Unit 1-4 - Bestsellers and Genre Fiction

B.A. (Hons.) Political Science/B.A. (Prog.
) Semester-IV/V
Generic Elective (English) Study Material
Bestsellers and Genre Fiction

Unit : 1-4
Editors: Dr. Seema Suri, P. K. Satapathy

Department of English
SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

University of Delhi
Generic Elective (GE)

Unit : 1-4
Editors:
Dr. Seema Suri
School of Open Learning
University of Delhi
Delhi-110007
P. K. Satapathy
School of Open Learning
University of Delhi
Delhi-110007

UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
5, Cavalry Lane, Delhi-110007
Generic Elective (GE)
Contents
Lesson Title Writer Pg.
No.
Unit-1 The Blue Umbrella: Ruskin Bond Akansha Goswami 01
Unit-2 The Immortals of Meluha: Amish Tripathi Akansha Goswami 15
Unit-3 The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency: 29
Alexander McCall Smith
Part-I : Study Guide Komal Dabas 31
Part-II : Critical Analysis Dr. Seema Suri 40
Unit-4 Paper Towns: John Green Swasti Sharma 49

UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
5, Cavalry Lane, Delhi-110007
Unit-1
The Blue Umbrella
Ruskin Bond
Contents
Learning Objectives
1. Introduction
1.1 Characteristics of Fiction
1.2 Elements of Fiction
2. Bestseller
3. The Blue Umbrella
3.1 Introduction
3.2 About the Author
3.3 Critical Analysis.
3.3.1 Characters
3.3.2 Plot
3.3.3 Setting
3.3.4 Writing Style
3.3.5 Theme
Prepared by: Edited by:

Akansha Goswami P.K. Satapathy
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2
Unit-1
The Blue Umbrella

Ruskin Bond
Akansha Goswami
Learning Objectives
After reading this study material and prescribed texts, you should be able to:
 Understand what is fiction, genre, novel and best seller books.
 Understand characteristics of fiction.
 Identify six main elements of fiction.
 Know about the life and works of Ruskin Bond.
 Find and identify all elements of the novel in this text.
 Identify the writing style of Ruskin Bond.
 Critically analyse the text.
1. Introduction
Fiction is a work of creative writing based on the writer’s imagination instead of facts. Within
the broad rubric of fiction I comes various genres and sub-genres like a novel, short story,
play, etc. Genre is a term used for the classification of different works of literature into
categories like poetry, drama, and prose. Each of these genres is further divided into various
sub-genres. Fiction comes under the prose genre. It means fiction is written in prose form,
however, there are some experimental examples where fiction is written in verse or with a
mixture of prose and verse. In this paper, some of the bestselling works are included. Try to
identify which genre or sub-genre they belong to and what are their characteristics. For
example, are they written in prose or poetry? What is their length? What are they about? Are
they based on facts or the writer’s imagination? And why do people read these texts?
1.1 Characteristics of Fiction
 Fiction is not real. However, the elements of reality and fantasy both are present in
any work of fiction. A well-written piece of fictional writing will make fantasy look
like a reality that readers can relate to.
 The story and characters are made up of the writer’s imagination. The story or plot
can be based on a real-life incident and the characters can be inspired by a real person.
 It is usually read for enjoyment unlike Non- fiction, which is read for facts,
information, and explanations. On the other hand, a good piece of fiction based
literature will always give some new knowledge to its reader. One cannot argue that
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fiction is inferior to non-fiction. Both are equally important and have their distinct
purpose for readers.
 It is written with a message the writer wants to give through his/her story. As a reader
and as a student, one needs to read and analyse the text to understand the message
given by the writer.
 Works of fiction can be interrelated and complex. However, basic elements of fiction
will remain intact and one can use them to understand any piece of fiction writing.
1.2 Elements of Fiction
Fiction has SIX main elements which are present in all fictional works of Literature. These
are:–
1.2.1 Character: An imaginary person or figure with its personality traits, age, and gender. A
Character can be based on a real human being or it can be completely imaginary. The writer
needs to describe all the characters for a reader to imagine them while reading. Readers can
easily remember those characters to whom they can relate, it means the reader can understand
the choices they made in the story, things they faced or suffered in the story. Character
analysis can further help readers to contextualise the text. Characters are equally important as
plot or theme to make any book popular and a best seller.
1.2.2 Plot: It is the sequence of incidents in which the narrator tells the story. Every fictional
work has a plot. The same story can be told in different plots, it means with a different
sequence of incidents. Any plot can be divided into a basic narrative structure: A) Where and
how the scene is set and characters are introduced to the reader? B) What is the main conflict
in the story which needs to be resolved? C) How the story moves towards climax and how it
is achieved? D) How a resolution happens and the writer concludes the story with a moral
lesson?
1.2.3 Point of View: The narrator tells the story from a point of view. It could be from a first-
person, second-person or third-person point of view. (First-person: I, mine, we; second-
person: you, yours, yourself, yourselves; third-person: he, she, it, they, them, their, etc.). The
same story can be told from many different points of views or in other words different
narrators have different point of view. For instance if a policeman catches a thief, he would
tell the story from his point of view. But the same story would have different point of view if
the thief narrates the story.
1.2.4 Setting: All fictional works are set in a combination of time, space and place. It
provides a general background of the characters and the plot and helps the reader imagine the
story in their minds while reading. Readers need to know when the action in the story is
taking place. Is it in the past or future? Is there any specific date and time of action given in
the story via a historical reference? Where is the action taking place?
1.2.5 Style: Each writer has his/her writing style. They choose to write in a specific style that
includes language, choice of words, sentence structure, use of adjectives and verbs, and other
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linguistic features. Writers use their creative ideas to create new characters, tell stories using
interesting plots and settings.
1.2.6 Theme: All works of fiction are supposed to give a message to the reader. The main
idea or message of a fictional work is its main theme. A text can have multiple themes, but
there will always be one central idea known as the text’s main theme. Writers use motifs,
imagery and symbols to facilitate the theme for their readers. Recurring ideas in a fictional
work helps the reader to understand given themes.
Try to find these six elements in all the four works you will read in this paper and see
how they will help you better understand the given text.
2. Bestseller
Bestsellers refer to books that have the highest sales among their specific categories or genre.
A writer can also be called a bestseller if he/she gives the highest sales. For example, the
Harry Potter series is a bestseller and J.K Rowling is a bestseller writer. Most of the bestseller
books are also considered popular fiction. However, there is a slight difference in both of
these categories. When any work is considered popular, it means it is appreciated by the
masses and its content has become general knowledge. On the other hand, bestseller
categories are based on the selling rates of a book or a writer. For example, Shakespeare’s
sonnets and plays might not have more selling rate than J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series
but they are also famous.
In this paper, you will read works by famous writers that are bestsellers and quite
popular. Ruskin Bond’s The Blue Umbrella is loved by readers of all age groups. The
Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi is the no. 1 national bestseller, a mesmerising tale
about lord Shiva. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith has been
entertaining readers for three decades and Paper Towns by John Green is popular among
young adults.
3. The Blue Umbrella
3.1 Introduction
The Blue Umbrella is a novella written by famous Indian author Ruskin Bond. It was
published in 1980 and later on, in 2005, it was adapted into a movie with the same name. The
film was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and won the National Film Award for Best Children's
Film. This story also appeared in Bond’s other collection Children's Omnibus. This novella is
also adapted into a comic book by the Amar Chitra Katha publication with another story by
Bond named Angry River. The title of the comic adaptation is The Blue Umbrella – Stories by
Ruskin Bond and it was published in 2012.
The Blue Umbrella is a story of a little girl named Binya, who finds her happiness in a
blue umbrella and teaches a lesson of kindness by sharing it with others. Binya is a ten-year-
old girl who lives with her mother and elder brother Vijay. Binya’s full name is Binyadevi
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but throughout the story, we know her as Binya and her brother Vijya is known as Bijju. Her
father died when she was eight years old.
The story is set in the Garhwal hills where a young girl Binya lives like any other
mountain girl. She is not afraid of the forest and is very comfortable with her life on the hills.
Daily she walks around barefoot and looks after her cows. She likes to spend her time alone
in the natural surroundings and enjoys her own company. Talking about her, the author says
“Binya belonged to the mountains”. As comfortable mountains are for her, she is not that
comfortable in the town market- “It was only when she was in the market-town, jostled by
the crowds in the bazaar, that she felt rather nervous and lost”.
One day when “she walked over fallen pine needles” following her cows, she saw a
group of people from plains having a picnic party. One of the women from the group saw
Binya looking towards them and called her “a little village girl”. They thought that Binya
wanted some food or money but Binya’s eyes were stuck on the beautiful blue umbrella.
These people were talking about Binya’s dirty clothes and how pretty she was. They assumed
that Binya could not understand them therefore she was not giving any kind of response to
their words. However, Binay was so mesmerized by the blue umbrella that she forgot about
everything else. The younger woman from the group liked Binya’s necklace and wanted to
buy it. Since Binay liked the blue umbrella, instead of taking money, she exchanged her
tiger’s claw lucky charm for the blue umbrella. Here onwards the blue umbrella became the
most beautiful and lovely possession of Binya.
Binya’s blue umbrella became an instant hit in the village. Everyone liked it and it
became a symbol of Binya’s pride and joy. She carried it everywhere, even on the days when
it did not rain. People in the village had never seen such an umbrella therefore, some people
became envious and jealous of Binya. One of them was Old Ram Bharosa, who owned a tea
shop on Tehri road. He wanted to buy her umbrella but when Binya refused to sell it, he
announced that he would buy the same umbrella and show it to everyone. However, when he
got to know that such umbrellas can only be bought in Delhi and he cannot have one here in
Garhwal, he started feeling bad about it. He shared his desire to own the blue umbrella with
his servant Rajaram. His servant offered to steal the umbrella for three rupees.
He followed Binya for some days and when he saw her alone, he tried to snatch the
umbrella from her. At the same time, Bijju was coming home from another direction after
collecting a bundle of sticks for their kitchen fire, he saw Binya running after Rajaram. Binya
did not give up on her umbrella and with the help of Bijju, she got her blue umbrella back.
Now everyone knew about Rajaram and Ram Bharosa’s evil plan of stealing Binya’s blue
umbrella and everyone condemned them for their action.
As a result, everyone ignored Ram Bharosa and stopped coming to his tea stall. He felt
very lonely and ashamed of his greed and deed. One day when Binya saw his poor situation,
she bought toffees from his shop and left her blue umbrella there. When Ram Bharosa saw it,
he made a choice between hiding the umbrella and giving it back to Binya. Finally, he
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decided to return it and ran after Binya to inform her about it. Binya said, “you keep it. I
don’t need it anymore”. Ram Bharosa was amazed and he insisted that Binya should have it.
Binya said that “an umbrella isn’t everything”. She happily gave it to him and went back
home.
Ram Bharosa was ecstatic and his customers returned to his shop to see the blue
umbrella. He told everyone that it’s a gift from Binya and did not claim ownership of the
umbrella. Earlier he used to always stay inside his shop and he rarely went out but now
because of the blue umbrella he likes to take walks outside. He became healthier and happier.
One day Ram Bharosa found a bear claw when a bear wanted a pumpkin from his shop’s
roof. He went to the town silversmith and made a silver chain lucky charm out of it for ten
rupees. He gave that bear claw lucky charm to Binya and he was absolutely satisfied with her
smile. He cherished Binya’s kindness and gave it to her out of love. The story ends with a
song when Binya happily went back home, singing and smiling with her cows.
Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British ancestry, famous as a children’s author among
readers. He was born on 19 May 1934 and he lives in Landour, Mussoorie with his adopted
family. Most of his works give an account of life on the hills. He has received Padma Shri
and Padma Bhushan in 1999 and 2014 respectively. He has also received the Sahitya
Akademi Award for his English novel Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra in 1992. The Room on
the Roof is his first novel and he was awarded the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in 1957.
Bond’s father, Aubrey Alexander Bond was the English tutor of the princesses of
Jamnagar Place. He lived with his parents and sister Ellen in the palace till he turned six years
old. In 1939, he came to Dehradun along with his sister and mother as his father joined the
Royal Air Force. Two years later, his parents were separated and his mother married a
Punjabi Hindu. This separation of his parents made a huge impact on Bond and he never
married in his life. However, that does not mean that our writer was deprived of romantic
emotions. In his latest release The Beauty of All My Days: A Memoir published by Penguin
Random House India, Bond writes “I guess I was never really a ladies' man. I was too
immersed in my writing to bother much with my clothes or appearance. Two pairs of trousers
and three shirts were the limit of my wardrobe” as he is talking about his love life. This book
is another addition to his memoirs.
Bond had a very close relationship with his father and he describes the time spent with
his father as one of the happiest times of his life. His father died when he was just 10 years
old. Bond did receive the news of his father’s death from his teacher in his boarding school in
Shimla. Later on, he was brought up by his mother and her Punjabi husband Hari in
Dehradun. His interest and talent in writing were evident from his school time. At the age of
sixteen, he wrote his first short story- “Untouchable”. After he graduated from Bishop Cotton
School, Shimla, Bond moved to the United Kingdom with his aunt. There he wrote his first
novel The Room on the Roof and created one of his most famous characters Rusty. Rusty is
an Anglo- Indian boy with semi-autobiographical elements. He is a sixteen years old orphan
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who lives in Dehradun with Mr John Harrison. As an orphan, who has to depend on the likes
and dislikes of his benefactor, Rusty dare not to be naughty like other teenage boys. He has to
obey his benefactor and follow the rules set by Mr Harrison. Rusty is a lonely teenager who is
looking for love, happiness and friendship. Bond was successful in showing the confused and
struggling world of a teenager from his point of view. Readers find themselves rooting for
Rusty in his daily adventures. Rusty’s character appeared in other works of Bond - Vagrants
in the Valley (a sequel to Room on the Roof), Rusty, the Boy from the Hills (collection of
short stories), Rusty Runs Away (collection of short stories), Rusty and the Magic Mountain,
Rusty goes to London, Rusty Comes Home, and, The Adventures of Rusty.
Bond has been a writer for over fifty years and he has experimented with different genres
like a novel, short story, novella, essays, non-fiction, ghost stories, romance, autobiography,
memoir, short poem and specific books for children. He won John Llewellyn Rhys Prize in
1957 for his first novel The Room on the Roof and came back to India to settle in Dehradun.
He depended on writing short stories for magazines and newspapers, devoting most of his life
to writing and hills. In one of his interviews with the Hindustan Times, he said “Sometimes I
got lucky and some [work] got selected and I earned a few hundred rupees. Since I was in my
20s and didn’t have any responsibilities I was just happy to be doing what I loved doing
best”.
Bond has written more than five hundred short stories, essays, and novels which include
over fifty books for children including our text the Blue Umbrella. Bond is very happy with
his writing career and he sees writing as one of his favourite things. He says that he is happy
to do the thing he likes most i.e. writing. When asked about his favourite genre in an
interview by Business Insider magazine, Bond says “I have been writing for well over 50
years — this has given me a chance to try out different genres. My early work was fiction,
short stories, novella — some of it autobiographical. Then, when I was in my forties I started
writing non-fiction, even children's writing. My favourite forms are essays and short stories”.
In another question, he was asked if he likes writing for kids or adults, Bond replied that “I
