Sale

Anita Desai
Plot Diagram
Plot

The plot follows a simple line:

• An artist welcomes prospective buyers to his workshop in
the very living room of his cramped house, hoping they
will buy and give him an advance for the much needed
money to keep his household going.
• The visitors: three men and one woman admire and extol
upon his work.
• But in the end they leave him running and begging for
them to buy his work as they leave with changing
demands and promises for the future.
Characters
• Artist + Wife
• Visitor + Wife
• Characters are nameless. What do you think is the significance of this? In
this story Desai gives no names to her characters as if to present the
universal predicament of the artists and snobbery of the artless and
heartless customers. Through this story Desai expresses her deep
concern over the declining aesthetic taste of the people which are wholly
responsible for the plight of the artists.
Style of Writing
Setting
• Messy environment ‘bundle of
rags’ ‘under old newspapers and
dirty clothes’
• No clear distinction between

Setting artists’ studio and his home

‘propped up on a shelf with
bottles of hair oil, clay toys and
calendars’
• No attempt to impress potential
buyers
Setting
The present story skirts the contrast between the

romantic image of the artist and the reality of the

poor conditions in which the artist live within his

immediate surroundings.
Narration style
• 3rd person omniscient point of view

• Opens in medias res (in the middle of action)

• Has dramatic impact
• Context largely given through description
of characters thoughts, the setting and the
conversation between characters.
Tone / Mood
⦁ Trace the changing moods of the artist from the moment the knocking starts
at the door to the moment the visitors leave in their car → His changing
mood is also reflected in the changes of tone to his voice. Usage of questions
and repetition also provide clues to his mood and tone of voice.
● Take note of moments when he was:
■ Disinterested / Unmotivated
■ Flattered ‘Now he wants to turn out the whole studio for them,
bring out his best’ (45)
■ Desperate / frenzied (46 The artist finds himself sweating and
exhausted… ‘Then what do you want? He asks in a flat voice…’) (48
‘Snow?’ shouts the artist. ‘I will paint snow. I will paint the
Himalayas for you. How big do you want it?’ (49 ‘I need it’)
Contrast:
Romantic image of artist VS Practical Needs

• ‘They begin to prowl about the room, now showing amusement at

the litter, which is, after all, only to be expected in an artist’s
studio…’ (43)
• ‘One cannot pinpoint any school, any technique, any style – one
can only admit oneself in the presence of a continuous and
inspired act of creation, so they tell themselves’ (43)

• Highlights the romantic image of an artist which the visitors had

upon meeting the artist, such that the mess of the environment
becomes acceptable & all painted works appear inspiring.
Contrast: Romantic image of artist VS Practical Needs

• ‘Then what do you want? He asks in a flat voice. What do you

like? What do you want to have…?’ (46)
• ‘Snow?’ shouts the artist. ‘I will paint the Himalayas for you. How
big do you want it? So big? So?’ (48)
• ‘Don’t be in a hurry about it. You paint it when you are in the
mood. Then it will be good’ (48)

The real & practical needs of the artist to earn money to improve his
living conditions for his family, emerge strongly in contrast to the
stereotypical image of a romantic but destitute artist, unaffected by
practical needs of the world.
 Contrast: Visitor’s wife vs Artist’s wife

⦁ Consider the body language and words of the two wives.

Are they similar or different? In what ways?
● Visitor’s wife is depicted as excitable and intrigued by
the artist’s work
● Artist’s wife is depicted as irritable and anxious
 Resolution
The visitors fail to respond to the obvious cramped living conditions of
the artist in human terms, or even in social terms . They fail to see the
real misery which lies behind the littered paintings, the anxious wife
ate the door and the ultimate letting down of dignity when the man
runs after their car and begs for one of his paintings to be bought.
 Resolution
The visitors leave as wealthy, powerful middle class individuals, refusing to
empathise with the problems of the lower middle class man behind the artist.
 Passage-Based Question
• Refer to PBQ on ‘Sale’.
• Closely read the passage and annotate it.
• Brainstorm arguments in response to the questions.