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Chapter 19
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
Arriving on a train from New Delhi, the long-awaited new District Collector of Shahkot comes to town at last. This DC, a gentle and shy man, finds himself surprised and immediately overwhelmed by the talk of monkeys upon his arrival. No one had told him about the monkey problem on his way into town, but his secretary (who turns out to be Mr. Gupta from the post office) rapidly catches him up to speed. The DC struggles to keep up as Mr. Gupta explains the situation, trying to appear troubled by the monkey situation but secretly happy to be at the center of attention again.
The fact that the DC arrived in Shahkot in the middle of the monkey crisis implies that he might be better equipped to deal with the problem than the local authorities. On the other hand, his obliviousness to the situation on arrival signals how likely it is that he’ll be just as incompetent as the rest. Mr. Gupta’s inappropriate eagerness in the midst of this bedlam only adds to the comedy and absurdity of the mess the DC has just walked into.
Themes
