Will - 4/25 - Ghosh

"Neel had been brought up to regard his body and its functions with a fastidiousness that bordered almost on the occult" (183).

Neel is not a germ-a-phobe as it was not until the late 19th century that scientists proved that germs cause disease.  He is concerned with spiritual defilement, something mysterious that can be fended off only with constant vigilance.  The opium trade from which Neel profited destroys lives everywhere from farmers like Deeti to addicts in China, and when Neel stands trial for forgery he gets no love from the people of lesser caste his family has exploited for generations.  Neel may be trying unconsciously to scrub off this stain of guilt.  This is impossible because the violence inherent in the opium trade permeates every aspect of life in this novel.  The wealth of his estate is entirely dependent on opium, and Neel's association with the unsavory British merchants is particularly distasteful to him.

Neel's fastidiousness about keeping his body clean is described as a legacy from his mother, who had to wash her hands for a half hour before and after every meal (183).  She was neglected by Neel's father, who enjoyed good relations with the British because all he did was throw parties and sleep around.  So Neel's obsession with his body is partly due to weird issues with his parents.  After his arrest the narrator remarks that for Neel "no aspect of his captivity held greater terror than the thought of sharing a shit-hole with dozens of common prisoners" (184).  Neel will have nothing to do with any commoners.  In this way he is not any better than the British imperialists who abuse the Indians who work at their opium plants or sail on their ships.  From a Marxist perspective the feudal lord is even more an enemy than the bourgeois capitalists.  The British might even be doing good by erasing the caste distinctions.