a backward place: a cross—cultural encounter

7/23/2019 A Backward place: A CrossCultural Encounter

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Cha

pter II

A Backward place: A CrossCultural Encounter

Ruth Jhabvalas novelA Backward Place, published in 1965 is significant for it anticipates the

change in the sensibility of the novelist as aditted by the author herself in the essay !"yself in

India#$ In the essay published a year later after the publication of the novel, she says%

I ust adit that I a no longer interested in India$ &hat I a interested in no' is

yself in India, 'hich(I tend to thin) of as y survival in India$

*s entioned by Jhabvala, the novel ar)s her shift fro the Intra+Indian contet to the -ast+

&est encounter as eperienced by her characters in India$ .er gro'ing a'areness of herself as

an eile finds a perfect epression in the depiction of cross+cultural clashes in this novel$ /he

sae issue has been dealt 'ith at length in the t'o novels that follo'+ A New Dominion01923

andHeat and Dust01953$ /he sub4ect of this study is to sho' ho' in these novels Jhabvala

eplores the consciousness of the &estern epatriate in India and hisher struggle to effect or

resist assiilation$

In the novel, Jhabvalas efforts are priarily directed at transuting her o'n cople

response to India into the varied responses of her -uropean characters$ .er stateent that her

interest is no' centered on herself in India doesnt indicate a siplistic identification 'ith her

-uropean characters$ /he novel portrays Jhabvalas conflicting and intellectual responses to

India by eans of her characters during this phase of her life$ /he responses are soeties


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affiring, soeties negative and at others abivalent$ ut each response is recorded and

assessed 'ithout bias$

/he novel sho's ho' the three 'estern 'oen, -tta, Clarissa and Judy react to life in

India$ -tta has coe to India in account of her sudden ipulsive arriage$ It is follo'ed by her

nuerous arriages and illicit seual relationships 'ith others$ 7ater she finds it harder and

harder to catch young and 'ealthy adirers to )eep her going due to her gro'ing age$ In the

ean tie she finds herself perforing ischievous things$ *lthough she tries to epose herself

to be charing and sprightly at all ties yet is able to please only old en li)e 8uppy$ /hus, -tta

'ho declares to be suberged in a lo'er culture, flatters and 'heedles oney out of en fro

Indias least cultured section+ the baniya or business class$ Clarissa has coe to India in her so+

called uest for spirituality$ :he professes her devotion to Indian spiritualis 'hen she doesnt

even vaguely feel the sae$ ;ne sypathielhi, India is not urbane but poor and bac)'ard in every


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sense$ =overty and bac)'ardness are so predoinant that it is ipossible to pretend that they

dont eist$ Clarissa, the .ochstadts, Juddy and -tta feel the agony 'hen confronted 'ith the

iseries of life in India, though not in the sae 'ay as "rs$ Jhabvala sees to have felt%

/he ost salient fact about India is that it is very poor and bac)'ard$ /here are so any

other things to be said about it but this ust reain the basis of all of the$ &e ay

praise Indian deocracy, go into raptures over Indian usic, adire Indian intellectuals +

but 'hatever 'e say, not for one oent should 'e lose sight of the fact that very great

nuber of Indians never get enough to eat($Can one lose sight of that? 8od )no's, I

have tried$1

7ife in India for her and the -uropeans in her novel becoes a distressing and unforgettable

chore$ /ransients li)e .ochstadts have an avenue of escape$ *s the assignent at the university

gets over, they are happy to go bac) to -ngland$ /hey 4ustify their presence in India by

pretending to advance the cause of -ast+&est synthesis$ Jhabvala states scornfully% !ut 'hat a

store house of eories they 'ould be ta)ing 'ith the$ .o' greatly they felt theselves

enriched by their contact 'ith this fabled land$# It is really arvelous to have the .ochstadts

tal)ing about the !all ebracing love# that India teaches to the -uropeans$ @ro the point of

vie' of the novelist, they can afford to do so because they are loo)ing through the aused eyes

of a visitor on a short stay$ /he novelty of the situation pleasantly ecites the$ -tta sees to be

suing up the novelists vie'%

-tta hated to hear "rs$ .ochstadt tal) li)e that$ It 'as the 'ay people 'ho 'ere for only

a short tie and had all their coforts and conveniences laid on, so often tal)ed$ *s if India ever


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gave anyone anything 0ecept of course gers and diseases3$ &hat had it given -tta, after all

these years, ta)ing her youth, her loo)s, her buoyancy and char?

