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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Absurdity and Chaos
Nature vs. Modernity
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations
Exploitation of Spirituality
Summary
Analysis
Before long, there comes an afternoon when the monkeys of the orchard find several bottles of rum in the bag of one of Sampath’s visitors. Almost immediately, the apes begin to exhibit drunken and energetic behavior, disturbing the usually peaceful atmosphere of the orchard. To make matters worse, they seem to become addicted to the thrill of seeking out and drinking alcohol. They begin discovering and stealing more and more beverages from the visitors, eventually starting to attack every vehicle that comes to the orchard, in search of more drinks. Disturbed by these violent events, Sampath’s devotees reflect on how the monkeys used to be a mere nuisance back in town, but now they’re becoming a real menace.
Through the chaotic antics of the monkeys, nature’s wildness continues to assert itself in Sampath’s orchard. Ammaji’s prediction about the monkeys bringing nothing but trouble seems to be proven correct as the apes disrupt the peace of the area. This incident represents a disastrous clashing of nature and modernity. With animals drunk on human liquor, there’s no telling how much chaos they’ll cause. And of course, the image of monkeys drinking alcohol and causing trouble in the orchard makes the situation even more absurd than it was already.
Themes