enjoy writing for both. I like writing funny stories for kids and making them laugh. Kids are
very bright and it's great fun writing for them and interacting with them”. In the same
interview, Ramendra Kumar describes him as “Prolific and popular, witty and wise, charming
and cherubic, Ruskin Bond commands adulation across regions, age groups and gender. Here
is a writer who has defied genres, challenged conventions and remained enduring and
endearing down the years”.
Our text The Blue Umbrella is also a wonderful story written for children but enjoyed by
all age groups. This novella is also adapted as a movie in Bollywood. Bond talks about this
movie saying that “The Blue Umbrella…the director was Vishal Bharadwaj. It had a great
lyrical feel and very good cinematography. As far as acting is concerned, Pankaj Kapoor,
because of his tremendous histrionic skills, completely dominated the film”. Here you can
watch the trailer of this movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQysGpbzwD8
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3.3 Critical Analysis
The Blue Umbrella is a novella, which means short novel. A novel is lengthy in size, has a
complex plot, has multiple settings and has more characters than a novella. A novella can be
seen as a shorter form of the novel with a less complicated plot, simpler setting and fewer
characters in the story than a novel but more than a short story. A novel, novella and short
story all come under the fiction genre and are written mainly in prose. Moreover, like any
work of fiction, a novella also has six main elements of fiction- character, plot, point of view,
setting, style and theme.
3.3.1 Characters
There are four main characters in this text- Binyadevi or Binya, Vijya or Bijju, Ram Bharosa
and Rajaram. The rest of the characters like a group of people who came for a picnic, Binya’s
mother, pandit, schoolmaster, customers, villagers, silversmith, people in the town market, all
of them are not given any names because they are the background and setting requirements
for the plot.
Binya is the main protagonist and central character of the story. Whole story revolves around
her. Writer has given maximum information about her to the reader. How old is she? What
does she like and dislike? What kind of appearance does she have? What is her daily routine?
All such questions are answered by the writer to make it possible for a reader to create her
character in mind while reading the text. Reader knows what is going on in her thoughts and
the whole action of the story depends on Binya's choices.
She is a ten year old girl who enjoys singing and natural landscapes. She walks barefoot
on the pine needles enjoying the rain with her blue umbrella. She is clever enough to bargain
with Japanese tourists and knowledgeable enough to understand their language. She is smart
to name a price for her umbrella when Ram Bharosa wants to buy it. Moreover, she is an
athletic, kind and caring young girl who sometimes gets lost in the town market streets. Her
bravery is shown again and again in the story. Once when her umbrella fell from the clif and
she chased after it even though she was afraid of heights. Pain and fear was nothing to her.
She was madly after her most precious possession- her blue umbrella.
However, she let go of this madness and possessiveness when she gave her blue umbrella
to Ram Bharosa. Her character developed when she learned to share her happiness, her
materialistic possession with others. She learned that materialistic things can give you
momentary joy and happiness but you need to give more value to human feelings and
relations. As a human being, our most cherished possession is friendship, love, caring, and
kindness. Your happiness increases when you share your joys with others, when you give
others a chance to be happy with you. Selfishness and materialism cannot give you happiness.
This is also the main theme of the novella. Binya’s character becomes a moral character in
the story teaching readers, especially kids, about human nature.
Ram Bharosa is the main villain in the story but he becomes a good person in the end like it
ideally should be in any children’s book. His description is less vivid than Binys’s character
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description but still we have some information about him. Like his age, health and lifestyle
can be imagined by the reader. His character is a satirical remark on greed in adults.
Sometimes adults need children like Binya to show them true happiness.
Ram Bharosa is an old man who is so busy making money that he rarely goes out. His
health was not very good because all he cared about was his hope and his money only. He did
not have any friends and he measured every relationship in terms of profit and loss. This is
how most adults behave in our society. They are so immersed in materialistic obsessions that
they have stopped cherishing the real joys of life like singing, walking, looking at natural
landscapes, friendship, caring for each other, love, etc. Binya’s character is a reminder of
what all is missing from Ram Bharosa’s life.
Ram Bharosa’s character is a dynamic type character. Dynamic characters change in the
story from positive to negative or negative to positive character. They contribute to the
significant development of the plot and help the writer to establish the central theme of the
story. Like here, Ram Bharosa’s development from a greedy and materialistic person to a
kind and loving human being is important for the establishment of the theme that selfishness
and materialism cannot give you true happiness.
His development was both at emotional and physical level. He learned to cherish human
feelings like friendship, love, caring, kindness, etc. and his health also improved leaps and
bounds. Unlike his past self, he started enjoying his daily life, and learned to be happy with
himself and others. He developed from a self- centered person to a caring person.
He let go of his greedy self and learned from a young girl that it is not blue umbrella
which makes her unique but her cheerful and positive attitude towards life makes her unique.
He learned to cherish whatever he has and to not to always think about getting more and
more. His goodness was also his choice. He had the opportunity to hide the blue umbrella but
he learned his lesson from his mistake and decided to return it to Binya. This momentary
decision is the main turning point of his character.
The story did not end only with the blue umbrella, it ended when Ram Bharosa’s
character got to know about true joy and happiness. Like Binya, he also learned to share his
material possessions with others and cherish the joy of giving someone a reason to be happy.
Vijay or Bijju is two years older than Binya. He is a schoolboy busy preparing for his exams
therefore Binya has to take care of the cows. Bijju is described as a sturdy young man who
has to become capable of protecting his family. Like any Indian household, he has to study
and fulfil the dreams of his family. He is also naught in many ways, like you expect from any
boys from hills.
Unlike Binya, Bijju does not let cows wander on their own instead “Bijju pulled them by
their tails if they went too far”. When schools open, he has to go to school and after coming
back he has to do household chores. During his holidays, he got the offer of working as a
helper at Ram Bharosa’s shop but he declined the offer as he has to deliver milk to the
schoolmaster and pujari in the morning. He was equally hardworking as his mother and sister.
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However, there is no doubt that he is a protecting and loving elder brother. Bijju, like any
ideal brother, shares his food with Binya. He looks out for her if she gets late in the evening.
When Rajaram tries to steal Binya’s umbrella, he protects her without any reservation. He
was a little annoyed when Binya kept her umbrella open even inside the house. He is never
envious or jealous of her having a blue umbrella when he has nothing special in his
possession. Once he had some wild berries coming back from school as he was hungry and
did not have any money to buy sweets from Ram Bharosa’s shop. Ram Bharosa offered him
sweets on credit but he rejected the offer.
As a young child he has his cravings but he is smart enough to observe that taking credit
for your momentary pleasure is not a good idea, especially if the creditor is a greedy person.
Interestingly, no one taught him this in school but like Binya, he also learned this very useful
lesson by observing people around him. He observed how some of his friends ate sweets on
credit and later on they had to give away their most cherished possessions to Ram Bharosa.
Another striking mention about Bijju is his painful incident with bees. Once he knocked
a beehive and was badly stung by bees. As a result of that painful experience, he became
immune to bee stings. Metaphorically, this incident can be seen as a common belief that men
become immune to pain after experiencing it to an extreme. Bijju’s becoming immune to bee
stings is his becoming a mature man.
Bijju wins the fight with Rajaram not only because he is strong but because he has
already experienced the pain and he is already becoming a man who can protect his family.
Rajaram is another minor character in the story. Readers get very limited information about
him. He goes to the same school as Bijju but they are not friends. He is from another village
and comes to Ram Bharosa’s shop for help during holidays. On one hand he can be seen as a
hardworking boy like Bijju but his malice is evident when he comes up with an evil plan of
stealing the blue umbrella for three rupees. He even manipulated Ram Bharosa to give him
three rupees instead of two.
He can be seen as a younger version of Ram Bharosa. Like Ram Bharosa, he was
arguing about the use of the blue umbrella. He was not interested in things which have no
practical use. However, when he finds out that Ram Bharosa is really interested in the blue
umbrella, he sees his opportunity. He shares his plan with Ram Bharosa and bargains his
profit from the deed.
Evil of his character is clear to the reader when he explains the purpose of stealing the
blue umbrella. Without any remorse or guilt, he puts everything on Ram Bharosa. He says
“‘It was that skinflint Ram Bharosa,’ said Rajaram. ‘He told me to get it for him. He said if I
didn’t fetch it, I’d lose my job’.”
He is the only character in the story who has shown no growth or development. He
remains evil till the end of the story. He is not ashamed of his actions like Ram Bharosa and
does not have any kind of change of heart. He remains a static character.
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3.3.2 Plot
It is about how all information and incidents of the story are arranged and presented to the
reader. WHo is telling the story and from which point of view? There are so many different
ways to tell the same story. Writers can tell the same story using different plot settings,
narrative style and narrator. Firstly, let’s see who is the narrator of this story and how the plot
is constructed.
The story in the novella is divided into seven chapters where an omniscient narrator is
telling the tale in third person narrative voice. The narrator is probably the writer himself who
knows all the situations in and out and everything about all the characters. Writer has added
dialogues in the story which helps the reader to better understand the character’s thoughts and
emotions. While reading this novella, the reader can imagine the voice, tone and speaking
style of the characters. This further helps with the visualization of the story in the reader's
imagination.
The story is divided into seven parts numbered as one, two,...and so on. Each part can be
seen as a chapter in the novella. Reader can see the overall story with two main lines of
actions. First is how Binya got the umbrella and she learned her lesson that true happiness is
not in materialistic possessions. Second line of action is How Ram Bharosa makes a mistake
but given an opportunity he also learns the same lesson as Binya and becomes a better human
being. One can read the story following these two lines of action and see how the narrative
unfolds.
Another way to study the plot is to divide it into parts of basic narrative structure. First is
to see Where and how the scene is set and characters are introduced to the reader? Chapter
one served this purpose. Reader is introduced to the main character Binya. Readers come to
know about her age, lifestyle, family, likes, etc. Also, what will be the main action in the
novella- possession of the blue umbrella.
Part two introduces the main conflict in the story i.e Ram Bharosa’s envy of Binya’s blue
umbrella. Part three and four serves the purpose of raising the action. Reader gets more
information about Bijju, Binya, Ram Bharosa and how much Binya likes the blue umbrella.
As the story moves, the reader gets a sense of unease that something bad will happen to her
umbrella but a suspense is not unfold till part five. In the end of part four, the reader knows
that Rajaram has some evil plan but the mystery unfolds in part five when the action of
stealing happens. Part five and six give a sense of climax where readers can see the story
moving towards an end. Reader’s previous anxiety about what will happen to Binya and the
blue umbrella is over by chapter six. However, there are still some loose ends in the story
which are tied up by the writer in part seven. The writer gives a real happy ending to both
Binya and Ram Bharosa. The moral of the story is given and the reader has a sense of
accomplishment and fulfilment at the end of part seven of the story.
Surjit Sen in his Narrative Design of Ruskin Bond’s The Blue Umbrella: A Todorovian
Model studies The Blue Umbrella by dividing it into five propositions based on the work of
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Tzvetan Todorov is a summation of Propp, Greimas and others. These five propositions are
Equilibrium 1 (e.g. Peace), Force 1 (Enemy invades), Disequilibrium (War), Force 2 (Enemy
is defeated), Equilibrium 2 (Peace on new terms). He says:
The propositions stated above fit in the narrative pattern of the novella The Blue
Umbrella. Equilibrium 1 refers to the onset of the story when everything is at peace in
the village of Garhwal. Force 1 proposition takes place when Binya gets hooked by
the sight of the blue umbrella. She gets the luxury item but it gives rise to jealousy,
machination among other villagers. Disequilibrium takes place in the mind of the old
shop-keeper who wants to possess the umbrella by hook or by crook. His evil
attempts are exposed and his image gets tarnished. Force 2 proposition is seen when
the little girl Binya tides over her obsession for the umbrella, feels bad for Ram
Bharosa, and decides to give the umbrella to him. In return, the shop-keeper gifts her
silver pendant with bear’s claw and Equilibrium 2 is established.
Read this article here: https://the-criterion.com/V5/n1/Sen.pdf
3.3.3 Setting
The story is set in a village of Garhwal hills where the nearest town market is Tehri. The
surroundings are natural hillside. Readers can imagine the natural landscapes of hills with
pine forests and the hustle of Tehri town. The exact time of action is not mentioned in the
plot but readers can assume that the story is set in the rainy season which is July to September
in Garhwal. And as there is also a mention of Bijju’s school holidays, one can assume that it
is set in early July. Besides the present time of action, the reader gets some information about
Binya’s past (father’s death) and Bijju’s past (bee sting incident) by an omniscient narrator.
3.3.4 Writing Style
Bond’s writing style is very simple and elegant. He does not use superfluous vocabulary and
an excessive number of adjectives in his stories. The simple writing style is characteristic of
his children’s fiction. He creates this beautiful tale with a mixture narrative style where
sometimes characters speak to give emotional insights in the story and sometimes an
omniscient narrator gives information about characters with a personal commentary. His
stories are full of natural landscapes, local hill lifestyle and moral lessons with mild humour.
Reading Bond’s story will tell you about the weather of hills, names of trees which grow in
the forest there, animals who live in that area, etc. Reading Bond is always much more than
just reading a story. It is like visiting those places personally.
3.3.5 Theme
The main theme of the novella is that materialistic possessions cannot give you true
happiness. True happiness lies in good health and a kind heart. One needs to share joys with
others and cherish friendship, love and kindness. The story is not only giving a lesson to love
other human beings, but from the very beginning a lovely bond between humans and animals
is shown when Binya calls her cows by name. She cares about their feelings and freedom.
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Besides this story gives an insight about the world of an adult v/s children’s world which is
more honest and carefree. Reader also gets some information about the superstitious beliefs
of local people and the corrupt Pujari. The difference in girl v/s boys education.
Read more about symbols used in the novella in this essay by Katyani Kumari-
https://zenodo.org/record/1258128
Questions
1. Comment on the character development of Binya and Ram Bharosa.
2. Write a short note on the moral lesson given in the Blue Umbrella.
3. What do you think about Biny’s obsession with the blue umbrella?
4. Write a description of natural landscapes in the Blue Umbrella.
5. Write a short note on Bijju’s bee sting incident. What is the writer trying to do by
sharing this incident?
6. Why does Binya’s blue umbrella become her pride and why does she give it to Ram
Bharosa?
7. Write a short note on the incident when the blue umbrella fell off the hill.
8. Comment on the narrative structure and writing style of the novella.
9. Do you think Ruskin Bond is a bestseller writer? Why?
10. Explain the elements of fiction with examples from the Blue Umbrella.
Suggested Reading
The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond.
https://www.espeeglobal.com/media/contentpage_99_30_7.pdf
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Unit-2
The Immortals of Meluha
Amish Tripathi
Contents
1. Introduction
1.1 Learning Objectives
1.3 Summary and Analysis
1.3.1 Chapter 1-5
1.3.2 Chapter 6-10
1.3.3 Chapter 11-15
1.3.4 Chapter 16-20
1.3.5 Chapter 21-26
1.4 Main Themes
Questions
Suggested Readings