7i)e -$"$ @orsters India, the India of A Backward Placeis a place 'here the alien spirit

is put to test$ Indi trap, re4ects or ebraces her aliens as they deserve+ assiilating the 'orthy

and epelling or destroying the un'orthy$ /he ideal of 'orth as it is presented in this novel and

inHeat and Dustis derived fro @orsterian ideology$ @orster describes the 'orthy as possessing

four leading characteristics+ !curiosity, a free ind, belief in good taste and belief in the huan

race$#2!Curiosity# obviously denotes a perceptive eye for the distinctive features of an alien

ethos$ !* free ind# indicates an ability to rise above convention and put ne' ideas and ideals to

test$ !elief in good taste# iplies a faith in the value of discriinationA eaning that the true

huanist recogni


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-tta, ore than Clarissa, Judy represents the authentic voice, the doinant note of this

international orchestration inA Backward Place.

/he ost deadly attac) on Indias bac)'ardness and the ost deterined resistance to

assiilation coe fro the neurotic aging beauty -tta$ :he fights a losing battle against

alienation and old age$ .er buoyancy and youth have left her by the tie 'e get to )no' of her

in the novel$ :he had once been young, vivacious and pretty enough to have a nuber of

adirers around her%

:tarting 'ith her first husband, 'ho had brought her out to conuer and char this virgin

territory, 'here lively blondes such as she 'ere fe' and far bet'een enough to be at the

highest preiu$ /here had been a succession, 'hich in the folly of her youth she had

thought inehaustible, of young Indians% all 'ith this in coon that they 'ere, on the one

hand fascinated 'ith and copletely uncritical of the 'ays of blondes and on the other, 'ere

all 'ell+born, 'ell+bred, charing, slender, athletic 'ith blac) eyes and blac) hair and strong

'hite teeth forever at the ready to flash at all her 'itty sayings$ *t that tie all had been as

'onderful as she had a right to epectA and yes+ 'hen IndiaA had appreciated her and she had

been able, 'ith a fully and generous heart, to return the coplient$ 0*= 163

/his is -ttas past history$ :he is no' conscious not only of the ravages of tie but also of

the effects caused by a cruel harsh cliate$ :he is ageing fast$ :he is also a'are that her adirers

are getting fe'er and fe'er and she cant afford to pic) and choose her copany$ :he feels

trapped in India$ :he 'ould love to go bac), at least for a brief spell but lac)s the resources to do

so$ *lthough she is not as poor as Clarissa yet she appeals to the generosity of crude, ne'ly rich

hotelier 8uppy, 'ho ironically regards her 'ith a sort of easy, good+ natured contept$ &hen he


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tells her that he is going to Cannes for a hoteliers conference, she poc)ets her pride and begs

hi to ta)e her along on the trip%

*s soon as she had spo)en, she heard the uch too na)ed appeal in her o'n voice, so she

uic)ly tried to cover it up$ !Ill a)e y hair in a bun and buy a shorthand note boo) and

Ill be a super secretary for you#+ enables hi, if he so chooses, to ta)e it as a 4o)e$ *nd that

'as ho' he did choose to ta)e it$ 0*= 123

-tta is 'eary of India, its heat and dust, its gers and diseases$ 7i)e Jhabavala, she longs to

free herself, to escape fro the a'ful sualor all around her$ /he reader never really sypathi


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to'ards eclusion at this point of her life in India$ In !"yself in India#, Ruth Jhabvala describes

her life style in ters that bear an uncanny reseblance to that of -ttas%

I have a nice house, I do y best to live in an agreeable 'ay$ I shut all y 'indo's, I let

do'n the blinds, I turn on the air+conditioner($*ll the tie I )no' yself to be on the

bac) of this great anial of poverty and bac)'ardness$ It is not possible to pretend

other'ise( -ven if one never rolls up the blinds and never turns off the air+conditioner,

soething is bound to go 'rong$ =eople are not eant to shut theselves in roos and

pretend there is nothing outside$

Isolating oneself, 'hether in India or -urope, leads to alienation and psychic disturbance

in ters of the novels thee$ -ttas ental brea) do'n in India has a parallel in that of another

'oans in -ngland$ Judys others suicide, li)e -ttas abortive attept, is the cliatic point of

a lifetie of eclusion of self fro surrounding life$ -tta believes that constricted urban settings

