is nothing new. What is new is the face of this building. What a building like this needs is a real durwan.” Before the flurry of consumerism began, Mr. Chatterjee had said that “Boori Ma’s mouth is full of ashes, but she is the victim of changing times”—even though he didn’t believe her tall tales, he had empathy for the woman. Now that Mr. Chatterjee is swept up by materialism, though, he abandons his empathetic outlook, supporting Boori Ma’s dismissal and therefore showing that he has come to value things over people.

As the story closes, the reader’s last impression is Boori Ma walking slowly away from the house, broom in her hand, muttering, “Believe me. Believe me.” As an outsider, an older woman alone in the world, her options are few if any. She will most likely end up living on the streets, as the residents would likely be aware. The last image raises the question of whether or not social advancement is really more important than a human life. Boori Ma has been cast out over something as trivial as a wash basin, and it is implied that the residents may never reach the point at which they are satisfied with what they have.