Rohinton Mistry’s The Collectors shares, at least with Midnight’s Children, the theme of parentage as being something not strictly biological. Dr. Mody’s disappointment in his own son, Pesi, leads him to feel some kind of fatherly affection for a boy, Jehangir, who seems to be fatherless. Given this, the story is particularly family-oriented and deals with the disconnectedness that can occur within families. In South Asian literature, the family seems to hold a great deal of importance since it essentially informs the individual member who they are and where they belong. A frequent theme (so far) seems to be the confusion and suffering this type of “familial defining” can cause.
There seems to be a focus on things, items, and objects and how they can influence those who own them, see them, or are aware of them in some way. Stamps are ultimately what bring together and break apart Dr. Mody and Jehangir’s relationship as well as Jehangir’s relationship with Eric D’Costa.
Another theme seems to be “thwarted” or unfulfilled expectations for what life will bring either for oneself or for what one wishes for someone else. In Mistry’s story, Dr. Mody feels empty because of the way Pesi has turned out and how their interests do not align on pretty much any level. His hopes for his son’s life ultimately drive him to fulfill his own wishes, to an extent, with another “son.”
This may be a kind of Dickensian influence (unfulfilled expectations) but I guess it could be interpreted as being related to an aspect of post-colonial literature. It could also be a kind of South Asian (maybe Buddhist or Hindu) preoccupation with the ability or inability to actively influence the course of one’s life.
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