'here the s)y does not bear do'n on one and 'here the landscape doesnt interrupt on ones

conscious are necessary for the civili


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/hat -tta plans to go and reorient herself 'ith the oney po'er of 8uppy is evident in

the novel$ /here she 'ould be rich, 'ell protected and 'ould have the )no'ledge of the latest

trends in dress and living$ *lthough 8uppy is crude yet she needs hi%

:he couldnt face it alone% to brea) through such a barrier of indifference 'ould ta)e ore

strength and youth than she had for a good nuber of years$ :he longed for -urope, it 'as

true and 'ould do anything to get there, but she could no longer tac)le it on her o'n$ 0*=

213

Fnli)e -sond 'ho plans a 'ay out, -tta is totally trapped in a country 'hose spirit is alien to

her, 'hose asses induce revulsion in her$

/hus -tta, the .ungarian fading beauty, is the sybol of the -uropean disgust at

everything that is Indian$ :he tears everything into shreds that is Indian$ :he scoffs at Judys sari,

calls her respectable hoe a slu, and even blaes the Indian sun for being specially put in the

s)y for ruining every -uropeans copleion$ *lthough she hates to be called colonial, she

reains devoted to the idea$ !/here is absolutely no reason#, she said, !'hen in Roe to do as

Roe does$ ;r rather, there ay be every reason in Roe, but certainly none in >elhi$ Its no use

sin)ing do'n to anyones level, Juddy, 'e ust try to raise the up to ours$# :he continually

scolds Judy for surrendering herself to India and advises her to behave li)e a civili


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If -tta, as sho'n above, chooses to dro'n herself 'ith the Indian society offered to her, her

counterpart, Judy chooses to erge 'ith it$ 7i)e -tta, Judy gets arried to an Indian student in

7ondon 'here he goes as an Indian delegate to an International Eouth conference$ :he

instinctively falls in love 'ith his handsoe face and his 'ar and gay anner$ :he follo's al

to India and accepts his iddle class and soe'hat dreary surroundings$ Judy, 'ith her long hair

in a bun, clad in a cotton sari tries her best to a)e her arriage 'orth'hile$ In this perhaps, she

is ore Indian than ost of her Indian counterparts li)e "rs$ Gaul in the sae novel$ .er

husband al is an effeinate and good+for+nothing sort of hero$ /he interaction bet'een the east

and the 'est centres round Judy and al$ /he t'o are central to the theatic structure of the

novel$ Judy is a do'n+to+ earth realist and her life in India sees to revolve around her husband,

the t'o children, her iddle class surroundings and the five hundred odd rupees that she has

saved over the years during her stay in India$ .er husband is an unsuccessful and copulsive

dreaer$ :he loves hi terribly and often transcends the barriers of the rational in her acceptance

of her husbands iaturity and irresponsibility$ .e engages hiself in spouting philosophy in

the coffee houses$ .e does nothing and reains dependent on his relatives$ .e is an out of 'or)

actor, 'aiting for his big chance, a dreaer 'ho a)es use of his 'ifes earnings$ Judy sees to

love his fantasies$ /hese fantasies see particularly cheerful and bubbly to Juddy 'ho has been

brought up in a cheerless, dap and irthless environent that her staid parents built around her

in 7ondon$

Judy is firly anchored to her arried life in India having t'o children and in+la's$ *ny

discussion of the unsuitability of her arried life is, in fact, theoretical to Juddy$ *lthough Juddy

is urged by her -uropean friends, again and again, to face boldly the ista)e of her arriage to


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an out+of+'or) Indian actor and that she should get out of it before it is too late, she doesnt pay

attention to their 'arnings$ -tta sus up the 'estern 'oens attitude to arried life in India%

"arriages, y dear, are ade to be bro)en, that is one of the rules of odern civilir$ .otchstadts sayings% !It is fatal to coe to India and epect to be able to

live to a 'estern rhyth$# 0*= 23

Judy has a faily to support$ :he is busy in earning a loving as a typist+cu+receptionist

at the cultural organi


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so deterined, on the other, to a)e a different sort of life for herself$ Judys flight fro -ngland

and her deterination to a)e a peranent hoe in India indicate Jhabvalas concern at the 'ay

life is being lived in the &est$ It is strange to note that Judy doesnt see to have accepted the

