Rachel - Mistry, 3/21

"The Collectors..."  Wow.  Have to admit, I really the anti-consumerist theme in this piece.  (Being a 100% stereotypical New Schooler, however, I tend to think almost ALL writing has an anti-consumerist message, and therefore, has something critical to say.  Biased thinking, w00t.)

I know this post is supposed to comment on a distinctly "South Asian" theme within literature.  However, I think this is somewhat...impossible to do.  While culture and race are powerful factors that alter our perceptions of the world, I think human animals are - at the end of the day - human animals, and they will inevitably focus on the same themes.  In the 21st century, anti-consumerism is something we're fixated on, as a species.  This holds especially true in South Asian countries like Cambodia and India, where the trauma of 19th century genocide or colonialism has not been completely processed.

In Mistry's story, we see a wealthy veterinarian in his house, living with his car, stamp collection, and obnoxious son.  But this character is juxtaposed with beggars on the street, who pick food out of primary school garbage cans once students have finished their lunch hour.

In "The Collectors," the stamp collection symbolizes a material luxury.  It is something that brings the owner pleasure, but is not necessary for survival.  Jehangir even steals stamps so his collection may grow; while this brings him material comfort, it costs store owners their livelihoods.  It shows the class conflict that exists in present day India; at the moment, there are huge gaps between the intelligentsia and the "untouchable" caste.  This is one theme I've been seeing throughout this course, and I would imagine that it will be likewise explored in the next two books we're about to read.  And that's a good thing.

I think it is essential that class differences be grappled with in literature.  I think (and Rushdie would probably agree) that opening a literary dialog is one of the best ways for a culture to absorb the aftershock of trauma.  Whether it's trauma caused by colonialism, loss of culture, war, or poverty, a discourse needs to be opened up.

Good job, Mistry!