Hari's Experience at the Sri Krishna Eating House:

Hari's expectations for the city did not follow through to what he thought they would, Hari had expected that all of the city would be wealthy and have nice restaurants yet he was surprised when he arrived at the Sri Krishna Eating House: "The Sri Krishna Eating House was the meanest and shabbiest restaurant Hari had ever seen: even in Thul and along the Alibagh-Rewas highway there were cafes that were pleasanter. This shows that because Hari had been living in Thul, he had been isolated and did not really know life outside of the small village. Since moving to the city, Hari has found that compared to the city life, life in a small village such as Thul is very simple. In the city it is easier to find a job and money is a lot easier to come by, yet everything is busier, more complicated and more dangerous. Although the work at the Sri Krishna Eating House was hard, "Hari was proud of the money that he was collecting to take back to his family", Hari shows a determination to provide a better life for him and his family, this motivates him to work hard and to work his way up in his new life in Bombay.

Poverty

In the novel "Village By The Sea" by Anita Desai, poverty is depicted as the main theme of the story. To me, from reading this book I have interpreted poverty as a constant struggle to live. Lila and Hari face poverty every day and because they are young, their mother is sick and their father does not work, it is very hard for them to change their situation. Although their are different forms of poverty, I think that Lila and Hari face the most extreme type. They are always struggling to make money to provide food for their family, they are struggling so much that they have been forced to give up their education so that they can support each other. The poverty that they face means that they are finding it hard to live and they do not have what is necessary to live a healthy life. Unlike Lila and Hari, most children in New Zealand receive a good education, a sufficient amount of food, a healthy home, and the comfort of feeling safe. Lila and Hari do not get these things that we all take for granted, this to me is the meaning of poverty.

Thoughts on Hari as a character so far...

With what I have learned about Hari as a character so far, I think that he has a very strong personality. This is shown with the determination he has to find a better life for both himself and also for his sisters Lila, Bela and Kamal. I have also found that Hari is a very independent character, I think that one of the reasons for this is that he has had very little of a male role model in his life as his father is usually drunk. This has caused Hari a lot of hatred towards his father yet it has shown him skills in which he can depend on himself and not have to rely on others to live. Although Hari is strong and independent, his life in the village of Thul has been very simple, not easy but simple. Now that he has moved to the city his lack of street smarts is shown, for example when he meets the coconut seller who according to another homeless man in dangerous. Hari does not know this, he simply expects that the coconut seller is a harmless man. Hari also carries a lack of understanding towards the value of goods and money itself, Hari is very surprised when he finds out the price of the coconuts as at home he would not have to buy one, he would simply climb up a tree to fetch the coconut. Over all I think that Hari's personality is emphasised due to the motivation he has for a better life, not only has he been pushed to succeed, he is also pulled by the awaiting future for himself and his sisters.

Lila:

Challenges:

The challenge of looking after her family while her mother is sick and her father is incapable.

The challenge of finding food and other items that her family needs in order to live.

The challenge of growing up without chance of an education.

The challenge of having all the responsibilities of an adult when only a child.

The challenge of living with a father that she cannot trust or feel safe around.

The challenge of looking after her sick mother.

The challenge of working along side her brother to bring money in.

Relationships:

The relationship between Lila and her brother- understanding each other and trying to share the responsibilities makes this relation ship very strong. Lila is very close to her brother and alike Lila, Hari has also had to drop out of school to support his family.

The relationship between Lila and her mother- as her mother is ill, it is hard for Lila to have a strong relationship with her. Lila's mother relies on her to take care of the family, this shows that she has a lot of trust towards Lila.

The relationship between Lila and her father- as Lila's father is always at the "toddy shop", it is hard for her to have any relationship with him. Lila fears her father, as he is always drunk and stands as a threat to the children. Lila's father does not bring in money or do anything to support his family, this makes Lila a stronger and more independent individual.

Strengths:

Lila has many strengths that she has to use every day such as, being strong enough to support her family and look after her siblings without the help of her mother or father. Another strength she has is to save money and find food to feed her family, also a great strength she has is getting through life without an education, knowing that it will disadvantage her later in life.

The Village By The Sea: Contrasting Passages

The Village By The Sea: P 103, Chapter 9

The work was not easy in that firelit kitchen of the Sri Krishna Eating House that seemed to grow hotter and hotter and never to cool down even at night. The Eating House never quite shut and customers had to be served with tea and bread or bread and lentils whenever they demanded it, day or night. Jagu kept his promise of paying Hari a rupee a day which came to seven rupees a week, good wages for a young boy new to the work, and Hari was grateful for it.

This passage works in contrast to the studied passage as it describes the lifestyle when living in the city, as apposed to living in a village such as Thul. It shows a contrast of wealth in people living within the city and that they have a higher quality life style. It explains how there is more technology around when describing the kitchen and also the personalty of customers, when it says "The Eating House never quite shut and customers had to be served with tea and bread or bread and lentils whenever they demanded it", words such as "demanded" give off this idea.

This passage also gives the theory of it being easier to find work in the city, as Hari has now got a job which enables him to support his family.