In the beginning was pain.
Or perhaps it was end that was suffused with pain, its distinctive indigo tint. Color of old bruises, color of broken pottery, of crumpled maps in evening light. But, no, not like them, ultimately. For although men have tried for thousands of years to find the right simile- and women too- ultimately pain is only like itself. (VD 3)
So begins Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel The Vine of Desire. Divakaruni textures the experiences of Calcutta born and raised sisters, Sudha and Anju, living as adult women in 1990s San Francisco, as they journey through the hues of pain that are necessary for their discovery of self-worth in an oppressive society. In the novel, Divakaruni portrays the rewards and perils of breaking …show more content…
Divakaruni gives this expression to bring about curiosity in the plot with the three characters questioning themselves whether the decision of bringing Sudha to America was a right one. Sunil, Anju's husband, harbours passionate feelings for Sudha from the day he came for bride-viewing Anju in the Chatterjee house and the two cousins are well aware of it. Sudha is aware of the long stares from Sunil and knows that she is blessed with beauty. Sudha deliberately avoids being alone with Sunil, she neither trusts him, nor herself. On the other hand Anju's marriage with Sunil is at the verge of breaking down. Anju's loneliness intensifies emotional rupture, she finds herself brooding, at times adjusting and adjusting her own routine of college assignments, "All the love I've loved, I've lost them- except me. And this one too- I think I hear it cracking underfoot, like lake of ice in a thin winter" (VD …show more content…
She goes through a lot of transformation as she gets freedom that she could never get in home culture. As far as Sunil is concerned, he is totally a changed man now. Sunil wants to start the divorce proceedings with Anju as quickly as possible. Their relations are emotionally dry and silent. There is no smile and laughter, no free exchange of thoughts and ideas, any questions or queries between them. The bond of love between them is lost. As he says to Anju, “For a long time now, we’ve just made each other unhappy” (VD 241). Anju also accuses Sunil of his negligence with regard to her welfare and finally agrees to sign the divorce
Or perhaps it was end that was suffused with pain, its distinctive indigo tint. Color of old bruises, color of broken pottery, of crumpled maps in evening light. But, no, not like them, ultimately. For although men have tried for thousands of years to find the right simile- and women too- ultimately pain is only like itself. (VD 3)
So begins Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel The Vine of Desire. Divakaruni textures the experiences of Calcutta born and raised sisters, Sudha and Anju, living as adult women in 1990s San Francisco, as they journey through the hues of pain that are necessary for their discovery of self-worth in an oppressive society. In the novel, Divakaruni portrays the rewards and perils of breaking …show more content…
Divakaruni gives this expression to bring about curiosity in the plot with the three characters questioning themselves whether the decision of bringing Sudha to America was a right one. Sunil, Anju's husband, harbours passionate feelings for Sudha from the day he came for bride-viewing Anju in the Chatterjee house and the two cousins are well aware of it. Sudha is aware of the long stares from Sunil and knows that she is blessed with beauty. Sudha deliberately avoids being alone with Sunil, she neither trusts him, nor herself. On the other hand Anju's marriage with Sunil is at the verge of breaking down. Anju's loneliness intensifies emotional rupture, she finds herself brooding, at times adjusting and adjusting her own routine of college assignments, "All the love I've loved, I've lost them- except me. And this one too- I think I hear it cracking underfoot, like lake of ice in a thin winter" (VD …show more content…
She goes through a lot of transformation as she gets freedom that she could never get in home culture. As far as Sunil is concerned, he is totally a changed man now. Sunil wants to start the divorce proceedings with Anju as quickly as possible. Their relations are emotionally dry and silent. There is no smile and laughter, no free exchange of thoughts and ideas, any questions or queries between them. The bond of love between them is lost. As he says to Anju, “For a long time now, we’ve just made each other unhappy” (VD 241). Anju also accuses Sunil of his negligence with regard to her welfare and finally agrees to sign the divorce