Akansha Goswami P.K. Satapathy
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16
Unit-2
The Immortals of Meluha

Amish Tripathi
Akansha Goswami
1. Introduction
The Immortals of Meluha is a novel written by Indian author Amish Tripathi. This is the first
book of his Shiva Trilogy and the Amishverse. This story is about a protagonist from a
Tibetan tribe who is recognized as a saviour by the kingdom of Meluha based on an ancient
saying. This book is a perfect treat to see how all heroes are not born but are made heroes
because of their choices and decisions. The novel is an interesting blend of Hindu mythology
and Indian history both geographically and culturally. Tripathi has constructed a fictional
universe based on myths, folklores and imagination like the famous Marvel and DC comics
and movie franchises. It was first published in February 2010 by Tripathi’s agent himself,
after he faced rejections from many publishing houses.
Tripathi used an unconventional approach to promote his book, he posted a live-action
video on youtube and provided the first digital chapter of the novel for free to download for
readers. As a result, his first book was a huge commercial success and now it is translated
into 19 languages. Shiva Trilogy became the fastest-selling book series in the history of the
Indian publishing sector while his second series, Ram Chandra, became the second fastest-
selling book series in India.
The book received mixed critical reviews, some appreciated his work and others found
that Tripathi’s tales were loosely constructed. “Shiva rocks. Just how much Shiva rocks the
imagination is made grandiosely obvious in The Immortals of Meluha. […] Shiva’s journey
from cool dude […] to Mahadev […] is a reader’s delight. […] What really engages is the
author’s crafting of Shiva, with almost boy-worship joy” says The Times of India. ‘’The story
[in The Immortals of Meluha] is gripping and well-paced. An essentially mythological story
written in a modern style, the novel creates anticipation in the reader’s mind and compels one
to read with great curiosity till the end” says Business World magazine.
After reading this study material and prescribed texts, students will be able to:
 Understand what is fiction, genre, novel and best sellers.
 Define characteristics of fiction.
 Identify six main elements of fiction.
 Produce a summary of the text.
 Find and identify all elements of a bestseller novel in this text.
 Describe the writing style of Amish Tripathi.
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 Produce a critical appreciation of the text.
Amish Tripathi was born on 18 October 1974 in Mumbai and spent his early years in Odisha.
He did his graduation from St. Xavier's College Mumbai and his management studies from
the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. After graduating, he worked in the financial
services industry for fourteen years. Now he lives as a writer, diplomat and columnist and
describes himself as a “boring banker turned happy writer” in his books.
Amish Tripathi has said in an interview that after working for almost 14 years in a 9 to 5
job, he wanted to write a book on the philosophy of evil and villains but his family convinced
him not to write on such a controversial topic. As a result, he wrote about the Hindu God
Shiva in his first book- The Immortal of Meluha. He used to watch a lot of spiritual and
historical programmes after he felt exhausted in his professional life. He was interested in
spiritual concepts and started reading books on religious philosophies and Indian Mythology.
All these events led to the idea that what if all gods were born human and became gods
because of their choices and actions? This idea became the central concept in his first book
about Shiva.
So far he has written seven books- The Immortals of Meluha (2010), The Secret of the
Nagas (2011) and The Oath of the Vayuputras (2013), which collectively comprise the Shiva
Trilogy, and Ram – Scion of Ikshvaku (Book 1 of the Ram Chandra Series) (2015), Sita –
Warrior of Mithila (Book 2 of the Ram Chandra Series) (2017), Raavan – Enemy of
Aryavarta (Book 3 of the Ram Chandra Series) (2019), Legend of Suheldev – The King Who
Saved India (2020) and Immortal India – Young Country, Timeless Civilisation (Amish’s
first non-fiction book) (2017) — have 5.5 million copies in print.
(Source: https://www.authoramish.com/news-n-media-about-author/)
After the success of his books and his writing career, he became a diplomat and was
appointed as a director in The Nehru Cultural Centre London in 2019. In September 2020, he
moved towards film production and opened his production banner, the Immortal Studios. He
will be producing his first film, which is the film adaptation of his 8th novel of the same title,
Legend of Suheldev: The King Who Saved India.
1.3 Summary and Analysis
The novel is set in the fictional universe, known as Amishverse, in 1900 BC. Many centuries
ago, the most perfect empire of Meluha was created by Lord Ram and he was one of the
greatest monarchs who had ever lived in their world. In 1900 BC, Meluhans were ruled by
Suryavanshi rulers near the river Saraswati which was perishing due to unknown reasons.
Meluhans were enemies with Chandravanshis who were alligning themselves with the Nagas,
a race of sinister martial artists with bodily deformities.
The story begins when Suryavanshis were facing attacks from the Chandravanshis and
Nagas from the eastern side of their kingdom. After fighting long wars for centuries,
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Meluhans’ hope for peace was based on an ancient legend that ‘‘when evil reaches epic
proportions when all seems lost when it appears that your enemies have triumphed, a hero
will emerge’’. This hero is famously known as “Neelkanth” which means the destroyer of
evil. The novel explores the journey of a Tibetan immigrant who comes to Meluha- Shiva. It
is about his becoming the legendary “Neelkantha”.
1.3.1 Chapter 1-5
The story began at the Mansarovar lake in 2900 BC. The readers are introduced to Shiva,
leader of the Guna tribe from the Himalayan mountains. Nandi, a captain in the Meluhan
army finds and Shiva, invites Shiva and his tribe,to come to their kingdom Meluha. However,
while Shiva is mulling over the proposal their tribe is attacked the discussion was disturbed
when Pakratis attacked Gunas. Shiva decides to accept Nandi’s invitation. He, along with his
tribe, move to the ancient campsite of the Meluha army which was located near the Dal Lake
in the Kashmir Valley.
Upon arrival in Srinagar, the capital city of Kashmir valley, Shiva and his tribe were
amazed by the perfection of the city`s infrastructure as well as culture. They were allotted a
spacious hall to stay. They were informed about the hygiene routine which they must follow
during their stay in Meluha. Ayurvati, the chief medical officer, gave them a medicinal drink
after dinner. Afterwards, all tribe members fell sick except Shiva, whose throat turned blue
and his body became magically healthy. He is also cured of all his past illnesses.
Shiva’s blue throat made him a hero overnight and its news was delivered to King
Daksha. He was immediately invited to Meluhan capital Devagiri, the abode of the gods.
Shiva was bewildered by the sudden change in people’s attitude towards him after his throat
turned blue. He decided to cover his throat with a cravat.
Afterwards, He met Sati and her friend Krittika in the temple of Lord Brahma.
Unexpectedly, Sati is attacked by Naga warriors from a cursed tribe responsible for terrorist
attacks in Meluha. The Naga warriors wanted to kidnap Sati but their attempt is foiled by
Shiva who jumps to Sati`s defence and Sati and Shiva, together, fight off the attackers. Shiva
was instantly attracted to Sati but he was just a saviour in her eyes.
Finally, Shiva reached Devagiri and met King Daksha, his Prime Minister Kanakhala
and General Parvateshwar. Daksha was a believer of the ancient saying that a “Neelkanth ''
will rise and destroy evil. He was ecstatic to receive Shiva. Kankhala was equally delighted
but Parvateshwar was not much impressed. He believed that instead of hoping for a miracle,
they should fight their own battles and become their own heroes following Lord Rama’s ideas
of karma.
These chapters introduce the almost perfect society of Meluha where everything is well
organised. Be it architecture, social order, health and hygiene or religious ideas, Meluha is an
ideal society. However, it is still a mystery why this perfect society is looking for a saviour to
come and save them. Readers continue to wonder how Shiva, a tribal leader with no
superpower and magical abilities will become “Neelkantha”. Along with this, the sparks of
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the romantic relationship between Shiva and Sati as well as the problems which they need to
overcome to be together or forever keeps the reader engaged.
The wayTripathi’s tale weaves in the mythological narrative of Shiva and Sati into the
story of Shiva and Sati in Meluha is very intriguing for Indian readers. Readers are constantly
invited to observe the overlap of the mythology and Tripathi’s narrative. Tripathi`s characters
bears names from Hindu mythology and yet are not the same. Tripathi picks the motifs and
symbols from the Hindu religion but his interpretation of these motifs and symbols give them
a new meaning. Unlike the alienated world of mythical texts, modern readers feel more
connected and satisfied with Tripathi’s tale. For example,the all too familiar Om,
Chandravanshi and Suryavanshi kingdoms, Nagas, Ramarajya, etc. Are given a new meaning
in the modern context without losing their mythical flavour.
1.3.2 Chapter 6-10
After meeting king Daksha, Shiva decided to stay in Meluha and learn more about the
situation. Nandi took him to visit Meluhan market and the city. Shiva came across the
procession of Vikarma women. He found it astonishing that in an almost perfect society, the
concept of Vikarma existed. He disliked that some people are treated as outcast only because
they have got some disease or some women have given birth to a stillborn child. Nandi
explained this concept as people who “have been punished in this birth for the sins of their
previous birth. Hence they have to live this life out with dignity and tolerate their present
sufferings with grace. This is the only way they can wipe their karma clean of the sins of their
previous births. Vikarma men have their own order of penance and women have a different
order”.
Daksha, Parvateshwara and Kankhala explained to Shiva the meaning of the ancient
sayings, the situation of Meluha, their animosity towards the Chandravanshis and the Nagas,
and ‘Somras’. Meluhan society ensures that each child remains anonymous after their birth
and receives equal education. All pregnant women go to ‘maika’, a place where specialists
ensure safe childbirth and then women return to their homes leaving their infants behind.
Government is responsible for infant care and child education till the age of sixteen. Then,
children can choose their own ‘varna’ based on their abilities. They don’t have to worry about
old age and illness because ‘Somras’, which is a special drink made up of Saraswati river’s
water, is administered to all of them equally and they live a long life. However, Meluhan
society is not totally free of disease and illness. People who have some long term or incurable
diseases are considered ‘vikarma’. They can live with their families but no one other than
their family can touch them otherwise they have to go for ‘shudhikaran’.
Besides this, Shiva meets Sati again in Devagiri and gets to know that she is the daughter
of Daksa and the princes of Meluha. Sati was practising her dance with her guruji when Shiva
saw her. Guruji explained to Sati that her dance is methodically correct but it lacked a soul
because she doing it as a perfect task rather than enjoying it. Shiva gave his views on her
performance and himself performs to show her the difference. Shiva is compared to
20
‘Nataraja’ the god of dance by Guruji. Sati is obviously impressed by his dance and she
becomes more respectful towards him.
Thereafter, Shiva goes to Mount Mandar, where ‘Somras’ is mass-produced by scientists
under the leadership of Brahaspati. Brahaspati does not a believe in the legend but hits it off
with Shiva immediately. Both become good friends and Shiva has a heart to heart talk with
him about the prophecy and his role as a saviour. Daksha also joins them at Mount Mandar
with his wife and daughter. Sati who was unaware of Shiva’s identity as ‘Neelkantha’ meets
him again at the breakfast table. Given the evident sparks of love between Shiva and Sati,
Daksha was instantly happy and he arranged a new opportunity for the love to blossom.
Daksha asks Shiva to go back to Devagiri with Sati and her mother Veerini first.
Shiva is ecstatic with the offer and they start their journey with Arishtanemi forces, an
elite force responsible for Mount Mandar’s safety, and Nnadi. On their way, the hooded
figures return and a group of Chandrvanshis and Nagas attack them again. They are able to
keep the Queen and the Princess safe due to Shiva’s intelligence. Daksha and Parvateshwara
also join them after getting the distress signal and they come back to Devagiri in the royal
caravan.
In these chapters, Shiva’s role is developed as a central protagonist who is trying his best
to understand the situation and circumstances. He deserved to be called a hero because when
he got lucky and became a ‘Neelkanth’ then instead of depending on his luck and getting
benefits from his position, he chose to work for it. Unlike any other human, he did not take
advantage of his title and tried his best to make rational decisions for the benefit of Meluha.
Another characteristic which makes him a hero is his zeal to achieve his lover’s appreciation.
He did not brag about being ‘Neelkanth’ to Sati. He behaved like a normal person who was
trying to learn about the land and ready to work hard to help them.
Tripathi has again used his poetic license to completely change the nature and role of the
characters he has borrowed from Hindu mythology. For example, unlike mythological tales,
Daksha here is very supportive of Shiva and Sati’s relationship. He is not biased against a
foreigner marrying his daughter. Brihaspati’s is the guru of Devas in mythology but here he is
the chief scientist who believes in rational things and seeks scientific explanation for things
that appear miraculous to others. Once again, Tripathi does not treat ‘somras’ as a magical
drink but a scientifically prepared medicine that is based on logical principles of oxidants and
antioxidants. Tripathi creates a fictional cocktail with a blend of mythology, science and
history. The People magazine rightly remarks that “The author takes myth and contemporises
it, raising questions about all that we hold and familiar. The book is (a) a marvellous attempt
to create fiction from folklore, religion and archaeological facts”.
1.3.3 Chapter 11-15
Coming back to Devagiri, Shiva decides to take a tour of the empire to understand how he
can help Mleuhans with their problem. However, before this tour, Daksha requests Shiva to
reveal his identity as a “Neelkantha” in court. Shiva is reluctant to do so but he gives in to
21
King’s decision and attends the court as “Neelkantha”. The court erupts in uproar and people
are excited to see Neelkantha.
Daksha decides to send Sati on the tour with Shiva. Therefore, the next day, Shiva, Sati,
Parvateshwar, Brahaspati, Ayurvati, Krittika, Nandi and Veerbhadra set off with a brigade of
fifteen hundred soldiers, twenty-five handmaidens and fifty support staff for their security
and comfort”. On the journey, Brahspati narrates the creation of Sapt-Sindhu land by Manu,
who was reveared as the father of the kingdom. He says that Manu “ was apparently a prince
from south India. A land way beyond the Narmada river, where the earth ends and the great
ocean begins. That land is the Sangamtamil.’’
After some adventures on their way, the caravan reached its first stop at Kotdwar. The
place was decorated to welcome their saviour. Guards were trying to stop people from
coming close to Shiva when he sees a blind man struggling to come through the guards.
Shiva asks the guards to let him come. The blind man was a 'vikarma', who came with his son
