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Chapter 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Corruption, Political Violence, and Capitalism
Resilience and Hope
Gender Identity, Social Division, and Coexistence
Social Hierarchy vs. Social Inclusivity
Religion and Power
Summary
Analysis
Saddam Hussain and Ishrat are on a horseback “slow-goose chase” through the city. Anjum has sent them to follow an auto-rickshaw, and, on this journey, the two pass through parts of Delhi they have never seen before. Ishrat is surprised to see that the people in these neighborhoods “even have gardens for their cars.” Then, once they pass over the flyover, they enter a party of the city “less sure of itself.” There are hospitals “so full of sickness” that their patients spill onto the streets, where they play “Indian roulette”—buying bootleg versions of the medications they need from street vendors, with a “60:40 chance” that the drugs are “genuine.”
Through describing Ishrat and Saddam’s journey through the city, Roy exposes readers to the extreme class inequality in which Delhi’s citizen’s live. Ishrat’s surprise that people have “gardens for their cars”—driveways—suggests that she thinks having such a large amount of space is excessive. The wealthy neighborhoods’ luxury juxtaposes greatly with the public hospitals Roy describes, which don’t even have enough space for all of their patients—let alone “gardens” for cars. The fact that patients need to buy unofficial versions of the medication they need demonstrates their clear lack of financial privilege.
Themes
Finally, the rickshaw leads Ishrat and Saddam to a residential neighborhood. A young woman gets out of the rickshaw, enters an apartment building, and turns on the light when she arrives in her apartment. She recognizes Saddam and Ishrat from Jantar Mantar, and makes eye contact with Saddam, who waves back. He leaves his contact card at Jannat Guest House and Funeral Services in her mailbox, labelled S. Tilotamma.
Here. readers learn the woman Saddam and Ishrat have followed home, who has kidnapped the baby, is Tilo. Because she has kidnapped the baby rather than giving it to the police, readers can assume that Tilo, like the people at Jannat Guest House, has a distrust for authority and likes to play by her own rules.
Themes
