Nectar in a Sieve

Markandaya writes characters who dream of rising above their current socioeconomic status, owning land, and not being beholden to another person’s whims—things that become increasingly impossible as life under the British Raj becomes more restrictive. Rukmani and Nathan plan carefully and work hard to achieve their goals, yet there are factors they cannot control that continually push them backward. When the rain comes (or fails to come), the characters must act as they see fit to survive in an ever-changing world, and even when they do everything right, they risk eviction by a dispassionate landlord. Each villager reacts to their situations differently, yet all act with hope for survival. Two dynamics in the novel—between Rukmani and Kunthi and between Rukmani and Kenny—demonstrate the contrasting effects of poverty on individuals and how those effects influence their opportunities and choices.

One effect of poverty is desperation. Kunthi is willing to go to any lengths necessary to survive another day. This creates an antagonistic relationship between her and Rukmani, whose despair never extends to taking from others in communal times of need. While Rukmani debates how to respond to Kunthi’s threats, Kunthi waits “with the patience of one who knows what power she wields, patient, like a vulture” (82). The vulture imagery draws attention to how Kunthi preys on others in times of crisis. This behavior parallels Murugan’s, Rukmani’s son, who turns to gambling to either improve his financial circumstances or self-soothe in a harsh world. Regardless of his motives, these actions leave his wife and child penniless, just as Kunthi leaves Rukmani’s family without food. These anecdotes interrogate whether individualism can lift people out of poverty; even those who act in their own self-interest do not escape their lower social position.

On the other hand, Rukmani’s dynamic with Kenny shows the resilience, determination, and acceptance with which those in need can face worldly struggles. While Nathan is ill, Kenny passively comments that he needs a more substantial diet to improve his health. Rukmani responds, “Those can only come our way when the yield is rich [...] It cannot be always or indeed even frequent, for we are not rich, you understand” (127-28). Rukmani recognizes their economic status and endeavors to work within their means rather than pushing to rise beyond them. Rukmani is resilient and never loses her belief that her family will survive. Rather than despairing, she focuses on the things she can control, such as feeding her family by taking smaller portions herself. Markandaya questions the efficacy of this self-sacrifice as well; Rukmani ends the novel poorer and with fewer living family members, showing the way imperialism causes life in India to deteriorate for Indians. Ultimately, the novel alludes to this greater colonial power keeping the villagers in poverty no matter how they approach their circumstances.