to take blessings from 'Neelkantha'. However, Shiva who had always disliked the vikarma
system touches the feet of the blind man and asks him for his blessings to defeat the evil.
Parvateshwara was very unhappy with Shiva breaking the rules set by Lord Rama but he did
not say anything at the moment.
Brahaspati and Sati advice Shiva to undergo a sudhikaran but Shiva refuses obstinately.
Sati is perplexed by Shiva`s obstinancy. The situation is further aggravated when Shiva
seemed to suggest that she was helping the Melhuan for her. Sati goes away in anger. Though
Shiva is also upset about Sati`s attitude about the unfair Vikarma system, he cannot even
think of letting her out of his life at any cost. To resolve his dilemma, he meets a panditji
after reaching their next stop at Mohan Jo Daro. Panditji discussed the need for the vikarma
system in society with Shiva and Shiva comes to the conclusion that instead of being her
saviour, he should support her decisions and let her feel respected for her choices. He also got
to know about the death of Sati’s first husband and her stillborn child for which she became a
vikarma even though she was the princess.
Their next station is Karachapa, ‘Meluha’s premier city of commerce’ and there Shiva
meets governor Jhoolsehwar who organized a yajna to welcome the ‘Neelkantha’ in his state.
Sati, who was prohibited as a vikarma to attend the yajna, was present at the yajna. But after
Traka, objects to her presence Sati apologizes and decides to leave the platform. She hears of
the insults being hurled Shiva and others by Taraka and decides to invoke her right to have a
duel in the fire ring with her.
Despite advice to the contrary from everyone, Taraka decides to accept the duel.
Everyone was worried and upset except for Shiva who encouraged Taraka to accept the duel
and supported Sati’s decision. He helps her in selecting the weapon and gave her some
combat tips. When everyone was showing their concern for Sati, Shiva supported her and
believed in her choices. He respected her decision and Sati was touched by this gesture. In the
22
duel, Sati defeats Taraka but did not kill him. Everyone was happy for the princess and
celebrated her victory.
These chapters have shown in detail the governance and social order of different states of
Meluha. Tripathi has also woven the tales like the creation of Meluha, the story of
Sangamtamil land, Manu’s Manusmriti and the story of Mohan Jo Daro civilization, etc with
each other to create a fictional world of present 19th Century Meluha where it is possible to
imagine a God-like character Shiva as a heroic human being working to fulfil his destiny.
Along with this, Shiva’s character as a lover is also evolving from an ignorant person
who likes somebody to an understanding and supportive lover who respects the choices of his
lover. Tripathi has also tried to show the differently-abled people in a new sympathetic and
respectful light with the blind an incident. It is shown how the concept of karma is
misunderstood in our society where we immediately connect one’s misfortune like an illness
or a disability with their past karma. However, Tripathi is not rejecting the idea of karma
because Shiva as a protagonist is not dependent on his destiny. He is not idly sitting while
putting all his hopes on destiny, he is working hard and trying to solve his problem with his
rational and good karma.
These few chapters reveal a different side of Shiva, who is ready to use his heroic status
to fight the evil and discriminatory practices in society. Tripathi's hero is not a hero just
because of his magical powers but also because he uses his privileged positions to change the
society for better without being afraid of people’s opinion. Unlike most privileged people in
today’s society who do nothing good fearing adverse opinion of people, Shiva is willing to
risk his privileged position to do good for the society.
1.3.4 Chapter 16-20
Three weeks after Sati’s agnipariksha, the convoy sets off from Karachapa. On their way,
they hear news of a terrorist attack on Koonj village. Chandravanshis and Nagas had taken
Brahmins as hostage in the village temple and had asked the others to leave the village.
Parvateshwara is upset at the strange situation he finds himself in. He is bound by royal
orders to protect the royal convoy only and that hinders him from carrying out his khyastriya
duty of fighting against evil represented by the Nagas and Chandravanshis. However, Shiva
responds to this situation in a different way. He asks everyone to go back to Koonj. Since the
villagers were fearful and hesitant Shiva discloses his identity as ‘Neelkantha’. The people
are overjoyed and regain their confidence.
Meluhans, under the leadership of Shiva, fight bravely against the enemy. During this
intense fight Shiva is attacked by a Naga with the ‘Agni baan’, a poisonous arrow. Sati jumps
in front of Shiva and takes the hit. Shiva gets into a fury and kills that last Naga.
Consequently the others are, without any leader, scattered and those who lay injured took
their own life.
Everyone is worried for the safety of injured Sati. There were no precedence of anyone
surviving the ‘Agni baan’. Ayurvati does the primary treatment and takes out the fire arrow
23
but she is not optimistic about Sati’s survival. However, Shiva asks Ayurvati to give
‘Somras’ to Sati. ‘Somras’ had healed Shiva in Srinagar but its healing properties were not
yet understood by doctors. Finally, a miracle happened and Sati’s fever broke. She wakes up
and in this near-death incident she confesses her love to Shiva.
After getting the news of Sati’s unfortunate incident, Daksha arrives at Koonj with his
wife. They find Sati recovering from the injury and when they realise that she and are in love
with each other, Daksha asks Shiva to become his son-in-law. Shiva immediately agrees and
they decide to conduct a royal wedding at Devagiri.
After reaching Devagiri, a lavish wedding is organised by Kankhala. The wedding is
attended by the elite families of the empire and even Ambassadors from other empires like
Mesopotamia and Egypt attend the wedding. The wedding celebrations continue for a week.
Sati and Shiva were already living together as husband and wife during the celebration and
they were like any other newlywed couple in love.
However, celebrations are halted on the seventh day when they recieve the unfortunate
news of a massive attack on Mount Mandar. Brahaspati, who left wedding rituals in-between
on the pretext of an important experiment, was on the mountain. All other scientists and the
majority of Arishtanemi soldiers were in Devagiri to attend the wedding celebration. Still, the
attack was a big shock for everyone. It was more so for Shiva because the fate of Brahaspati
on the mountain is still unknown.
1.3.5 Chapter 21-26
Shiva, Parvateshwar, Sati, Nandi and Veerbhadra, accompanied by a brigade of one thousand
five hundred cavalry, reach Mount Mandar. They found it devastateded and no one was alive
to tell the tale. Brahaspati and other soldiers are presumed dead and their cremation rites are
ordered. Shiva is deeply hurt by Brahaspati’s death. He finds a piece of a Naga bracelet and is
filled with rage. He decides to take revenge for this destruction.
Daksha, Pravteshwara and others were already waiting to fight the final battle with
Chandravanshis when Kankhala suggests a last try at convincing Chandravanshi king Dilipa
to hand over the terrorists who had attacked Mount Mandar. The request is made and refused.
So, finally, Shiva declares war on the Chandravanshis, who were considered evil.
The war was not easy because all the routes to Swadeepa, the Chandravanshi capital,
were destroyed over the years. However, Shiva and Parvateshwar’s combine to devise new
strategies and train their army to surmount problems they were likely to face in the war.
Shiva is not happy that war was the only option left. He had seen the destruction caused
by wars back in Tibet. However, this was his best option now. They cross the immense
forests and valleys to reach the battleground outside the Swadeep platforms. On the
battlefield, they are attacked from both sides of the valley. To counter it, an army of 5000
vikarma soldiers join the war on one side of the valley where they were outnumbered. Their
24
bravery and patriotism gave them the long due respect they had desired. Kshatriyas, who
were ashamed of fighting alongside a vikarma, were now praising them for their bravery.
Meanwhile, Shiva gets news about Sati`s pregnancy. He is ecstatic after a very long
gloomy period of time. On the other hand, Parvateshwara thinks that Shiva will watch the
war from the royal platform instead of going to the battleground. Therefore when Shiva
declared that he was going to fight alongside the soldiers, his stature is elevated in everyone`s
eyes including Parvateshwara who finally calls Shiva ‘my lord’.
Meluhans win the battle in a day and it comes as a surprise to everyone including Shiva.
Shiva was restless and doubtful about his victory. He was not sure that he had fought against
evil because none of the Nagas was there in the war. When Daksha produced the defeated
King Dilipa infront of Shiva, Dilipa was shocked to find that Shiva was a ‘Neelkantha’.
Apparently, Chandrvanshis had the same ancient legend that ‘Neelkantha’ will rise to destroy
evil and he will not be from the land of Sapta-Sindhu.
It seems that Shiva and other Meluhans were wrong about the Chandravanshis. Shiva is
broken and he desperately tries to find a justification for his decision to declare war on
Chandravanshis. Shiva goes to Ayodhya with others and there they find a very different
system. There is no heirarchichal social orderor rules and regulations. Everyone was free to
do what they wanted and the overall situation was like a very poor country.
Shiva gets some consolation when he finds a beggar eating bad food in a very bad
condition outside Lord Rama’s temple. He tries to convince himself that war was the right
thing to do because Chandravanshis needed a reformation. However, when he meets the
familiar panditji in the temple, all of Shiva’s questions are answered.
Finally, Shiva realizes his mistake. He realizes that Chandravashis are not bad they are
just different and like the Suryavanshi Meluhan society they have both good and bad things
in their society. Shiva also gets to know that he is a Mahadev, a clan of heroes who fight evil
in society. There is no permanent solution to destroy evil because good and bad creates a
balance that is necessary for the existence of nature. The war was not Shiva's fault because he
had to go through this to understand the course of nature. He is not responsible for their death
because death is inevitable and people should always do their karma to make this society a
better place. The pandit Ji was from the Vishnu clan. He has the responsibility to provide help
whenever a new Mahadev rises.
The novel ends when Shiva finds answers to his questions and he is ready to take
responsibility for his choices. Instead of regretting and deciding what is right and what is
wrong, he decides to follow his head and heart to take decisions. He comes out of the temple
and finds Sati waiting for him.
Tripathi gives a climax to the first part of the trilogy and also sets the background for the
next part. Like Shiva, readers also get answers for some of the questions like who is Shiva
and why he is the chosen one. The love story of Sati and Shiva has a happy ending. Bhadra
and Kritika get married. The battle is won, and Shiva is ready to continue his journey with the
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full awareness of his responsibilities. He understood that whether it is an almost perfect
society like Meluha or a poor society like Chandrvanshis, good and evil exists on both sides
and he has to find and destroy only evil. Shiva becomes a Mahadev not magically but through
understanding and intelligence. He had the passion and zeal to accept others as they are and
to think about the situation from a fresh perspective. He is like a modern-day smart and kind
warrior who does not depend on destiny and luck but his rational mindset and his heart. Shiva
did not become a god. He became an ideal human being.
1.4 Main Themes
As discussed above, the novel is a mix of mythology and history. Most of the time,
mythology is confused with history in literature. Folk tales, folklores and mythical stories
become an eminent part of our life and hence, at some point in the present, people stop
differentiating between mythology and history. An article published in The Hindu by Harbans
Mukhia talks about History v/s mythology. He says, “For Leopold von Ranke, “History tells
us as it really happened.” On the other hand, mythology stood at the other end of objectivity:
all of it was the product of imagination, much like fiction, with no objective evidence open to
rational, scientific scrutiny, but dependent instead on one’s beliefs and faith.” This novel does
not directly initiate a debate between history and mythology. But if one accepts that
mythology is fictional then this book is definitely fictional twice over because it is retelling of
mythology.
Secondly, this book raises several important questions centered around the ideas of the
hero, God and humans. Is God superior to human beings? Can humans become gods if they
work like the protagonist Shiva? Is there any superior force or law above God, like Nature?
Who becomes a hero, someone who is born to be a hero or someone who decides and works
like a hero? What makes a human being a hero? Tripathi provides no definite answers to
these questions, but what becomes quite apparent is that like his protagonist Shiva, even Gods
have to go through trials and make choices like a human only then they can be a God or a
saviour.
Thirdly, book delves into the idea of faith v/s rationality. Both faith and rationality have
their own place in society. They cannot replace each other and absolute belief in one can be
disastrous. Human beings have been given senses to have faith and think rationally and they
should use these faculties to make decisions in their lives.
Fourthly, this books highlights the issues of desirability of equality in gender
relations,equal respect for all varnas in society, and the sympathetic treatment of differently-
abled people in society.
Besides these points, one can look at the sociological representation of an almost perfect
society as well as an imperfect the Chandravanshi society. The idea of good and evil is also a
central concern in the book. It also dwells on the question whether evil exist within the
people or without and the also explores the limits of destiny and free will. Overall the book
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does explore a whole range of issues without giving definite answers to any. It invites the
readers to evaluate the issues independently from their own point of view.
Questions
1) Write about the sociological structures of Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi societies in
the novel.
2) Discuss the status of women and differently-abled people in The Immortals of Meluha.
3) What makes The Immortals of Meluha a best seller novel?
4) Write a short note on Shiva as ‘Neelkantha’- the destroyer of evil.
5) How Tripathi has used Hindu mythology in his novel?
6) Write a note on Amish Tripathi’s writing style.
Suggested Readings
The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi.
https://book-drive.com/
“Between history and mythology” by Harbans Mukhia.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/between-history-and-
mythology/article6218099.ece
“Mythological elements in Amish Tripathi’s The Immortals of Meluha”
http://rjelal.com/7.3.19/270-274%20N.%20ARTHI.pdf
“Giving Voice to the Marginalized: A Study of Amish Tripathi's The Immortals of Meluha”
http://www.ijee.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/29_L.265144349.pdf
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Unit-3
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Contents
Part-I Komal Dabas
Study Guide
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Context
3.3 Summary of the Novel
Part-II Dr. Seema Suri
Critical Analysis
3.4 Characters in the Novel
3.5 Major Themes
3.6 Summing Up
Edited by:
Dr. Seema Suri
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Unit-3
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Part I: Study Guide Komal Dabas

