Ice Candy Man

Imam Din grabs a child or anything soft, places it on his lap, and rocks gently. Though puzzled by this habit, Lenny angrily grabs the neighbor child, Rosy, off of Imam Din’s lap and yells at him, as does Ayah, whom he pursues sexually in a more overt manner. However, as an elderly, 65-year-old man, Imam Din is a respected figure in the Sethi household, where he assists in solving problems between people, including when Adi insists on peeping at Lenny in the bathroom. He is also a respected elder in his home village, where he is married to his fourth wife after being widowed three times.

Lenny begs Imam Din to take her home with him to his village; she has gone home with him at least twice before. Ayah convinces Imam Din to take Lenny on his journey home. Lenny leaves with him one early morning before dawn, sitting on a small seat installed on the crossbar of his bicycle. They travel the 20 miles to Imam Din’s village, called Pir Pindo.

Ranna, Imam Din’s great-grandson, greets them. He is about Lenny’s age. They run and play together. Lenny is fascinated by Ranna’s belly button, which protrudes like a finger; Ranna affects Lenny’s limp in sympathy. These slight deformities draw them together.

Ranna’s older sisters, Katija and Parveen—“miniature women of eight and nine”—already have the responsibilities of adult women, and they mimic the serious expressions of their mothers (63). Lenny notes that Katija and Parveen are only two and three years older than she is, and that their childhoods are over. Visiting Sikhs from a nearby village joke that they are ready for marriage, and the girls know that “smiling before men can lead to disgrace” (63).

The men of the village have gathered for a serious purpose: to discuss the growing violence between the Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs in the cities. The headmen and elders, including the village mullah, all declare allegiance and make solemn vows to protect one another with their lives: they are all brothers, whether Sikh, Muslim, or Hindu, all peasants of the soil, aren’t they?

Upon Lenny and Imam Din’s return to Lahore (with its toilets, tables, and chairs, unlike the village of Pir Pindo), the Sethis give a dinner party. Lenny and Adi are fed early, and Adi steals Lenny’s treat, a chicken giblet. The children fight, but are separated and appeased. They hide under the table during the dinner.

The guests consist of the next-door neighbors, Rosy and Peter’s parents, who are a Sikh husband and his American wife, and the Inspector General of Police and Mrs. Rogers, who are English. The awkward gathering ends in a political argument: the Sikh, Mr. Singh, longs for independence, while the Inspector General insults the ability of the native population to govern itself. The guests argue over the facts that Gandhi and Nehru want a joint state, while the Muslim League pushes for an independent Muslim state called Pakistan. The argument reaches a climax when Mr. Singh tries to stab the Englishman in the eye with his fork. Mrs. Sethi pleads with Mr. Rogers to apologize and to end the argument, and he does. The children are discovered under the table, and they are whisked off to bed. To their astonishment, they are not punished.

Lenny and Adi fall asleep to the laughter of their parents below. Who are these relaxed, funny, laughing people? Unless they are in company, Lenny’s father rarely even speaks to his wife.

The next day, Lenny joins in horseplay between her mother and father to guess where the household money that Mrs. Sethi needs has been hidden. She triumphs in the end. Lenny is thrilled to have participated in this unusual lively and light-hearted exchange between her parents.

Rosy and Adi get into a fight, knocking each other down and rolling around in the dirt. Lenny follows Rosy home next door, hoping for a chance to play with Rosy’s three little glass jars. Lenny wants them terribly, but she is too proud to ask Rosy for them. When Rosy leaves her room, Lenny hides the little jars in the cold ashes of the fireplace, hoping that Rosy will forget about them. Rosy foils Lenny’s plan by bringing in the spices to fill the little jars to play tea-time. Lenny curses her conscience as she retrieves the jars from their hiding place.

Ayah has gained two new admirers: a Chinese man (referred to as a Chinaman), and a Pathan named Sharbat Khan. The Chinaman brings her silks, and soon Ayah’s room and the household are inundated with silk doilies and other linens, including tablecloths, sheets, and pillowcases. The Pathan sharpens knives, and soon the entire family’s knives are wickedly sharp. The Pathan tells Ayah the news of the city: many prosperous people are being found dead in ones and twos all over the city. They come from all religious backgrounds, and the police are doing nothing about these deaths. In addition, the Pathan curries favor by giving Lenny and Adi rides on his bicycle. Ayah becomes nervous around Sharbat Khan. They talk and flirt with body language, and the Pathan’s “eyes shin[e] with love” as he asks her which mountain treats he can bring her (85). She asks for almonds and pistachios .

A similar dance of love occurs each afternoon when Lenny’s father comes home for lunch. Both Lenny and her mother greet him exuberantly and affectionately. Only speaking in monosyllables, frowns, and smiles, Lenny’s father eats his lunch while Lenny and her mother tell amusing tales about their day. Most of what they talk about is exaggerations or lies. Lenny believes that these lunches are how she learned to tell tall tales.

Lenny goes to school at her tutor’s house. Mrs. Pen lives across the street from Electric-aunt and next to Godmother’s house on Jail Road. She is English, and her husband is Anglo-Indian. While Lenny learns, Mr. Pen snores on the sofa.

After her lessons, Lenny visits Godmother. Lenny has a terrible secret: she has stolen the three little glass jars. She needs a hiding place. When she attempts to hide them in Godmother’s room, Slavesister immediately finds them. Godmother knows that she has stolen them. When Lenny protests that everyone around her, including her little brother can steal, lie, and curse with impunity, Godmother simply tells her the she is not suited to stealing, lying, or cursing. Lenny feels condemned to a life of honesty.

When Gandhi visits Lahore, Lenny and her mother see him. Lenny is shocked because he looks old, cross, and irritable, and only wants to discuss her mother’s and Lenny’s bathroom habits. Disgusted, her eyes meet Gandhi’s. She sees eyes filled with compassion and love for women and handicapped children. Many years later, though, the adult narrator reports that she saw an icy core behind Gandhi’s compassionate surface.