Indian 'ay of by any faith or conviction in .induis or Indian beliefs but because -nglish 'ay

of life$ /hat had not brought happiness to her parents%

=erhaps this 'as a reaction against her parents 'ho, in their iddle age, had spent uch

tie and 'orry over the proble of ho' they 'ould anage on the old age pension$ *nd

in the end the proble had not arisen$ 0*= 93

/hats 'hy Judy is driven firly into the fold of her Indian faily by her -nglish associates and

her o'n recollections of her parents lives$ :he ta)es on her responsibilities seriously and tries to

accoodate a husband 'ho is childish, 'hisical and difficult to live 'ith$ ;nce at the picnic

site, -tta irritates al by taunting hi as the husband 'ho coes hoe only to eat and sleep and

a)e ore babies$ -tta oc)s at hi for living on his 'ife$ :he says, !Daturally, soeone in the

faily has to go out to 'or) and earn soe oney to feed those darling little ouths$ *nd if she

doesnt, then 'ho 'ill(not you surely?# al is angry and upset$ :he appears to hi etreely

old and ugly$ !:he has insulted e#, he shouts and raises a foot to )ic) her$ &hile al is furious

at being insulted, Judy carries on as usual$ .e shouts at her and orders her not to go out for 'or)

and let hi be disgraced$ /he dreaer in al no' 'ants to go to obay and try his luc) in the

fil 'orld$ It is the pragatic Judy 'ho is frightened of the prospects of arriving 4obless 'ith

her eager savings in a strange city 'ith t'o children and an ipulsive, iature husband$ *s a

-uropean, Judy is sensible and responsible enough not to give up everything at the ipulse of

the oent and go 'andering off loo)ing for soething on one )no's 'hat$ al suffers fro

too uch confidence$ !Dot in hiself perhaps so uch as in his fate$ .e trusted$ &hereas Judy


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only 'anted to be safe 'here she 'as$# *nd suddenly the transforation begins in Judy as 'ell$

/he dreaer in her is able to overpo'er the realist$ !&hy should she be afraid to go out into the

'orld? al 'asnt$ .e had nothing 'aiting for hi in obay any ore than she had, but still

he 'as ready to go, full of hope$# Judy receives intiation fro the vast Indian s)y 'hich

resolves her tensions and fills her 'ith a desire to let life ta)e her on its 'ings, li)e the birds

!floating on the s)y+drifting 'ithout thought or effort or fear, aerial and at ease$# 0*= 1613

:he couldnt ever reeber having loo)ed up at the s)y in -ngland$ :he ust have done,

but she couldnt reeber$ /here had been nothing eorable% nothing had spo)en$ :o

one loc)ed oneself up at hoe, all 'ar and co


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/hus, Judy is the only -uropean 'oan 'ho has anaged to survive in India and eist as

a 'oan, as a huan person in Jhabvalas fictive 'orld$ Judy has learnt fro her 'ise 'ell+

'ishers li)e Jaya)ar% !=eople are not born to sit safe and uiet in their o'n hoes$ &hat sort of

life is that? *nd 'hat can ever be achieved 'hen our people behave li)e ice in holes?# 0*=

1HH3 7ife in obay, she )no's, is not going to be rosy either but she has ceased to be one

aong the ice in holes$

et'een the t'o etree approaches to India represented by -tta and Judy, there are t'o

other 'esterner approaches, 'hich eternaliuring their stay in India, the .ochstadts propound the vie' that the Indian spirit !has in

any fields soared far above the -uropean# and that a !serious coparative study of Indian and

&estern spiritual achieveents 'ill 'iden the hori


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@ran< and @rieda .ochstadts have all the right theories about epatriate approaches to

India$ >r$ .ochstadt advises to -tta% !7ife plays itself out to a different rhyth here(it is fatal to

coe to India and epect to be able to live to a &estern rhyth# 0*= 263$ ut practically they

theselves neednt follo' it$ /hough in India for a very short tie they have anaged to carve

out a life style, 'hich is not very different fro 'hat they had in their flat in :t$ Johns 'ood%

/he place had a very cofortable -uropean atosphere((soeho' the .ochstadts

had anaged to put their o'n touch on everything$ /here 'ere lace table+clothes, soe

abstruse ob4ects dart( any heavily bound boo)s on econoics, philosophy, art and

religionA over all this hang the sell of >r .ochstadts cigars and of the coffee 'hich

"rs$ .ochtadts bre'ed on a little electric ring specially bought for the purpose 0she had

nothing but contept for the coffee sent up by the caterer fro the )itchens belo'3$