3.1 Introduction
Alexander McCall Smith (1948-Present), also known as “Sandy” is a Scottish author and a
retired professor of medical law from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Hundreds of
books, short stories collections, and several popular children’s books are attributed to his
name, but he gained popularity through his collection of detective stories, namely The No. 1
Ladies' Detective Agency, comprising twenty-one novels written between 1998-2020.
The first novel of the series is also titled The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency which tells
the story of Mma Precious Ramotswe, famously known as the ‘Ms. Marple of
Africa/Botswana,’ who runs the first detective agency in her town Gaborone, capital of
Botswana.
Botswana is a small country in Southern Africa, surround by land from all sides.
Approximately seventy per cent of the country is covered by the massive Kalahari Desert,
which gets occasional rainfall each year; the rest is covered by the grasslands called savanna.
Botswana is known for its wildlife, nature, and beauty, attracting tourists from all over the
world. Recently, the World Economic Forum gave the title of “least corrupt country in
Africa” to Botswana.
Born in Zimbabwe, McCall Smith spent his early life in South Africa, which inspired
him to write about this extraordinary country and its people. The series not only gained
popularity in Scotland, the hometown of the author but also captured the readership of The
United States and the United Kingdom, selling over thirty million copies and has been
translated into nine languages.
3.2 Context
Detective fiction is a popular genre in which a crime is committed, investigated, and in the
end, the culprit is revealed. Usually, a crime or detective novel focuses either on the mystery
of the crime or the nature of the investigation of the crime, but as this genre developed, the
two styles merged and the readers enjoyed both – the events of the crime and its
investigation, and the development of the character of the main fictional detective.
The period between the 1920s-1930s is known as “the golden age of detective fiction,”
which was dominated by murder mysteries. Writers like Agatha Christie (also known as the
Grandmother of Detective Novels), and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle flourished and gave birth to
their famous characters – Ms. Marple and Hercule Poirot, and Sherlock Holmes, respectively.
These fictional detectives are generally amateur investigators who have strong instincts,
curiosity, wit, and a desire to do justice. They, sometimes, turn into private investigators who
work professionally, but outside the civic rules of the criminal justice system.
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With the reinvention of the “golden age of detective fiction” in the late 20th century,
crime fiction split into different sub-genres; murder mysteries, true crime mysteries, legal
thrillers, and cozy mysteries. In a murder mystery, there is violence- a murder is committed,
there are clues, witnesses, and plot twists, it’s classic detective fiction. A true-crime mystery
deals with stories inspired by true events, generally focusing on serial killers or gruesome
criminal incidents. The main focus of a legal thriller is not the crime but the justice served in
the courtroom, showing the proceedings of the legal system. In comparison to the above-
discussed sub-genres, a cozy mystery does not include any violence or suspense.
Alexander McCall Smith, having a legal academic background set out to write a cozy
mystery series featuring the first female detective of Botswana - Mma Precious Ramotswe,
whose aim is not to solve crimes but “to help people with the problems in their lives.”
Mma is a Setswana term of respect for a woman; the equivalent term for a man is Rra.
Alexander Smith has written twenty novels in the series “The No.1 Ladies' Detective
Agency.” In this unit we will be discussing the first novel from the eponymous series.
3.3 Summary of the Novel
The student is advised to read the novel before going through the study-guide. This section
summarizes important events in the novel and draws your attention to some significant
themes. The questions at the end of each section will help you test your grasp of the novel.
Chapter 1-4
The first four chapters of the novel describe Mma Ramotswe's life, from her birth till the
opening of her detective agency. In these chapters, the reader meets some of the key
characters who have influenced Precious Ramotswe and made her a strong-willed and
respected woman – the first lady detective of Botswana.
The novel begins with the description of the office. The detective agency in Gaborone is
located on a dusty road surrounded by acacia trees and bushes. It has everything that an
investigator needs: a van, two desks, two chairs, a telephone, and a typewriter. There is also a
short description of how she managed to open the detective agency, with the money inherited
from her father.
Mma Ramotswe re-calls the case of Happy Bapetsi – a successful banker, whose life was
disrupted by the sudden arrival of a man claiming to be her long-lost father. Though Happy
has taken in the man and has been taking care of him for the last three months, she suspects
that the man is a fraud. Disguised as a nurse, Mma Ramotswe reaches Happy Bapetsi’s
house, where she sees the “Daddy”; acting franticly, she says that Happy has been in a
terrible accident and needs a lot of blood from a family member. The man is hesitant and
under pressure, he confesses that he is not Happy’s real father, but an imposter taking
advantage of a good life.
So, the first chapter gives us some insight into the character of Mma Ramotswe, her
techniques, and how she runs her business. Through the case of Happy Bapetsi, the narrator
hints at the respect that the detective has in her town and the trust that people have in her. If
ever she is unable to solve a case, she returns the money. She may not be investigating
matters of national importance but she loves her country and has the respect of people around
her.
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The second chapter is narrated by her father Obed Ramotswe who was born in
Mahalapye village in 1930, and brought up in Mochudi. At the age of eighteen, he goes to
work at the mines in Johannesburg, working there for many years. This chapter includes a
detailed description of life in Africa during Obed’s time, when the white colonial masters
used to employ the locals as miners. Botswana was ruled by the British till its independence
in 1966. In the Johannesburg mines, there are miners from different tribes like Swazi, Zulu,
Malawi, and Basotho; these tribes are always fighting with each other. One day Obed
witnesses a murder committed by the people of the Zulu tribe in the mines, and fearing for his
life Obed leaves the job and returns to his village. He uses whatever money he has saved to
buy cattle and looks forward to living peacefully in Mochudi. Long after leaving the job,
Obed learns that he has cancer and that he has very little time. He is not afraid of death, rather
he is sad that he has to leave his country forever. Obed is proud to be a Motswana (people of
Botswana), as their country is a democracy and devoid of political corruption, unlike other
African nations.
Precious’s mother dies in a train accident when she is very young and it becomes
difficult for Obed to look after the child. It is then that his cousin comes to live with them.
We are never told her name and throughout the novel, she is referred to as ‘the cousin.’
Abandoned by her husband because she could not bear him a child, she has been living with
her mother in poverty. In spite of the stigma, the cousin raises Precious as her own daughter
and also looks after her cousin and the house for eight years, before she remarries. Having a
little education, she teaches Precious how to read, count, and makes her memorize
everything. Because of her aunt, Precious grows up to be an intelligent and highly observant
girl. She is the most brilliant student in her class. Precious even wins the first prize in a
painting competition conducted by the country museum on the theme, “Life in Botswana.”
The chapter ends with the cousin getting married to a wealthy man, who owns a bus transport
company and going to live in Gaborone.
When Precious turns sixteen (Chapter 4) her father sends her to live with his cousin, who
lives in the south of Gaborone. Her husband owns two buses; one of them named the
Molepolole Special Express, and is a reasonably wealthy man. Obed thinks that Precious will
have better opportunities in Gaborone. Moreover, he feels that, under his cousin’s
supervision, she will be better protected from unsuitable men. After Precious’s arrival, she is
given a clerical job to add invoices and check the figures in the drivers’ records at the office
of the cousin’s husband. She works hard and soon she discovers a discrepancy in the bills, of
over 2000 pula. She tracks down the person who has stolen the money and tampered with the
books. It is her first case, in a way.
Life is going well for Precious - she has a job and every weekend she visits her father in
the village. After four years of living with her aunt, while she is traveling in the bus to visit
her father, she meets Note Mokoti- a jazz musician. Precious is mesmerized by Note Mokoti
and soon starts dating him. There are hints of sexual violence as well. Obed does not like the
man his daughter is marrying and warns her but she is adamant. Ramotswe marries him, even
though she knows he’s not a good man. She believes she will be able to change him and most
important, she is almost certain that she is pregnant. After marriage, Precious is stuck with
Note, living in an abusive relationship that leaves her bruised and wounded. Eventually, Note
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leaves Precious and she goes back to live with her father for the next 14 years, till his death.
She even loses her child as Note tried to force himself on her. The chapter ends with the new
beginning in Precious’ life, when she sets out to become the first lady detective of Botswana
and opens “The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.”
Questions
i) Write a short note on Obed Ramotswe’s life?
ii) What does Precious learn from her father’s cousin?
iii) How does Mma Ramotswe solve the case of Happy Bapetsi and the imposter who
claims to be her father?
iv) Discuss, in detail, Precious Ramotswe’s relationship with Note Mokoti.
Chapter 5-9
Mma Ramotswe uses the money she gets from the sale of her father’s cattle, to first buy a
house at Zebra Drive and then look for a cheap place for the office. She hires a secretary–
Mma Makutsi and sets to open for business. Being a novice, she is bound to make some
mistakes and also learn from them. These chapters are about some such cases of Mma
Ramotswe. In between, there is a case of a missing eleven-year-old boy, whose father appeals
for help. Although Ramotswe doesn’t take up the case officially, the father’s letter affects her
and she feels deeply sorry for the parents’ agony.
Business is slow at first, almost making Mma Ramotswe rethink her decision. But then a
lady comes, with a request to find her missing husband, Mr. Peter Malatsi. Mma Ramotswe
first tries to reason with the woman about the possibility that her husband must have simply
left her to be with some other woman or he must have run away from creditors. But Mma
Malatsi doesn’t agree, saying that Peter Malatsi spent his time moving around with some
Christian group, and is sure that something has happened to him. With that, Mma Ramotswe
takes her first case. She quickly makes a list of the Christian groups which Mr. Peter Malatsi
could have joined and starts enquiring the whereabouts of the missing man. The search takes
her to Reverend Shadreck Mapeli, who admits that Mr. Malatsi drowned during a baptism in
the Notwane river. As Peter had told them he was unmarried, the Reverend didn’t inform
anyone. Afraid of being blamed for his death, he doesn’t go the police. Mma Ramotswe
senses that he’s telling the truth but finds it strange that Peter Malatsi’s body has not found.
Following a hunch, she brings her neighbor’s dog and sets out to find the missing man’s body
near the river – where she hunts down a crocodile and retrieves a watch from its stomach,
which is identified as the missing man’s watch by Mma Malatsi and the case is closed.
Chapter 6 briefly describes an eleven-year-old boy’s life- how he was fond of collecting
items like stones, bones, and his abduction. This adventurous boy, whose name is Thobiso, is
taken by two strangers while he is returning home from one of his explorations. In the fable
of the calf that his abductors narrate, there are ominous hints that he will never return home, a
possible victim of witchcraft.
Chapter 7 opens with a letter from Mr. Molai Pakotati, requesting Mma Ramotswe to
help him look for his lost son Thobiso, from Katsana village. The boy has been missing for
the past two months and his poor father has been looking for him everywhere but it seems
34
like the boy vanished from the face of the earth. Mma Ramotswe is sympathetic towards the
father but feels helpless. She is pained, thinking about the parents’ plight and remembers her
own lost child- a boy who died when he was only five days old.
Putting all her worries aside, Mma Ramotswe turns to an old friend, Mr. J. L. B.
Matekoni, who has more experience in running a business, for advice. Mr. Matekoni suggests
she should look for a rich client who will pay a handsome fee for her services and will also
attract new clients. Soon after, one of the wealthiest men in Botswana, Mr. Paliwalar
Sundigar Patel, contacts her for help.
Mr. Patel is an orthodox Indian man, who has four children; two happily married twin
daughters, a cosmetic dentist son (Wallace), and a teenage daughter (Nandira). He suspects
that his youngest daughter, Nandira, is having an affair with some boy named Jack at school,
and wants Mma Ramotswe to find out the identity of the boy so that he can end this affair. He
wants to arrange his daughter’s marriage to a man of his choice.
Mma Ramotswe starts tailing the girl from her school and going by the book, keeps her
distance to avoid detection and blends in the crowd. The first day, Nandira manages to slip
away and on the second day, after a long chase, she confronts Mma Ramotswe in the cinema
hall. She tells Mma Ramotswe her side of the story; that she has made up a fake boyfriend
(Jack) so that she can have some freedom from her father, and she wants Mma Ramotswe to
convince Mr. Patel of the same. Mma Ramotswe agrees and manages to persuade Mr. Patel to
give his daughter some space. A year later, Ramotswe runs into Nandira in the mall. She is
with a young boy, whom she introduces as Jack. At that point, Ramotswe knows she has been
out-smarted by a teenage girl: Nandira did have a boyfriend named Jack, as her father
suspected. A simple case of following a teenage girl to find out what she is doing turns out to
be a lesson for Mma Ramatoswe; from which she learns not to trust anyone while on the job.
Questions
i) How does Mma Ramotswe solve the case of Peter Malatsi, who is missing?
ii) How does Nandira Patel manage to outsmart Mma Ramotswe?
iii) Describe the relationship between Ramotswe and Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni.
Chapter 10-15
The tenth chapter gives us a brief description of Botswana’s beauty as Mma Ramotswe drives
her white van to Francistown, at the edge of the Kalahari Desert. As her life moves forward,
she gets more interesting and challenging cases, which are discussed in subsequent chapters.
In chapter 11, Mma Ramotswe takes up the case of Mma Pekwane who visits the office
with an unusual request: she suspects that her husband has acquired a stolen Mercedes Benz
and wants Mma Ramotswe to return the car to the real owner. Pekwane doesn’t want to take
the matter to the police and embarrass her husband. Ramotswe discusses the matter with Mr.
J. L. B. Matekoni, and learns that the stolen cars come from beyond the border, after which
the serial number of the cars are scraped off, the cars repainted, and sold off. Mr. Matekoni
also tells her that the thieves usually forget to remove the serial number from the chassis of
the car. Mrs. Pekwane offers to help the detective in any way she can; she distracts her
husband while Mma Ramotswe and Mr. Matekoni search the car for the serial number. Later
35
she also provides the key of the car to the detective so that she can take it away without her
husband’s knowledge. In the end, Mma Ramotswe successfully returns the car to the
insurance company.
Chapter 12 describes Mma Ramotswe’s house in Zebra Drive. The house was built in
1968, it is a corner plot and is surrounded by trees and bushes. Mma Ramotswe is very proud
of her investment as she bought the house at a very cheap price. Her house has a verandah in
the front, and, in the living room, hangs her late father’s portrait. While drinking tea with Mr.
Matekoni (Ch. 13) she wonders about the biggest regret in her life – ignoring her father’s
advice and marrying Note Mokoti, because of which she suffered years of unhappiness. Soon,
they both have an emotional conversation about past mistakes and regrets, during which Mr.
Matekoni proposes to Mma Ramotswe, but she doesn’t want to compromise with the life that
she has made for herself and politely declines the offer. This leaves Mr. Matekoni a little
disappointed but it doesn’t affect their friendship. Mma Ramotswe is determined to focus on
her business for the moment and Mr. Matekoni understands this.
Every case comes with its peculiar challenges; some leave her outsmarted, some go
unsolved, and some just leave her mortified, as is the case of Mrs. Alice Busang (Ch. 14).
Alice suspects, and wants Mma Ramotswe to find out if her husband, Kremlin, is fecklessly
engaged with other women. Even though Mma Ramotswe believes that every man is engaged
with other women, with the exception of ministers of religion and headmasters, she accepts
the case. Later that week, she begins tailing Kremlin from his office to the Go-Go Handsome
Man’s Bar. Mma Ramotswe enters the bar and sits a few stools away from Kremlin and not
soon after he advances towards her. They start flirting and Mma Ramotswe asks Kremlin if
he’s married and, without any hesitation, he denies it. To obtain more proof of his
philandering, Mma Ramotswe invites Kremlin to her house, where they drink, and before
things escalate, she makes up an excuse and asks him to leave. Before he leaves, she requests
a picture with him, as a memento. She sets her camera on auto mode, but as the flash goes on,
Kremlin kisses her. The next day she reports to Alice Busang that her husband is indeed
unfaithful and also presents her with the photograph of herself and Kremlin, together at her
house. After seeing the proof Alice is rather furious and starts abusing Mma Ramotswe,
calling her “husband stealer” and “fat tart,” stomping out of the office screaming. The
incident leaves Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi in laughter.
Mma Ramotswe leaves her office to meet Mr. Matekoni and share her disconcerting
experience (Ch. 15). As she gossips about the case of Alice Busang, Mr. Matekoni seems a
little distracted and she asks what is troubling him. He tells her that recently he went to pick
up a car which was in an accident, and while repairing the car he accidentally opened the
glove compartment from which he recovered a mysterious bag. It is the elements of the bag
which trouble Mr. Matekoni- he has found few pieces of bone and skin in the bag, and not
sure what to do about it he shows the bag to Mma Ramotswe. Adding to the trouble, Mr.
Matekoni tells her that the car belongs to Charlie Gotso, one of the most well-connected and
influential men in the country. The chapter ends with Mma Ramotswe taking possession of
the bag to find out what kind of bones are in it, animal or human.
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Questions
i) Why is Alice Busang furious with Mma Ramotswe even after she brings proof of her
husband’s infidelity?
ii) Why is Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni upset when Ramotswe visits him?
iii) Who is Charlie Gotso? What does Matekoni find in his car?
Chapter 16
In this chapter, Mma Ramotswe tackles a case of financial fraud, and also follows up on the
case of the ‘muti’ or medicine made with human bones and flesh, recovered from the glove
compartment of Mr. Charlie Gotso’s car.
A friend of Mma Ramotswe, Mr. Hector Lepodise seeks her services for a personal
matter (Ch. 16). Mr. Hector is a rich industrialist; one of the first people to set up factories
after Botswana got independence in 1966. As they drink tea in his office, Mr. Hector
discusses his problem with Mma Ramotswe. He has received a letter from an attorney, on
behalf of one of his former employees, Solomon Moretsi, to pay four thousand pula as
compensation for losing his finger, while working on one of his machines. Hector doesn’t
mind compensating Solomon Moretsi but he believes that the man is a fraud, since it never
came to his notice that a worker had been injured. Mma Ramotswe double-checks the claim
made in the letter; everything checks out – the date of the accident matches with the log book
and the hospital bill also looks genuine. She advises Hector to let the insurance company take
care of it but it’s a matter of principle for Mr. Hector. He says, if he pays, it will set a bad
example Suddenly it hits Mma Ramotswe that if the man is a fraud, then he must have done
the same thing to others, before Hector Lepodise. She makes a list of all the insurance
companies to enquire about a similar case. Luckily, she discovers that Mr. Solomon had
made a similar claim a few years back with the Kalahari Accident and Indemnity, while
working at a garage. The reports of both the cases are identical and only the dates are
different. On close scrutiny, it is apparent that one date has been changed with correction
fluid. She contacts the attorney of Mr. Solomon, Mr. Jameson Mopotswane and reaches his
office after a long drive. She confronts Mr. Solomon with proof of the fraud and makes him
drop the case against Mr. Hector. Sympathizing with Solomon’s financial responsibilities;
looking after aged parents, a sick sister, and her children, she lets him off with a warning.
Questions
i) How does Mma Ramotswe uncover Solomon Moretsi’s fraud?
ii) Why doesn’t she report the fraud to the police?
Chapter 17-19
Following up on the case of the ‘muti’ she visits her neighbor, Dr. Gulubane at the Princess
Marina Hospital (Ch. 17). At the hospital, Dr. Gulubane confirms that the bones are indeed
human; they are of a child, which reminds her of the missing eleven-year-old boy. She
discusses her findings with Mr. Matekoni later that day, and hatches up a plot to confront
Charlie Gotso in an indirect way. Both of them agree that they cannot risk displeasing Charlie
Gotso, as he’s a powerful man. Mma Ramotswe convinces Mr. Matekoni to shatter the
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windshield of Gotso’s car, inform him that there has been a break-in, and request him to
check if anything is missing. Mr Matekoni is reluctant but she says; “Lies are quite alright if
you are lying for a good cause. Is it not a good cause to find out who murdered an innocent
child?”
As expected, Charlie Gotso sends a man who claims something has been stolen from the
car. At that point, all Mr. Matekoni has to do is suggest that a private detective will be able to
help them recover the stolen property of Charlie Gotso, and recommend Mma Ramotswe for
the case.
Mma Ramotswe visits Charlie Gotso in his office. She reveals that she has found out
who broke into his car at the workshop but cannot give out their names as she has bargained
to keep their identity a secret, in exchange for the stolen leather pouch, which she hands over
to Mr. Gotso. He is impressed with her skills and knowing that she might be aware of what
the bag contains, he makes it a point to clarify that the bag belongs to one of his men and he
has nothing to do what is in it. Pretending to be interested in buying some ‘muti’ for herself,
Ramotswe manages to extract the location of the witch doctor, after promising him some
insider information about his business rivals.
Questions
i) Explain the term ‘muti’?
ii) How does Ramotswe persuade Charlie Gotso to share the address of the witch doctor
who sold him the ‘muti’?
Chapter 20
Ramotswe has all the information she needs to catch the possible murderer, but with expenses
piling up she needs to shift her attention to other cases. Her next client, Dr. Maketsi comes to
her office with a peculiar problem. Six months ago, Dr. Maketsi had hired a Nigerian doctor–
Dr. Komoti. Since then, there have been reports of him being inconsistent at his work: one
day he works exceptionally well, the next he risks a patient’s life with his incompetence. Dr.
Maketsi has run a background check on Dr. Komoti and has found no discrepancy in his
degree, but he suspects that Dr. Komoti might be using drugs and wants Mma Ramotswe to
find out the real cause for his behavior. She starts tailing Dr. Komoti. He has a predictable
routine but, on the weekend, Dr. Komoti, instead of going straight home, takes the highway
to go towards Lobatse which is near the border, and beyond, towards Mafikeng in South
Africa. Mma Ramotswe is not carrying her passport, because of which she has to abort the
mission. The next morning, she is stunned to spot Dr. Komoti at the mall, when he was
supposed to be out of town.
The case becomes more intriguing and she waits for the next weekend to follow him
beyond the border, to Mafikeng. Dr. Komoti drives to a house in the suburbs and goes in.
Ramotswe parks her car at a distance and is snooping around in the backyard of the house
when Dr. Komoti spots her. She strikes up a conversation on some pretext when suddenly,
another man, an exact replica of Dr. Komoti comes out. It becomes obvious that Dr. Komoti
