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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
The next morning, immediately after the rest of the family leaves to attend another wedding, Sampath rushes to the bazaar and climbs aboard the first bus he sees. His heart swells with excitement and fear as he thinks about how nothing else matters now; he’s leaving his old life behind. As the bus climbs into the foothills on the far outskirts of town, a nosy old woman sits beside Sampath and begins pestering him with endless questions about his family and advice for improving his health. Sampath feels his excitement begin to wane, and as the bus stops for a few moments, he jumps out of the window and runs away from the old woman, fueled by his annoyance and desire to escape the claustrophobic bus.
Feeling he has nothing important to lose, Sampath immediately acts on the sudden revelation he had the night before. Notably, he doesn’t seem to have a deliberate plan in mind; he simply follows his instincts and leaves his modern life to escape into nature. But even after he leaves home, the nosy old woman on the bus represents his expectations and responsibilities still trying to catch up with him. As Sampath desperately flees from the bus, he signals that he’s truly committed to running away from his old life and all of the maddening complications that come with it.
Themes
Still running aimlessly, Sampath climbs a slope, at the top of which he can see an old orchard. He finds an ancient guava tree and feverishly climbs up its branches before coming to rest at last. As he settles down, the overwhelming feeling that had compelled him to rush out into the wilderness fades like a gust of wind that suddenly melts away to nothing. A wave of peace and contentment washes over him as he takes in the beauty of the tree and the colorful parrots all around him on the branches. Wishing he could hold onto this perfect moment forever and become one with the natural beauty all about him, he feels as though he’s found the right place for him at last. He falls into a deep sleep in the guava tree.
At last, Sampath’s epiphany on the previous night comes full circle. A guava fruit made him realize how badly he wants to be free, and now he seems to have found that freedom in a guava tree. This moment is the first time that Sampath has truly been at peace, rather than restlessly wishing he was anywhere else. Whether he knew it consciously or not, he always wished he could flee from the modern world and live in nature. Without anyone telling him what to do or any reason to go anywhere else, Sampath can finally feel free from everything that was holding him back. The perfect simplicity of the guava fruit around him reflects the peaceful, natural paradise he’s found.
Themes
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