0*= 26+23$

;ut of all the characters in the novel, it is -tta 'ho sees through the pseudo+idealis of

the .ochstadts and eposes it to the reader$ In fact -ttas voice often represents the authorial

voice$ &hen >r$ .ochstadt regrets that as ere visitors to India they !can never have that

understanding of India('hich coes to those 'ho are in touch 'ith the hubler people of this

land# 0 *= 23, -tta is uic) to point out that Clarissa holds siilar vie's but !ta)es good care

to get in 'ith people 'ho dont live in villages and 'ho arent in the least bit huble$# /hat

-ttas coent is actually eant for the .ochstadts is aply supported by tetual evidence$ /he

.ochstadts, for all their advice to the other epatriates, restrict their sociali


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only a short tie, and had all their coforts and conveniences laid on, so often tal)ed$# Judy,

too, has her reservations about the .ochstadts$ :he resents their theori


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hadhas connections 'ith India for a long tie+ !one of y great uncle 'as a :upree Court

Judge in Calcutta and another 'as a Chief Coissioner soe'here$# 0*= 93$ .o'ever,

Clarissa assures :udhir that, this 'as not her illustrious lineage, 'hich brought her in India but

her first reading of Roain RolandsLife of Vivekananda'hich ade soething in her snap

and say !/hat is 'here I belong$ I going$# 0*= 93$

Clarissa, another soe'hat coical character, is a direct antithesis to -tta$ :he, too, is

hypersensitive, parasite and conveys her eotions 'ith a fair degree of ecess$ *t the sae tie

she is huble and odest$ .er huility leaves her totally eposed as a soe'hat stupid and a

probable lunatic character$ :he sanctifies the plainness of Judys house and glorifies the dirty

slu in the dirty surroundings of >elhi$ :he is tolerated by the Indians she eets probably

because of her 'hite s)in$ &e are told that she is old and ugly$ :he has neither grace nor

couettish char of -tta$ :he flirts outrageously and clusily than -tta and loo)s a pathetic

figure trying to use her chars to stay in the lielight$ 8uppy ignores her and is soe'hat rude

'ith her$ -ven the aiable al ignores her outrageous flirting and seduction$

*s copared to -tta, Clarissa is do'nright disgusting and pathetic in her relationship

'ith 8uppy$ Clarissa, in fact, cant a)e any ipression on any ale copany 'hatsoever$ :he

even tries to seduce al 'hen he is going to narrate his eciting plan to her$ al doesnt notice

her caresses on his thighs$ It is not that he ignores her act$ .e siply doesnt see to even notice

such a blatant attept at deduction in such a private environent as her hoe only conveys

Clarissas lac) of 'oanly char$ * conversation bet'een Clarissa and -tta establishes the fact

that Clarissa is staying on in India because 'ith her liited sources any sort of independent

living is ipossible in -ngland$


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In the process of adaptation 'e find Clarissa oving further fro reality, of fulfillent$

In a 'ay she is also a isfit$ *lthough she tries her hand at being a secretary, a portrait painter, a

4ac)+of+all+ trades yet she reaches no'here$ 7iving on a sall legacy left by a great aunt, Clarissa

finds it soe of 'orth even in poor and bac)'ard country li)e India$ :he doesnt go bac) for she

)no's 'hat the faily epects of her% !I suppose they 'ant a free baby+sitter and nurse+aid

and general drudge about the place thats 'hy they 'ant e bac) for$ Do than) you$# 0*= 1923$

&ith such an understanding of her o'n situation, Clarissa !longs desperately to belong to

India$# Ironically Jhabvala !indicts India for being bac)'ard enough to re4ect such an appeal# is

doubtful, indeed$ &hat Clarissa feels about India and the Indians is clearly epressed in the

follo'ing lines%

I really thin) I ust have been Indian in y previous birth+ in y entire previous births+

'ell, lots of people have told e so and it is true$ I )no' it is(/hats 'hy I cant stand

the -nglish, but I do get on so a'fully 'ell 'ith Indians$ /hey feel I a one of the, you

see$ 0*= 192+93

*lthough Clarissa boosts of a special vibration bet'een herself and the Indians, she is

re4ected both by the Indians as 'ell as the -nglish$ >ressed in a Ra4asthani peasant s)irt and a

handspun blouse, Clarissa pro4ects an iage of herself as a !free and easy iture of sadhuand

artist#+ a huane, siple soul slightly daaged by the Indian sun but untouched by the 'estern

aterialis and in love 'ith the Indian 'ay of life$ /hat the iage is false and that she, li)e -tta,

shares the spirit of her memsahibforebears 'ho deanded and received their living fro India