has a twin. From the moment she sees and even talks to the twin brothers, who claim they are
both doctors, everything becomes clear. She learns that one of the brothers has a clinic near
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the railway station and goes there to investigate. It is apparent that only one brother is a
qualified doctor, who greedily accepted the job at Dr. Maketsi’s hospital as well – alternating
between the job at Dr. Maketsi’s hospital and his clinic in Mafikeng, sending his unqualified
twin in his place. Hence, the inconsistencies in his treatment. To avoid a scandal in her own
country, she arranges for Dr. Komoti to be arrested in Mafikeng, by Billy Pilani, old school
friend who is now a police officer.
Questions
i) What does Ramotswe see in the house in Mafikeng, where she follows Dr. Komoti?
ii) How does she ensure that justice is done in this case?
Chapter 21-22
After successfully closing the case of the bogus doctor, Mma Ramotswe finally takes out
time to follow the sketch given by Charlie Gotso and look for the witch doctor (Ch. 21). With
the help of the map, she reaches a secluded place that is away from the village or any human
contact. The place seems as sinister as the people she is about to meet. When she knocks at
the door, she is greeted by the wife of the witch doctor – Mma Notshi, who seems innocent.
She tells Mma Ramotswe that her husband is not in town right now and will be back on
Saturday. They talk for a while, after which Mma Ramotswe claims that she is actually from
the police department and is here to warn them that they are wanted by the police for the
murder of the Katsana boy. She convinces Mma Notshi to trust her and says that if she
confesses, the police will go easy on her.
Mma Notshi blurts out that they haven’t killed the boy, rather he works at their cattle
post far away. On being interrogated about the human bones, Mma Notshi informs her that
such bones can be purchased easily in Johannesburg. Mma Ramotswe makes the witch
doctor’s wife take her to the cattle post. They reach there after a four- hour drive, where she
sees the boy with a man and woman from the Basarwa tribe. Brave enough, Mma Ramotswe
rescues the boy, who has been living in captivity for months, and returns him to his father. In
the end, the reunion of father and son leaves her emotional, she is happy she could save the
child from such sinister people. Although, throughout the novel, there are clues that indicate
that the little boy could have been killed for ‘muti,’ he is found alive. It is apparent that he
was kidnapped for forced labour; to look after the cattle at the outpost.
Her mini white van turned out to be reliable enough to travel through such dusty roads,
but as she enters the town it starts to stutter. She calls Mr. Matekoni for help and the two
spend some time together while Mr. Matekoni fixes her car. The novel ends with Mma
Ramotswe finally accepting the marriage proposal from Mr. Matekoni as they sip wine and
have dinner.
Questions
i) What does Ramotswe see at the cattle outpost, where Mma Notshi takes her?
ii) Why is the little boy, Thobiso held captive there? What do the Basarwa couple make
him do?
iii) How does the novel end?
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Part II : Critical Analysis
Dr. Seema Suri
3.4 Characters in the Novel
Precious Ramotswe
Andrew McCall Smith’s delightful creation, Mma Precious Ramotswe is the main protagonist
of his most popular series of novels, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency. She is Botswana’s
only lady detective, with an office on the outskirts of Gaborone, the capital city. Her father,
Obed Ramotswe worked as a miner in Johannesburg before settling in Mochudi. Precious’s
mother died when she was barely a year old and she is brought up by her father’s cousin. The
cousin looks after her like her own daughter, teaching her to count and observe things. But
it’s her father who has been the strongest influence on her, encouraging her to be herself. As
a young girl in Muchodi, apart from her father and his cousin, Precious Ramotswe learns how
to deal with men, from her Sunday School teacher, Mma Mothibi. (Ch. 3) She teaches
Precious to speak up when harassed by Josiah, a little boy who bares his genitals before her in
class.
Ramotswe’s personal life has not been happy. She falls in love with and marries a jazz
musician, Note Mokoti, even though she knows he’s not a good man. She mistakenly
believes that she will be able to change him but he is abusive and eventually disappears one
day. The baby boy born to her afterwards survives for only five days. On many occasions,
she remembers the child with pain.
It is to her father’s house that Ramotswe returns when Note Mokoti, her husband, leaves
her. Her unhappy marriage has made her wary of men. Although Mr J. L. B. Matekoni is a
good friend, she declines his marriage proposal at first but accepts it in the end. Another
friend, Hector Lepodise also proposes to her but she declines his offer as well. (Ch.16)
After her father’s death, Ramotswe inherits all his cattle. She sells them for a handsome
amount and buys a nice house and office for herself, to start her detective business. She has
inherited her father’s patriotism and is proud of her African identity and culture. McCall
Smith has created a real woman in Mma Ramotswe; she is overweight, not so young, goes
shopping whenever she gets the chance, and loves to drink bush tea all the time.
Ramotswe is independent, living alone in the house she has bought for herself in Zebra
Drive. For almost all her cases, she sets out alone in her white minivan. In Gaborone, people
recognize her in the streets and the African Mall. She is proud of her work and when she
senses disapproval, as when her father’s lawyer expresses his scepticism at her choice of
business, she reminds him of the famous writer of crime fiction, Agatha Christie.
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Mma Ramotswe has a strong sense of right and wrong and is conscious of her duty
towards her fellow citizens. This extract from the first chapter, sums up her character very
well;
She was a good detective and a good woman. A good woman in a good country,
one might say. She loved her country, Botswana, which is a place of peace, and
she loved Africa, for all its trials. I am not ashamed to be called an African
patriot, said Mma Ramotswe. I love all the people whom God made, but I
especially know how to love love the people who live in this place. They are my
people, my brothers and sisters. It is my duty to solve the mysteries in their lives.
That is what I am called to do. (Ch.1)
Even as a child, she displays strength of character. A drawing of hers wins first prize in a
competition organized by The Museum of Gaborone. The topic is ‘Life in Botswana of
Today’ and she submits a drawing of goats near a dam. In Gaborone, she is dismayed to see it
titled as ‘Cattle beside Dam.’ As the Minister of Education is handing her the prize, she says
she doesn’t deserve it because of the error. The Minister is pleased, calls her ‘the most
truthful child’ and gives her the prize.
Though a woman of integrity, Mma Ramotswe doesn’t hesitate to lie if it helps her solve
a case. When she follows Dr. Komoti to Mafikeng and is caught snooping behind his house,
she cooks up a story about having lived there as a child. In order to corner Charlie Gotso, she
persuades the otherwise staid Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni, to lie to Gotso and tell him that his car
has been damaged in a break-in. In the end, she tells Mma Notshi, the witch doctor’s wife,
that she works for the police, in order to find Thobiso, the missing boy.
Ramotswe trusts her own instincts and follows them. Early in her career, she realizes that
it is better not to go by the book, like the manual by Cloris Andersen, The Principles of
Private Investigation, that she has been studying. Her dedication is such that she invites the
womanizer, Kremlin Busang into her house to obtain proof of his philandering ways. To
solve the case of the missing Peter Malatsi (Chapter 5), she shoots a crocodile and cuts him
up to find physical evidence that he has eaten Peter. She visits Charlie Gotso’s office,
spurring his advances calmy. Her desire to do justice makes her take many risks; she will
drive across the border to follow a crook and drives for hours, deep into the Kalahari Desert
to find Thobiso. Although she is practical and sensible, her work as a detective affects her
emotionally at times. Each time she thinks about Thobiso her heart aches. He reminds her of
her own baby, who died five days after he was born.
Mma Ramotswe is a survivor, who overcomes adversity to find her place. Married and
divorced at a young age, she looks after her father for fourteen years. It is important to
remember that it is not till she is thirty-five years old that she embarks on a career. Though it
belongs to the genre of detective fiction, The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency is as much about
Mma Ramotswe and her country, as the cases she solves.
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Obed Ramotswe
Precious Ramotswe’s father was born in Botswana in 1930, before it gained independence in
1966. The second chapter in the novel is narrated by him, where he talks about his work as a
miner in Johannesburg, where he went when he was just eighteen years old, and how he had
to leave his job, after witnessing a murder by some Zulu miners. He returns to Mochudi to be
with his wife and daughter, Precious. When his wife dies in a train accident, he invites his
cousin to come and live with them. Obed has lived in both: the Bechuanaland Protectorate,
ruled by the British and independent Botswana. He is a true patriot, proud of Botswana’s
natural wealth and political stability:
I love our country, and am proud to be a Motswana. There’s no other country in
Africa that can hold its head up high as we can. We never had any political
prisoners, and never had any. We have democracy. We have been careful. The
Bank of Botswana is full of money, from our diamonds. We owe nothing. (Ch. 2)
Working in the mines of Johannesburg has affected his lungs and he gets cancer. His only
regret is that he will be leaving his beloved country, Botswana.
His love for his daughter is extremely unselfish. When Precious is sixteen years old, he
sends her to live with his cousin in Gaborone so that she is safe from unsuitable men and gets
better opportunities, even though he is left alone. Unlike many other men, he is progressive
and doesn’t impose his will on his daughter. His values are imbibed by his daughter and
shape her personality.
The Cousin
Obed Ramotswe’s cousin comes to live with them after her mother’s death. We never get to
know her name- she is always referred to as ‘the cousin,’ throughout the novel. She was
living with her mother and grandmother, as her husband has left her after six years of waiting
for her to have a child. She lives with the burden of being viewed as a barren woman and
even her mother and grandmother think she deserves her fate. Having spent all her money on
traditional remedies to conceive, she is living in dire straits. Obed Ramotswe gives her a
separate room and money to run the house. In spite of her personal travails, she treats
Precious like her own daughter. For eight years, she cooks for them, runs the house, and
tutors Precious Ramotswe, though not properly educated herself. She understands that this
will help Precious develop her voice;
The cousin wanted Precious to be clever. She had had little education herself, but
had struggled at reading, and persisted, and now she sensed the possibilities for
change. . . . One day, women would be able to sound their own voice, perhaps,
and would point out what was wrong. But they would need to be able to read to
do that. (Ch. 3)
It is because of her that Precious develops the qualities of “curiosity and awareness.” When
Precious is around eight years old, the cousin announces that she has been seeing someone
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and accepted his proposal. The man is a wealthy bus owner and she goes to live with him in
Gaborone after her wedding. She thinks her husband is handsome, even though his face is
scarred from a jackal bite, and is genuinely happy with him. When Precious is sixteen years
old, her father sends her to live with the cousin, for a better life. The cousin decorates her
room and her husband gives her a job in his office. Overall, she is the mother that Precious
never had.
Note Mokoti
Precious Ramotswe’s husband Note makes a brief appearance in the novel, in chapter 4.
Precious meets him on a bus, while returning from a visit to her father. She is immediately
attracted to the jazz musician, dressed rakishly in a red shirt. They date briefly before getting
married. There are hints of sexual violence but Ramotswe is attracted to him and goes ahead
with the wedding as she is sure she is pregnant. Obed Ramotswe is unhappy and warns his
daughter: “That man will hit you. He will use you in all sorts of ways. He only thinks of
himself and what he wants.” But she is adamant, and marries Note anyway. (Ch. 13)
They live in a rented house and Note plays the trumpet at bars, busy with his music. He
neglects her and is violent. Ramotswe has to go to hospital to get her wounds stitched, when
pregnant. Eventually, Note goes away one day, taking most of their possessions with him. It’s
apparent he doesn’t want to be burdened with a child and escapes at the first opportunity.
After this, she goes to live with her father. For the next fourteen years, she looks after him till
his death. Marriage to Note has left her disillusioned with men in general. For her it was a
“bad mistake.” (Ch. 13)
Mr J. L. B. Matekoni
Mr J. L. B. Matekoni is the proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors, and a friend of
Mma Ramotswe. He is a widower and lives alone. His garage is close to Ramotswe’s office
and he gives her a typewriter when she starts her business. Matekoni is the man Ramotswe
goes to when she needs advice, is upset, or wants to discuss professional problems. When the
detective agency is running into losses, he advises her to find a rich client, which she does.
Matekoni can never refuse Mma Ramotswe a favour. He is persuaded to lie to Charlie Gotso
about a break-in in his garage and a possible theft. Matekoni agrees to help her get the engine
number from under the chassis the stolen Mercedes Benz, in Mma Pekwane’s house. While
Mma Pekwane keeps her husband busy, he crawls under the car to get the number. (Ch.11)
Matekoni is ten years older than Ramotswe and obviously in love with her. He is a simple,
sober man and theirs is not a typical romantic relationship. Ramotswe appreciates his
qualities:
He was not handsome, but he had an easy, reassuring face. He would have been
the sort of husband that any woman would have liked to have about the house. He
would fix things and stay in at night and perhaps even help with some of the
domestic chores – something that so few men would ever dream of doing. (Ch. 8)
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When he proposes to Ramotswe, she declines. Her bitter experience with Note comes in the
way. It doesn’t change their relationship at all and they remain good friends. However, in the
last chapter of the novel, he proposes again and this time, Ramotswe accepts.
3.5 Themes in the novel
Position of women
In his novel, McCall Smith has Botswana as the backdrop. Through his central protagonist,
Mma Ramotswe, he touches upon the position of women in their society. Ramotswe is an
independent, self-assured, and successful woman. Running her own detective agency, she has
earned respect and recognition in Gaborone. People recognize her and come to her with their
problems. But her position has not been acquired without struggle. Her father was a miner
who lost his wife when Precious was a baby and he took his cousin’s help to bring her up. He
shaped her personality, inculcating the values of righteousness and nationalism in her.
Unfortunately, Ramotswe marries the wrong man when she is just twenty years old. Note
Mokoti has no respect for her and, in spite of her education, she puts up with an abusive
husband. At the hospital where she goes to get her wounds stitched, she is reluctant to admit
that her husband hits her. (Ch. 4) It is only when Note runs away that she returns to live with
her father. After her father’s death, she is in a position to buy a nice home for herself and start
a business. She encounters prejudice all the time- from her lawyer, her client Mr Patel, and
the immigration officer at Lobatse. She reminds them of Agatha Christie, creator of the
famous fictional detective, Ms. Marple.
Not all women are as lucky as Ramotswe, who had a supportive father and money to
establish herself. The father’s cousin is forsaken by her husband, as she couldn’t bear a child
and lives with her unsympathetic mother and grandmother, like an unpaid servant. She
understands that women need to be educated and trains Ramotswe to be observant and
confident. Many of the clients who come to her detective agency are women who are at the
receiving end of their husbands’ irresponsible and dishonest behaviour. Mma Pekwane’s
husband has acquired a stolen Mercedes Benz car, that upsets her sense of morality, and
Alice Busang is tormented by her husband’s philandering.
Precious Ramotswe is an exception in her society; a society that is still on the cusp of
change. Even educated people are not willing to embrace change, as far as the position of
women goes. Dr. Maketsi, her father’s friend asks her to investigate Dr. Komoti’s
background. But he feels uncomfortable when Mma Ramotswe asks him if he has learnt to
cook:
These ideas came from America and may be all very well in theory, but had they
made the Americans any happier? Surely there had to be some limits to all this
progress, all this unsettling change. He had heard recently of men who were
obliged by their wives to change the nappies of their babies. He shuddered at the
thought; Africa was not ready for that, he reflected. (Ch. 20)
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There is a subtle suggestion that maybe her father, an otherwise progressive man, was
doubtful of her choice of profession. On his deathbed he asks her to start a business of
her own - a butchery or a bottle store, and she tells him of her decision to start a
detective agency;
It was difficult to talk through her tears, but she managed to say: ‘I’m going to
set up a detective agency. Down in Gaborone. It will be the best one in
Botswana. The No.1 Agency.’
For a moment, her father’s eyes opened wide and it seemed as if he was
struggling to speak.
‘But . . . but . . .’
But he died before he could say anything more . . . (Ch. 1)
Mma Ramotswe is something of an inspirational character in the novel. A proud
African woman, with a strong sense of vocation.
Modern vs traditional
The novel is set around 1984, when Mma Ramotswe is around thirty-five years old.
Botswana gained independence from British rule in 1966 and there is change all round. The
post-independence years see rapid industrialization, with factories coming up all around
Gaborone. Yet, people measure wealth by the number of cattle a person possesses. The
Indian businessman, Mr. Paliwalar Patel is one of the richest men in Botswana but this does
not impress people because he hasn’t invested any of his wealth in cattle. After returning
from Johannesburg, Obed Ramotswe invests all his savings in buying cattle and employs
people to look after the herds. But the modern, educated Ramotswe sells them all for a
handsome profit so that she can start her own business.
It is not so much a clash of values as a transition. If there are nomadic tribes who rear
cattle, deep in the Kalahari Desert there is the African mall in Gaborone, where Ramotswe
loves to shop and has coffee with her friends every Saturday morning. Ramotswe moves
around alone, driving her own car but her roots are in her African culture. Families are close
knit- reaching out to each other in distress; it is part of “the old Setswana morality,” and
“African tradition of support for relatives.” (Ch. 2) Obed Ramotswe invites his poor cousin to
his home and treats her with dignity. He arranges her wedding, feeding numerous guests at
the reception. Solomon Moretsi commits a fraud because he needs money to care for his aged
parents, sister, who has AIDS, and her children. Mma Ramotswe herself, looks after her old
father for fourteen years. It is only after his death that she thinks of starting her own business.
Like many former colonies, Botswana is coping with its colonial past. There are numerous
references to Anglican missionaries and teachers. At times, traditional values do clash with
modern ideas. This is brought to the fore, especially through Ramotswe’s investigation into
the ‘muti’ acquired by Charlie Gotso. ‘Muti’ was believed to give power and success in
business to the one who consumed it, as it had the life-force of the dead person, usually a
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child. As Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni points out, the practice of witchcraft, prevalent all over
Africa, is a blot on modern Botswana:
Right there, in Botswana, in the late twentieth century, under the proud flag, in
the midst of all that made Botswana a modern country, this thing had happened,
this heart of darkness had thumped out like a drum. The little boy had been killed
because some powerful person somewhere had commissioned the witchdoctor to
make strengthening medicine for him, (Ch. 8)
Powerful people like Charlie Gotso are involved, so there is little that can be done about it;
“We don’t like to talk about it, do we? It’s the thing we Africans are most ashamed of.”
Fortunately, Thobiso is found alive, and it seems he was kidnapped to look after cattle, deep
in the Kalahari Desert.
Nationalism
In the novel there are numerous lyrical passages, that dwell on Botswana’s natural beauty, its
wildlife, and natural resources. McCall Smith’s childhood, spent in Africa, has helped him
convey the beauty of the continent.
The second chapter, narrated by Obed Ramotswe is replete with pride in nation. Obed
talks at length about his life, when Botswana was the Bechuanaland Protectorate, ruled by the
British. There are glimpses of its colonial past and exploitation by white masters but now,
Botswana is, compared to other African states, politically stable and financially secure. Mma
Ramotswe is proud when she thinks of all that Botswana, a former British Protectorate has
achieved in the thirty years since independence.
The great swathe of territory which the British really had not known what to do
with had prospered to become the best-run state in Africa, by far. Well could
people shout Pula! Pula! Rain! Rain! with pride. (Ch. 16)
At her home in Zebra Drive, a picture of Sir Seretse Khama, the first President of
independent Botswana, sits on the mantelpiece in her drawing room. Like her father,
she often thinks of him with gratitude and how he transformed Botswana. Though
proud of modernization, Ramotswe wants Africa to retain its unique identity:
Mma Ramotswe did not want Africa to change. She did not want people to
become like everybody else, soulless, selfish, forgetful of what it means to be
African, or, worse, still, ashamed of Africa. She would never be anything but an
African, never, even if somebody came up to her and said ‘Here is a pill, the very
latest thing. Take it and it will make you into an American.’ She would say no.
Never. No thank you. (Ch. 20)
The message seems to be that Botswana, or Africa for that matter, shouldn’t embrace
westernization thoughtlessly.
Mma Ramotswe is conscious of her duty towards her country at all times. When
she reports to Dr. Maketsi about Dr. Komoti’s elaborate fraud, she feels it is better not
46
to report the matter to the police in Botswana as it will make people lose faith in the
public health system. So, she requests her friend Billy Pilani in Mafikeng to arrest Dr.
Komoti there. Mma Ramotswe’s love for her country is one of her most endearing
qualities.
Summing Up
The government of Botswana purportedly invested $ 5 million to construct the set for the film
adaptation of the novels, produced by the BBC. Set near Kgale hill, where Mma Ramotswe
has her fictional detective agency, the site still attracts tourists. It is an attestation of the
popularity of the novel all over the world. After reading the novel and going through this
study-guide you may have formed a fairly good idea about the reasons for its success. Let us
summarize those.
 Simplicity of language: the novel is written in a very simple style, easy to follow,
without compromising the interest of the reader.
 Novelty: the main protagonist Mma Ramotswe is an engaging character. McCall
Smith does away with many stereotypes of female protagonists. Ramotswe is not so
young in this novel, is overweight, and works alone.
 The backdrop of Botswana is also a refreshing change from the European or
American locales in most English novels. As Mma Ramotswe drives around
Botswana– Gaborone, Mochudi, and Mafikeng in Johannesburg, we are introduced to
a different culture and learn about it.
These are just some of the things that have made this novel such a bestseller. It is necessary
for students to understand the genre and how McCall Smith has diverted from many norms of
detective fiction. The novel does not revolve around solving one crime, usually a murder, as
in Agatha Christie’s novels. In addition to being a detective fiction, the novel is about Mma
Ramotswe and life in Botswana.
Questions
i) Describe Mma Ramotswe’s character in detail.
ii) Discuss Precious Ramotswe’s relationship with Mr. J. L. B. Matekoni.
iii) Write short notes on:
1. Note Mokoti
2. The cousin
3. Thobiso
iv) Describe how Mma Ramotswe solves the case of Dr. Komoti or the case of Peter
Malatsi.
v) How does Ramotswe rescue Thobiso?
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48
Unit-4
Paper Towns
by John Green
CONTENTS
4.2 Introduction
4.3 Brief Overview
4.4 Detailed Summary

