Fasting, Feasting: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Uma is at home alone in the modern day, while MamaPapa are out at a bridge game. Rarely by herself, Uma enjoys the opportunity to go into her room and go through her old Christmas card collection. Most of the cards are from the nuns and teachers at the convent school, and going through the collection makes her think of them. She gets the desperate urge to use her alone time to call a friend, but realizes she has nobody to call—Anamika is unreachable, Aruna is too busy with her own life, and Ramu is nowhere to be found. She gets the courage to call Mrs. O’Henry, a Christian missionary lady who worked with the school. Mrs. O’Henry is not at home, and Uma angrily slams the phone. When MamaPapa return, Uma pretends to be asleep. “Always sleeping,” her mother says, disapproving.

Back in time, Aruna chooses from among her suitors Arvind, the handsomest, richest young man from an urban background. They have a sophisticated, westernized wedding at the showy Carlton Hotel, which nobody in their town has ever done. Aruna insists on all of the wedding details, and arranges everything to stun both families and their community. During the cocktail party that Aruna arranges for the family and in-laws the night before, Uma has a seizure in front of a group of extended family. That night, Aruna yells at Uma for spoiling the event and Uma yells back. Aruna threatens Uma not to have a “fit”, as she calls the seizures, during the wedding ceremony. During Aruna’s wedding, Uma is ignored, and the only person who remembers to ask how she is doing is Dr. Dutt, the charismatic female doctor who helped her when she had her seizure the night before.

After the wedding, Aruna moves with her husband Arvind to a fancy flat in Bombay, visiting her family only rarely. When Aruna does come, she criticizes all of her family for their appearance, the appearance of the house, and their manners—calling them “villagers”. During her visits, Aruna takes no pity on Uma, but expects Uma to care for them as the “maiden aunt”. Mama and Uma unite against Aruna’s criticism, and on one occasion laugh together over Aruna’s suggestion that Uma shorten her hair like the women in Bombay. Uma and her parents take some comfort that Aruna also criticizes her husband for his dress and manners. Uma pities how she imagines Aruna must go through life –always upset over the failure of everyone, including herself, to be perfect. She dresses her children up, but Mama and Uma are appalled at how bratty little Aisha and Dinesh are.

On one visit home, Aruna brings her in-laws to bathe in the holy river near the house. Uma visits the local optometrist, who says she has a bad condition and must see a specialist in Bombay. Papa gets angry and says that the doctor in their town should be good enough. Later, Mama tells Aruna about the doctor’s suggestion, in an attempt to get her help—but Aruna only says that it would be too expensive, that the local doctor is enough for Uma. When both families go to bathe in the river, Uma impulsively jumps off the boat, without looking. She sinks to the bottom, letting the current wash over her, while everyone shouts her name and tries to find her to pull her up. After they rescue her, Uma realizes that the water rushing over her was what she had wanted most, and she wishes she hadn’t been saved.