'ith no contribution fro their side, is established by the novelist in several 'ays$ .er parasitic

tendencies are revealed in the follo'ing authorial coents%


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Clarissa 'as not a good artist, but she got a lot of places through 'hat art she had$ &hen

she 'anted to establish relations 'ith soeone rich or iportant or useful, she al'ays

coented enthusiastically on their fascinating faces and as)ed to be allo'ed to s)etch

the$ :he had got access in this 'ay to soe very proinent people$ 0*= H3$

and%

Clarissa only )ept her roo to have soe'here to retreat to 'hen none of her friends

'anted her$ @or the rest of the tie, she stayed in various cofortable houses, either in

to'n or up in the hills( ate at other peoples tables, too) an interest in other peoples

affairs and ade herself a part of other peoples failies$ 0*= 623$

In fact, in alost all the scenes in 'hich Clarissa appears, her veiled snobbery and opportunistic

tendencies are subtly but surely eposed$

/hus, the picture of Clarissa is a patheticA it is a sight of one 'ho coproises constantly

for the sa)e of nothing higher than an ordinary decent living$ .er dilea in India is ore

cople than that of -tta$ .er collapse is coplete 'hen all her failiar platitudes desert her

and she has nothing to fall bac) upon but hysterical 'ailing% !(dont )no' 'hat cae over

e(I not that sort of person($-tta is that sort of person, not e# 0*= 5+63

Ruth =ra'er Jhabvala declared in 1966 that she 'as no longer interested in India ecept

as it affected her and her )ind$ Eet the social, cultural and political cliate of >elhi coes in for

a good easure of criticis and scorn in this novel$ /hat the condition of India adversely affects

not only the foreigners but her o'n people as 'ell is depicted through the personalities of :udhir

and Jay)ar in the novel$ /he novelists observation of the socio+political scene is conveyed

through the character of Jay)ar 'ho finds hiself at odds 'ith the India he has helped to create$


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.is attepts to refor it through his paper Seconds Thoughts are ineffective but his ehortations

to a fe' chosen ones are ta)en seriously and prove valuable to the$ .is advice to Judy and

:udhir is effective !=eople are not born only to sit safe and uiet(li)e ice in holes$#

Jay)ars spiritual son :udhir deplores Indias bac)'ardness+ not out of hate, li)e -tta, but

out of love$ .e believes that Indias poverty and sualor ensue fro the corruption and hypocrisy

of people in high places, such as the ones 'ith 'ho he is continually in contact, as the 8eneral

:ecretary of the Cultural >ais$ /his association, run by a fashionable and 'ealthy lady called

"rs$ Gaul, is supposed to dispense culture to a sall inority of >elhi society 'here people

'ere !'ell dressed, spo)e good -nglish and had been abroad% 0*= 13$ In reality, the >ais

functions only as "rs$ Gauls copensations for a husband 'ho is too busy to give her any

attention and pattern of life in 'hich her role has becoe indistinct$ In the public eye the

Cultural >ais stands, in :udhirs opinion, for social advanceent+ !a place 'here you can eet

nice and interesting people and be in touch and be iportant, also an opportunity perhaps to

'angle a trip abroad# 0*= K3$ /he activities of Cultural >ais are in fact totally out of contet

'ith the countrys real needs$ In this 'ay, Judy and :udhir represent Ruth =ra'er Jhabvalas

conscience 'ith regard to India$

/hus JhabvalasA Backward Place is a study of ho' these 'estern 'oen react to the

life in India$ -cept Judy, India has no place for any of her epatriates 'ho are either epelled or

left to stagnate and even decay$ /he .ochstadts leave India and are soon forgotten$ Clarissas

ental confusion and self+delusion reind her of the eaningless of her life in India$ -tta has

coe close to destruction$ /his is the final ipression registered in the pages of Backward

Place. In all these reactions 'e get a glipse facet of Jhabvalas o'n eperience of India$


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Notes

1$ Ruth =ra'er Jhabvala, !"yself in India#,An Exerience of India, p$H

2$ -$"$ @orster, !8ide and 8eorge#, !wo "#eers for Democrac$, p$ 21$$ Basant *$ :hahane,%ut# Prawer a'vala0De' >elhi% *rnold .eineann, 1963, p$2$

4. :hantha Grishnas'ai (limses of )omen in India0>elhi% *shish =ublishing .ouse,

19H3, p$ 16$

a backward place: a cross—cultural encounter

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