Swasti Sharma Dr. Seema Suri
49
50
Unit-4
Paper Towns by John Green

Swasti Sharma

The primary objective of this unit is to analyze the novel Paper Towns by John Green
critically and furnish a brief background pertaining to the authorship that redefined the status
of young adult fiction on the contemporary literary horizon. Through a close analysis of the
text, several observations have emerged to the fore, as elaborated in the following sections. A
close reading of the novel helps in contemplating the theme of road trips as coming-of-age
experiences, as well as making and breaking routines. The backdrop against which the
narrative is set deepens the mystery. After going through this lesson, the student will be able
to;
 Develop a deeper understanding of the genre,
 Identify the main ideas incorporated in the novel,
 Examine the significance of maps and mapping in restoring order, the dominant
metaphor of strings, and the multiple meanings of the titular “paper towns,” and
 Appreciate the author’s literary style.
References to the novel in this study material are to the following edition;
John Green. Paper Towns. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2013.
4.2 Introduction
John Michael Green was born on August 24, 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Mike and
Sydney Green. He is an alumnus of Glenridge Middle School and Lake Highland Preparatory
School in Orlando. He graduated with a double major in English and religious studies, from
Kenyon College in 2000. Green has been quite vocal about bullying, and its degenerating
psychological impact on the teenage mind, drawing from his own experiences.
Notably, Green is a versatile American novelist, who simultaneously dabbles in
YouTube content ventures that cater to young and adolescent audiences. Along with his
brother Hank, John has collaborated on a 2007 vlog project titled Brotherhood 2.0, and later
developed Crash Course, a philanthropic project aimed at teaching and guiding high school
students, which has become more diversified. For his debut novel, Looking for Alaska (2005),
Green received the prestigious Printz Award.
During his years in Chicago, he was employed as a production editor and publishing
assistant for the book review journal Booklist, while he was engaged in drafting his first novel
Looking for Alaska. As a publishing assistant, he reviewed several books - some pertaining to
literary fiction and others about Islam or conjoined twins. Another solo novel, titled The
Fault in Our Stars (2012), was ranked number one on The New York Times Best Seller list,
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2012. The film adaptation of this novel was released in 2014, and it received immense critical
acclaim, besides box office success. John Green was featured in Time magazine’s list of The
100 Most Influential People in the World.
Paper Towns (2008) is Green's third novel, and was listed on The New York Times Best
Seller for children's books at number five. A roaring success, the novel was later adapted into
the namesake film Paper Towns in 2015. It was awarded the coveted Edgar Award for Best
Young Adult Novel in 2009, and the Corine Literature Prize in 2010.
In September 2016, Green announced on his YouTube channel that he was taking a brief
pause, a break from his authorial engagements, citing intense pressure. However, his fifth
novel was soon released on October 10, 2017, titled Turtles All the Way Down. In December
of the same year, Green announced that Fox 2000 and Temple Hill Productions were working
on its film adaptation. On his podcast The Anthropocene Reviewed, he announced that he was
adapting it into a book. In May of 2021, Dutton Penguin published The Anthropocene
Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, his first non-fiction book. His speedy rise to
fame and idiosyncratic expression have encouraged major shifts in the young adult fiction
market. He is credited with shaping contemporary, realistic, literary teen fiction. His
popularity on Twitter has been utilized to boost sales, an effect that book bloggers call “the
John Green effect.” Owing to Green’s popularity, Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis,
proclaimed July 14, 2015, as “John Green Day” in his city.
While the novel secured largely positive reviews, it was also censured and denounced by
many for its erotic content, and even removed from the summer reading list of some schools.
However, anti-censorship activists ensured that it was restored. Objecting to the liberal use of
inappropriate words, parents in many schools have also demanded that it be taken out from
school libraries. But one cannot ignore the fact that one of the main reasons for the popularity
of the novel is the realistic portrayal of the language spoken by American teenagers.
4.3 Brief Overview
The primary readership of Paper Towns comprises young teenagers and adolescents.
Published on October 16, 2008, this coming-of-age novel is about Quentin “Q” Jacobsen, a
high-school student in his final year, and his quest for Margo Roth Spiegelman, his next-door
neighbour, whom he secretly idolizes. Quentin, with the help of his friends Ben, Radar, and
Lacey try to follow her trail, when she goes missing.
The author’s own experience and awareness of ‘paper towns,’ while he was taking a road
journey through South Dakota, provided the inspiration for the novel. These are fake towns
that cartographers add to maps as a copyright trap. In simple words, ‘paper towns’ are those
that exist only on paper. In the novel, paper towns also symbolize people’s collective,
shallow existence - engrossed in meaningless pursuits, as pointed out by Margo to Quentin.
The plot of this novel is similar to his previous works, not excluding the appearance of
an eccentric yet elegant female and a socially awkward male. One can easily draw analogies
with his 2005 novel Looking for Alaska because of the shared element of adolescent love.
Quentin “Q” Jacobsen’s romantic fascination with his neighbor Margo Roth Spiegelman
goes back to his childhood. Neighbours since they were two years old, they often played
together. One day, when they are nine, Quentin and Margo discover the corpse of a local
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man, Robert Joyner, who committed suicide in their neighborhood park. In the next section of
the novel, the narrative jumps to nine years later. Quentin is a sort of outcast at Winter Park
High School, who befriends Ben and Radar. Margo, on the other hand, is a popular student at
school. With barely a month left before they finish school, Margo suddenly appears at
Quentin’s bedroom window one night. She tells Q that she needs a car, and someone to drive
her around, on a mission of vengeance against some school friends who have been disloyal to
her. These include her cheating boyfriend Jase, and Becca Arrington, whom he’s sleeping
with. She has all eleven tasks planned in detail, and wants Quentin to accompany her.
Quentin willingly agrees to sneak out in his mother’s minivan. Margo and Quentin
successfully execute her plot, that mainly comprises stuffing dead fish in various spots or
spray painting the letter ‘M’ on different surfaces. In between they break into an amusement
park, hold hands, and return home around dawn.
Quentin hopes that Margo will start hanging out with him again, but she doesn’t turn up
at school the next day, or the day after. Three days later, Margo is reported missing by her
parents. Quentin and his friends look for clues that Margo might have left for him. Soon, they
notice a poster of Woody Guthrie on the shade of the window in Margo's bedroom, that leads
them to a copy of Walt Whitman's poem Song of Myself, in which some lines are highlighted.
These further lead to an address on a piece of newspaper, in Quentin's bedroom door jamb.
Quentin, Ben, and Radar pursue these clues and discover an abandoned minimall in the town
of Christmas, Florida. They find evidence that Margo has stayed there. While struggling to
decipher Margo's clues, Quentin worries whether they are enough to lead him to her current
whereabouts. He is worried that she may have committed suicide.
Based on the graffiti that Margo has tried to paint over, referring to ‘paper towns,’
Quentin suspects that Margo may be hiding or buried in one of the many abandoned paper
towns around Orlando. Borrowing Ben’s car, he searches for Margo at all these
pseudovisions but finds nothing. On his graduation day, Quentin stumbles across an unusual
post on Omnictionary, a program prepared by Radar, which indicates that Margo is residing
in a fictitious town called Agloe, and plans to leave on May 29. Quentin, Radar, Ben, and
Lacey immediately leave their graduation ceremony, and drive to Agloe in search of Margo,
rushing to get from Florida to New York before noon on May 29.
They find Margo living in a worn-out, dilapidated barn. She expresses her amazement at
seeing them and wonders why they came. Quentin’s friends, who expected to be appreciated
for their effort, feel disappointed. Margo informs them that she had left the clues to assure
Quentin of her well-being, but had no intention of being found. Radar, Ben, and Lacey leave
in anger, and go to stay at a motel. Quentin realizes that the romanticized image of Margo he
had been harboring all these years, was like a mirage. Margo holds Quentin’s egotistical
nature responsible; saying he wants to be her saviour. Ultimately, Quentin accepts that Margo
is unlike the image he had in his heart, and logically overcomes his sexual attraction towards
her. Towards the end, Margo expresses her resolve to go to New York and asks Quentin to
accompany her. Quentin doesn’t accept her offer, knowing that he has to join college soon,
and he is unwilling to jeopardize his future. Margo promises to stay in touch and they go their
separate ways.
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Paper towns, both literal and figurative, recur throughout the novel. As an ex-resident of
Orlando, Green was aware of several ‘paper towns.’’ When he was in his junior year of
college, he took a road trip and came across a paper town called Holen. At the end of the
novel, John Green states that the story of Agloe presented in the novel is mostly true: “Agloe
began as a paper town created to protect against copyright infringement. But then people with
these old Esso maps kept looking for it, and so someone built a store, making Agloe real.” (p.
307) Paper Towns received mostly positive reviews. The School Library Journal commended
the author for creating the complex character of Margo. Michael Cart, in The Journal of
Adolescent and Adult Literacy, has appreciated Green’s writing for its symbolism and ability
to synthesize imagination and reality.
4.4 Detailed Summary
Prologue
The novel begins with Quentin’s account of his life in Jefferson Park, Florida, a subdivision
outside of Orlando. It was founded by an orange juice salesman, with a rather unusual name -
Dr. Jefferson Jefferson, who had a school and a charitable foundation named after him.
Quentin is infatuated with his next-door neighbour, Margo with whom he used to play
when they were children. As Quentin admits, “I always got very nervous whenever I heard
that Margo was about to show up, on account of how she was the most fantastically gorgeous
creature that God had ever created.” (p. 4) One day, while they were playing in a park, they
discover a dead man covered in blood, slumped against a tree. Quentin’s immediate instinct is
to flee the scene, but Margo is curious and begins to examine the body.
Quentin’s parents report the crime on 911. The same night, Quentin finds Margo at his
window, and she informs him that she has inquired in the neighbourhood to find out about the
corpse. After speaking to a bunch of policemen, she discovered that the dead man’s name
was Robert Joyner, a divorcee, who committed suicide. A plausible explanation for Joyner
committing suicide, according to Margo, is that maybe “all the strings inside of him broke.”
(p.8) It is apparent that strings are a metaphor for all that binds us to other people and Margo,
in spite of being just nine years old, understands this well.
Note that the title of the first section of the novel is ‘The Strings.’
Part One: The Strings

