Depiction of Hari

In the story of "The Village by the Sea" one of the main characters is Hari. Hari, is in a sense the support for his family, and in this extract from this book, we see the burden that is put on the twelve year old boy from the responsibility that has been placed upon him following his fathers drunk behaviour.
"They could never look forward to working on a fishing boat or in a factory, as he did. THey would have to marry, one day, and he would have to see to it since his father would not....shadows of the night." (Para4)
from "and he woudl have to see...since his father would not..." Desai communicates the theme of responsibility that is felt by Hari through this line, this is further emphasized by the listing used by Desai to list all of the items that would be required for the weddings of his sisters. Desai also shows how troubled Hari is, faced with these problems" ....if he was to find his sisters a way out of this dark, gloomy house and teh illness and drunkenness and hopelessness that surrounded them like the shadows of the night." Hari clearly wants a way out for him and his sisters, but he feels that this would be impossible  as "he could never earn enough in thul to help his whole family. He would have to go to Bombay." From this extract, Desai has depicted Hari as a young boy but with a very mature mind. Maybe he is a symbol of all the other children in India, in a small town like Thul, where from such a tender young age, they are already expected to make decisions that should really be the job of adults.

Modernisation

The Village by the Sea, a story written by Anita Desai, tells a story of a rural town going through modernisation. Using characterisation, Anita Desai develops and communicates the idea of modernisation through Ramu , “ We’ll get jobs, Hari – we’ll get jobs.  You’ll see.”

In this quote Desai uses diction and repetition, “we’ll get jobs … - we’ll get jobs…” through this Desai is able to emphasize the importance of modernisation to this town, and in turn, what modernisation will bring to the town. “Jobs” are something extremely treasured by the locals, because to them, Jobs mean a “way out” and a chance for income for the family. Desai through Jobs also communicates the idea of the importance of economical development, and all of this eventually leading to modernisation.

Feelings about Village by the Sea

The Village by the Sea by Anita Desai is a brilliant book about a typical family living in the city of Thul near Bombay. I've found this story very rich with detail and very gripping up to this point. I really enjoy the author's use of narrative detail as she describes everything as if she was painting the Mona Lisa, from the description of the beach, "the sun lifted up over the coconut palms in a line along the beach and sent long slanting rays over the silvery sand,"(Pg. 7; P3L1) through this line of beautifully written scenery, I see a gorgeous beach, sand glittering in the rising sun, with palm trees lining the coast. I feel inspired by the way Desai is able to help the reader's visualize the scene so well.

Up to this point of the story, the story revolves around Hari, as the author tells us about his difficulties in coping with his messed up family. We learn about his mum's sickness and her father's drunkedness; and the hardships of him and his sisters. Through use of descriptive imagery and the thoughts of Hari, the author draw's sympathy from the readers as the story move's on.

I feel that Village by the Sea is going to turn out to be a very deep and most likely tragic story. I feel there are many deep and personal messages within this book and is definitely worth reading.