Part I commences with Quentin catching a ride to school in his mom’s minivan. Quentin’s
parents are both therapists, and they regularly converse with him about day-to-day activities.
He is described as fairly “well-adjusted.” (p. 6) At school, his close friends, Benjamin
Starling and Marcus ‘Radar’ Lincoln, are excited about the upcoming prom, as there are only
three and a half weeks of school left, before they graduate. Clearly, Quentin is not as excited
about prom as his friends are. [Prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, organized for
students in the final year of school, before they pass out, or graduate.]
Seeing Margo and her boyfriend, Jase, Q feels distracted. Over the years, he has grown
estranged from his childhood sweetheart, although they study in the same school. As he says,
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“I smiled at Margo, even though I knew she couldn’t see me.” (p.14) He thinks she is
“awesome” and follows her movements. Quentin’s routine after school includes afternoon
snacks, dinner with parents, and online chats. This resembles the daily routine of almost all
adolescents. For the first time since the incident when they were nine, Margo appears at his
bedroom window. She attempts to convince him to drive her around that night, assuring him
that their nocturnal adventure will be memorable. She is carrying a shopping list that includes
a strange assortment of items; catfish, blue spray paint, Vaseline, and a gadget called The
Club, that locks a car’s steering wheel into place.
As they are driving down the highway, Margo reveals that she intends to carry out an
elaborate revenge on her boyfriend Jase, who is cheating on her with Becca Arrington, and
other friends, who have been disloyal to her. Outside Becca’s house, she attaches The Club to
the steering wheel of Jase’s car, that is parked nearby, and directs Quentin to call Becca’s
house to tell her father that Becca and Jase are having intercourse in the basement. As a
result, Jase is forced to flee in his underwear, and they click a picture of him in this state.
Next, she leaves a bouquet of flowers and a note apologising for her outburst at Karin’s, the
girl who had informed Margo about Jase and Becca’s affair. At Jase’s house, she tosses a
catfish through a window, shattering the glass. She squishes another catfish underneath the
backseat of Lacey Pemberton’s car, spraying the top of the car with blue paint. She also
sneaks into the SunTrust building, taking Quentin to a conference room on the twenty-fifth
floor, where she describes Orlando as a “paper town”:
You see how fake it all is. It’s not even hard enough to be made out of plastic.
It’s a paper town. I mean look at it, Q: look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets
that turn in on themselves, all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those
paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm. All
the paper kids drinking beer some bum bought for them at a paper convenience
store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-
thin and paper-frail. And all the people too. (p. 57-8)
To teach a lesson to Chuck Parson, the school bully, they break into his house and put hair
removing cream on his eyebrow, as he sleeps. As the last part of their adventure, they break
into SeaWorld, using satellite maps. Margo dances with Quentin around the seal tank. Both
return to Jefferson Park at 5:42 am.
Part Two: The Grass
After his adventure, Quentin can barely sleep for half an hour before he is woken up for
school. His routine banter with his parents prevents any suspicion that he wasn’t at home the
night before. He entrusts Ben and Radar with the details about the previous night in private.
Still drowsy, Quentin meets Ben for lunch in his car, nicknamed “RHAPAW” or “Rode Hard
And Put Away Wet” and they talk at length about Jase and Margo before Quentin notices that
her car is missing from the parking lot, indicating that she has skipped school that day.
Quentin feels curious and jealous simultaneously. In her absence, Quentin decides to teach
Chuck and the other bullies at school a lesson. He creates a fake email account and emails
Jase, threatening to share the photo of him running, almost naked, from Becca’s house. Jase
and Chuck try to make peace with Quentin.
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Even after two days, Margo is still absent from school. On Saturday morning, Q gets up
to find his parents, sitting with Margo’s parents and Detective Otis Warren, in their dining
room. He lies about not seeing Margo, the night before she vanished. Margo has a history of
running away, but unlike the last five times she escaped, her parents cannot file a missing
minor report this time, as she has turned eighteen. It is revealed that she usually leaves a trail
of clues behind. Margo’s mother is fed up with her daughter, whom she calls self-centred and
“like a sickness in this family.” (p.103) Margo’s father announces that he is changing the
locks to their home, that very day.
In a private conversation with Q, the detective wants to know who helps her in her
“crazy schemes.” (p. 104) Sensing that Q is enamoured of Margo, Otis Warren gives him a
veiled warning, telling him that Margo is like a “balloon.” In his career, he has come across
many such adolescents, who are like “tied down helium balloons” that end up drifting
through life. (p. 105) Quentin and his parents are left to discuss troubled parenting.
While playing Resurrection with his friends, Q spots a clue when he glances over and
sees the shade of the window in Margo’s bedroom pulled down. On the back of the shade,
visible only from Quentin’s room, is a black and white poster of a guitarist, and the legend
‘THIS MACHINE KILLS FASCISTS’ below it. Radar does a quick search on his
Omnictionary and tells him it’s a picture of folk singer Woodie Guthrie. After bribing Ruthie,
her younger sister, with $5 to let them in Quentin, Ben, and Radar search for more clues
inside Margo’s room. Going over Margo’s huge collection of records, they see a picture of
the same poster on the back cover of a record: Billy Bragg’s Mermaid Avenue. On the song
list, “Walt Whitman's Niece” is circled in black. The Walt Whitman clue leads them to a
book of his poetry, Leaves of Grass in the room. Two lines are highlighted in green, and
many lines highlighted in blue throughout the book. Quentin tries his best to understand their
significance.
The next day, Lacey Pemberton enquires from Quentin whether Margo was mad at her.
She suggests that Margo might be in New York since she once called it “the only place in
America where a person could live a halfway livable life.” (p. 120) At lunch, Quentin, Ben,
and Lacey discuss Leaves of Grass in connection with New York, as Walt Whitman was also
from New York. Later, Ben suddenly realizes that the lines from Whitman, highlighted by
Margo, are meant to be instructional. The lines “Unscrew the locks from the doors!/ Unscrew
the doors themselves from their jambs!” literally imply unscrewing Margo’s door from the
wall. However, their search yields nothing. (p.116)
Six days after Margo’s disappearance, Quentin tells his parents about the clues. His
mother advises him not to worry about Margo, as she is not his responsibility. After Ben’s
call, Q realizes that Margo might have meant he should unscrew his own door from its jamb,
not hers. As expected, he finds a piece of newspaper, with an address on it: “8328 bartlesville
Avenue.” Feigning illness, the next day Q and his friends skip school to follow the address to
a dilapidated minimall, with boarded-up windows and broken signs marking abandoned
stores.
Overcome with the stench of a dead raccoon there, Quentin fears that Margo might have
killed herself. He tries to push through various doors and crevices, looking for signs of any
56
recent visitors. They finally come across red graffiti that reads, “YOU WILL GO TO THE
PAPER TOWNS/ AND YOU WILL NEVER COME BACK.” (p. 149) Quentin informs
Detective Warren about the new clues that have surfaced and about Margo's use of the phrase
“paper towns,” the last time they met, and his theory that she may have killed herself.
Detective Otis Warren doesn’t agree, again reminding Q that Margo is a “legal adult with free
will,” who has left clues behind only to add drama to the whole incident. (p.151) Quentin
does some research on Omnictionary, and finds one post that links the term ‘paper town with
the term ‘pseudovision.’ He compiles a list of five pseudovisions in the vicinity of Orlando
and visits them all, including Grovepoint Acres, Holly Meadows (where he pictures Margo
dead), and Quail Hollow.
Quentin discusses his dilemma with his literature teacher, Dr. Holden at school,
especially the puzzling Song of Myself. Dr. Holden assures him that the poem is actually quite
optimistic and better read in its entirety, rather than just snippets. Instead of Quentin’s morbid
interpretation, Dr Holden explains that, in Whitman’s poem, grass represents the essential
“interconnectedness” of human beings. (p. 160) She also draws his attention to the fact that
Margo, like Whitman, has a certain “wild charisma and wanderlust.” (p. 161) Quentin re-
visits the dilapidated building once more, by himself, and discovers a small amount of the
spray paint that had stained Margo’s hands during their adventure. He finds more evidence
that Margo has been living in the empty room – a rolled up blanket, wrappers of nutrition
bars, and a number of travel guides.
Quentin dozes off and dreams of lying with Margo but is woken up by a call from Ben,
who is at Becca’s house, at an after-prom party, and drunk. Ben wants Quentin to drive him
home. Quentin arrives at the party but cannot bring himself to participate in their juvenile
antics. He discusses the situation pertaining to Margo with Lacey, who is upset as Becca has
told everyone at her party that Lacey has STD, which is incorrect. In the morning, Quentin
calls his friends but they are unresponsive, and have a brief spat over the telephone. Radar
visits Quentin later and tries to map out Margo’s location, based on the travel guides found at
the minimall. Even during the week before his final exams, Q remains obsessed with Song of
Myself and clues of Margo's whereabouts.
During a dinner conversation with his parents, Quentin realizes that he has never really
tried to see Margo as a person;
The fundamental mistake I had always made – and that she had, in all fairness,
always led me to make – was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an
adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl. (p. 199)
When Quentin, Lacey, Ben, and Radar visit the minimall, they are approached by three young
men. It turns out to be Gus, the security guard at the SunTrust building, and his friends. They
call themselves “urban explorers” who have often seen Margo there, and have come looking
for her. As a young girl, she often accompanied them on exploring trips. She often stayed in
such abandoned buildings, writing in a black notebook. Following the clues, Quentin visits
Collier Farms and Logan Pines, the last pseudovision, but doesn’t find anything.
As Radar’s parents are out of town, he organizes a party at his place. Quentin goes there
but feels detached from it all. His friends decide that they won’t wear anything under their
57
graduation robes on graduation day. At night, Q broods over Whitman’s poetry, and catching
sight of the maps above his desk, he feels frustrated at his failure to find Margo. He tears
down the maps, and seeing the pinholes form a pattern, he is reminded of a similar pattern on
the wall in the minimall.
Next morning, Quentin convinces Radar to accompany him back to the abandoned
minimall. He finds a map with holes, whose position seems to match those on the wall in the
other room. Pinning the map back to the wall, they come up with many possible destinations
– New York, Chicago, or Washington D. C. The next Monday, Ben reveals that he and Lacey
have plotted every possible route between the five points on Margo's map, and it is plausible
that she might have planned to return in time for graduation. Q doesn’t believe it but ponders
the possibility.
Even with his final exams going on and school coming to an end, Q broods over Margo’s
absence. (p. 226) He is inspired by Walt Whitman’s line, in his attempt to find Margo:
“I do not ask the wounded person how he feels . . . I become the wounded
person.” (p. 226)
He is overcome with rage while cleaning out his locker and throws everything in the trash-
bin. Later, overcome with a feeling of liberation and lightness on leaving school, he realizes
that Margo would have felt the same way on leaving Florida and certainly doesn’t plan to
come back.
The next two days are spent in trying to understand where Margo might be. On the day
of graduation, his parents gift him a small box with a key inside - a key to a used minivan,
which now belongs solely to Quentin. He apprises his friends of this event over instant
messenger. Still perturbed about Margo’s absence, Q types a zip code near Catskill Park in
New York into a program sent by Radar, that allows him to see recent posts on Omnictionary.
He stumbles upon the entry for Agloe, New York. Agloe was originally “a fictitious village
created as a copyright trap or paper town” but later someone built ‘The Agloe General Store’
there. (p. 236) In the comments section, Q finds a post from an anonymous user: “fyi,
whoever Edits this – the Population of agloe Will actually be One until may 29th at Noon.”
(p. 236). The unconventional capitalization convinces him that it is Margo who wrote this.
Quentin frantically springs into action and convinces Ben, Radar, and Lacey to skip
graduation and accompany him. Driving at a constant 65 miles-per-hour, they set out for
Agloe. He has calculated that there are just less than 22 hours until noon of 29 May, and he
can’t afford a flight.
Part Three: The Vessel
This section is measured in hours. Quentin’s friends inform their parents and set off with him
on a nineteen-hour drive, without any preparation whatsoever. Ben and Radar are still dressed
in their graduation gowns, and naked beneath those. Radar’s responsibility is “Research and
Calculations,” that aims to calculate exactly how fast they need to go. (p. 244) They play
games, chat, and plan for their first stop.
They pull into a gas station for their first pit stop. In accordance with their well-defined
roles, Radar pumps gas, Ben heads to the bathroom and then seeks out non-perishable
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supplies, including clothing, Lacey talks to the cashier and Quentin gathers food. They take
turns to drive, and Radar and Quentin play an imaginary game, in which they think about the
lives of people around them. The car transforms into a temporary house, with committed
areas for sleeping, relaxing, and eating. At 12:13, in hour ten, they restock the essential
supplies. Ben is worried that Quentin may be disappointed when he finds Margo: “Just
remember that sometimes, the way you think about a person isn’t the way they actually are.”
(p. 266) Quentin is upset, and then notices that they are speeding toward two cows. Ben
quickly handles the wheel as Quentin panics and hits his head. Upon ensuring that the car is
fine even after it has spun around eight times, they are back on their way, thanking Ben for
his heroism.
Quentin goes to sleep and wakes up around nine, just a few hours away from their
destination. After ‘Hour Twenty-one’ the title of the next section simply reads ‘Agloe.’ (p.
279) As they are searching for a sign of the Agloe General Store, Lacey points out a silver car
– Margo's car. Quentin enters the building and finds it full of holes and soggy wood. In a far
corner, two panes of Plexiglas form a makeshift cubicle through which they see Margo,
sitting in a chair at a desk, writing. As they approach her, Margo looks up with a “silent” and
“dead” expression. (p. 281) Her appearance is unkempt. As she walks towards them, Quentin
sees her as “an idea” that he was in love with;
. . . I realize that the idea is not only wrong but dangerous. What a treacherous
thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person. (p. 282)
Margo asks them why they have showed up without any warning. Quentin’s friends are upset
and leave the place to go stay in a motel. She accuses Quentin of not actually caring about her
and trying to be like a “knight in shining armor,” out to rescue a damsel in distress. (p.284)
After yelling and throwing accusations of selfishness at each other, Margo calms down and
explains how she’s been living in the abandoned General Store, reading and writing for most
of the day. She had been planning to leave for New York City that day, hence the post on
Omnictionary. It’s clear that Margo really did not think that Quentin would find her.
Quentin is puzzled why she involved him in her escapade, and Margo explains. As a
young girl, she had started writing a story in her journal, in which she and young Quentin’s
fictional, heroic version solve the case of Robert Joyner’s death. After a few years, she began
using the black journal for her plans - running away to Mississippi, the huge TPing campaign,
and more. She planned the idea of one great adventure with Quentin, to create a final
“badass” memory, before leaving Orlando. (p. 292) That night, she realized that he was not
such a “paper boy,” so she decided to lead him to the Osprey (the abandoned minimall),
through a series of clues - the Guthrie poster, the record sleeve, Song of Myself, and the note
in the doorjamb. She simply wanted him to have a place to withdraw into, to escape and
contemplate. The entry for Agloe on Omnictionary, the clue that finally gave her away and
led Quentin there, was not meant for him.
Quentin asks Margo to return with him, but she has made up her mind not to go back.
Margo calls and speaks to her parents and sister Ruthie. Then they both hold hands and lie
together on a patch of grass, just as Quentin had imagined. Later, he finds Margo digging a
hole, to which she responds: “We are digging graves for Little Margo and Little Quentin and
59
puppy Myrna Mountweazel and poor dead Robert Joyner.” (p. 300) After this symbolic burial
of their childhood selves, they talk about Robert Joyner and the metaphors of strings, grass,
and vessels. With immense maturity, Q tells her:
The grass got me to you, helped me to imagine you as an actual person. But
we’re not different sprouts from the same plant. I can’t be you. You can’t be me.
(p. 301-2)
Quentin has realized that human beings are not interconnected, like grass, as Whitman
wrote in his poetry. People are more like cracked vessels, only able to view each other
through the cracks: “ . . . we see out of ourselves through our cracks and into others through
theirs.” (p. 302) This is the moment when Quentin really grows up, cured of his infatuation
with a girl who was more a creation of his mind, not the real Margo.
Margo suggests he could accompany her to New York, but he declines. It will disrupt his
plans for the future as he is joining college soon. Finally, they kiss. However, it only deepens
his realization that they are two different people. They return to the Agloe General Store and
Quentin helps her put her belongings in her car.
They promise to stay in touch and to even visit one another. Margo breaks down and
Quentin kisses her one last time. The novel ends with them staring at one another - seeing one
another.
Check Your Progress
i) What makes Quentin suppose that Margo may have committed suicide? What clues
convince him of it?
ii) Discuss the evolution of the definition of “paper town” throughout the novel. How are
these definitions associated with other themes in the novel?
“Margo always loved mysteries. And in everything that came afterward, I could
never stop thinking that maybe she loved mysteries so much that she became
one.”
–Quentin Jacobsen, Prologue to Paper Towns
Paper Towns is written as a first-person narrative. The coming-of-age narrative, a popular
trope, is a genre employed in both cinema and literature. This form of writing spans the
evolution of a character from childhood to adulthood. Such narratives concern themselves
with the transition in a person at various levels. The relationship of the protagonist with other
characters in the plot also undergoes transformation. In Paper Towns, we can clearly discern
the trajectory of the development of Quentin’s character through his changed interactions and
internal monologues. Towards the end of the novel, he is able to see Margo in a new light.
From a typical teenager, Quentin grows into a more thoughtful and rational adult who can
decide his priorities. The road-trip undertaken by him is a literal metaphor of growing up.
The emotional changes in the protagonist make him wiser. He gains a new outlook on people
at the end of the novel, discarding his years-long obsession with Margo.
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Barring the flashback in the Prologue, the rest of the novel is set in the few weeks
leading up to, and including the protagonist’s high school graduation. The coming-of-age
story begins with a brief sketch of Quentin’s normal life before it is almost immediately
turned on its head. The protagonist’s infatuation with Margo goes back to his childhood,
when they were playmates. Although they have drifted apart, he imagines having a special
bond with her and puts her on a pedestal, admiring her from afar. His association with Margo
is suddenly reignited when Margo lands up at his window one night. Margo knows that she
can manipulate Quentin and has him wrapped around her finger. She makes him feel
important and special and strings him along on her mission of vengeance. In the first part,
when Margo visits Quentin for help, she knows that she is fulfilling Quentin’s fantasies by
appearing at his window. She piques his curiosity by assuring him that it will be the best
night of his life.
Their adventure through Central Florida functions like a self-contained story within the
story, also known as a ‘frame narrative,’ that sets the stage for the larger plot. The elaborate
adventure unfolds according to her directions. Margo pretends to give Quentin some agency
when she asks him whom he would like to exact revenge against, but then herself suggests
Chuck Parson. Margo and Quentin gain a fresh perspective when they discuss the mentality
of people who surround them in their daily lives. When she and Quentin look down over
Orlando, she calls the whole city a “paper town,” meaning, in this use of the term, that
everyone who lives there is fake and that nobody leads a life of substance. During the whole
road trip, Quentin is taken by surprise at what Margo is capable of. She has anticipated
obstacles, and remains ready for the unanticipated ones. She coolly pulls out a hundred-dollar
bill and bribes the guard at SeaWorld. There is a method to her madness. Part of the
pattern is to be unpredictable and to add unexpected twists.
Quentin remains a biased narrator throughout the novel because he lives in awe of
Margo’s mystique. Unlike Q, other characters see Margo in a more prosaic light. Her own
mother calls her self-centred and “like a sickness in the family.” (p. 103) Ben thinks she is
something of a drama queen, and worries that Quentin will be disappointed when he
eventually finds Margo. But it is detective Otis Warren who realizes Margo is an aimless
rebel; reflected in his description of her as a “balloon.” It is only Dr. Holden, Quentin’s
English literature teacher, who admits that Margo has a certain “wild charisma and
wanderlust.” (p. 162) Green creates an interesting moment after Quentin finds Margo is not
dead behind a tree at one of the pseudovisions, writing, “I missed her I missed her I missed
her I miss her.” (p. 157) Most of the novel is written in the past and past perfect tenses,
except this section. The repetition reinforces the reader's understanding of how deeply
Quentin feels for Margo.
Quentin’s obsession with Margo is like that of Ahab’s with the whale, in the classic
novel Moby Dick. In class, Dr. Holden observes “You never see Ahab wanting anything else
in the whole novel, do you? He has a singular obsession. You can argue . . . that Ahab is a
fool for being obsessed. But you could also argue that there is something tragically heroic
61
about fighting this battle he is doomed to lose.” (p. 159) Green is able to comprehend
Quentin's flaws and surrounds him with friends on the trip to find Margo, to make the
experience interesting and fun. Quentin notes that, “There are so many people. It is easy to
forget how full the world is of people, full to bursting, and each of them imaginable and
consistently misimagined.” (p. 257)
Green introduces the motifs of mirrors and windows to describe how humans perceive
one another. Mirrors represent the inability of humans to discern themselves honestly;
windows represent the failure to see other humans realistically, without idealizing them. (p.
199) It is interesting to note that Quentin first sees Margo through his window on the night of
the adventure, and in Agloe, he sees Margo through a panel of Plexiglas in the barn. Each
time Quentin reaches closer to Margo’s whereabouts, he takes a step towards truly
understanding himself a bit better. For example, Quentin’s rage at the locker helps him to
empathise with Margo. It is a self-reflexive moment.
In many ways, Margo belongs to a long tradition of mysterious fictional heroines- Scout
in To Kill a Mockingbird, and Harriet in Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy. Quentin, on the
other hand, finds comfort in his routine. As a protagonist, he is comparatively passive in the
beginning of the story – following Margo on an adventure. However, Margo's plan of
incorporating him in her nocturnal adventure jolts him out of his routine, revolving around
school and he begins to take some crazy risks. While Margo mocks Quentin for being overly
focused on college and career, she herself finds happiness breaking into abandoned buildings
to write by herself, spending days there.
Margo's special capitalization leads Quentin to Agloe. Her disregard for the rules of
writing is a form of rebellion. Her character is a blend of childish, adult, eccentric, and
reasonable traits. If examined carefully, one notices that her rebelliousness finds expression
in trivial ways – running off with a circus or to Disney World. There is nothing awe-inspiring
in covering the neighbourhood with toilet paper, as she does. (p.104) However, she has an
intelligent mind: reading Walt Whitman, Sylvia Plath, and Emily Dickinson. It is interesting
to note that she gifts copies of their books to Quentin. When Q asks her to return with him,
her answer reveals that she is a true rebel:
“I’d get sucked right back in,” she says, “and I’d never get out. It’s not just the
gossip and the parties and all that crap, but the whole allure of a life rightly lived
– college and job and husband and babies and all that bullshit.” (p. 295)
Margo, on meeting Quentin, narrates the story she wrote, eulogising a braver Quentin but
she has to kill Quentin in the end of her childhood story because the other option is for them
to have sex and she “wasn't really emotionally ready to write about [that] at ten.” (p. 290) The
literal burial of their past selves in the form of Margo's journal symbolizes a movement into
adulthood. The book ends with Margo and Quentin kissing in the dark, staring at each other
with their foreheads touching. Quentin's finally says, “Yes, I can see her almost perfectly in
this cracked darkness.” (p. 302) He still feels he can see the true side of who Margo really is,
driving home his childishness and possessiveness of Margo towards the end.
62
As readers of the novel, it is imperative to comprehend the character development.
Margo Roth Spiegelman is a young, rebellious woman who believes in breaking rules and
conventions. She is a misfit in her American high-school milieu of proms and boyfriends. She
likes to sneak into old and abandoned buildings, take risks, and settle scores. Quentin idolizes
her enigmatic personality until he discovers that she is completely opposite to his fantasy.
The novel is told from Quentin’s perspective and the readers can only form an opinion based
on his views about Margo. As readers, we get a very warped image of her from the outlook of
the smitten male protagonist. For instance, Quentin thinks that Margo had left a trail of clues
for him. However, it turns out that she had no intention to be found. But, after finding Margo
in Agloe, he realizes he was harbouring an illusion, and that they are two very different
people. The soulful conversation between Quentin and Margo, lying next to each other in the
grass, is a mature acceptance of the essential flaws in human nature.
Quentin, the protagonist of the novel is a firm believer in routine, who lives his life on
the periphery until he commences his wild chase after Margo. This obsession compels him to
break away from his routine-based life. In this quest, he starts taking risks. The road-trip he
takes to find Margo is a metaphor for actually growing-up. His perception of other people
changes, and the image of Margo, whom he had idolized before, is shattered. Towards the
end of the novel, Quentin grows more conscious of his choices and becomes more rational.
Check Your Progress
i) Describe Quentin’s perceptions about Margo, and how they change over the course of
the novel.
ii) Discuss the significance of the title of the novel, Paper Towns, and how ‘Paper Towns’
is also used as a metaphor in the novel.
iii) Write short notes on these:
1. Ben Starling
2. Radar
3. Lacey Pemberton
4. The clues Margo leaves for Quentin
iv) Would you agree that Paper Towns is a love story, without a happy ending?
References
Green, John. Paper Towns. New York: Speak, 2012.
Cohen, Madeline. Suduiko, Aaron ed. “Paper Towns Essay Questions”. GradeSaver, 22
October 2015 Web. 28 June 2021.
Swain, Rebecca (October 11, 2008). “Review: Paper Towns by John Green”. The Orlando
Sentinel. Accessed on June 25, 2020.
63

Unit 1-4 - Bestsellers and Genre Fiction

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B.A. (Hons.) Political Science/B.A. (Prog.

Bestsellers and Genre Fiction

Editors: Dr. Seema Suri, P. K. Satapathy

SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

Bestsellers and Genre Fiction

Prepared by: Edited by:

The Blue Umbrella

Prepared by: Edited by:

The Immortals of Meluha

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Part I: Study Guide Komal Dabas

4.3 Brief Overview

4.4 Detailed Summary

4.5 Critical Analysis

Prepared by: Edited by:

Paper Towns by John Green

4.1 Learning Objectives

Part One: The Strings

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