Hab diesen Essay in meinen Aufzeichnungen gefunden... Da wird das zentrale Thema--> die Einstellung der britischen Kolonialherren gegenüber der indischen Kultur (insbesondere die von Olivia und der Erzählerin) denke ich ganz gut deutlich:
The novel Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala displays people with differing views of India in two time periods. Some accepting the culture and some not. Acceptance and personal choice is a reoccurring theme in the novel and plays a significant role in Olivia's and the narrator's experiences in India.
In the novel, levels of society are apparent. This is shown in the manner in which the English behave towards the Indian servants in 'Heat and Dust'. (p. 31, ll.15 ff. '...Olivia saw that one of the slovenly servants had come in, wearing slovenly shoes... and of course it was a mark of disrespect for a servant to enter the room with shoes on, Douglas would never have allowed it to happen in their house. But Olivia was amazed and frightened by the strength of Mrs. Saunders' reaction. She had sat up in bed and was shouting like a mad-woman. She called the servant a dirty name, too.')
It is not just Mrs. Saunders' reaction to the servant wearing shoes that makes clear the levels of society, but more importantly the fact, that all slaves in British India were Indian. Thereforer it was not the low level of the slaves' status, but the colour of their skin.
Due to the reinforced barriers of social classes , the success of intercultural interaction , in this case between the British and the Indian, needs to be measured on an individual basis, as society itself does not seem to allow true interaction and acceptance for one another . Society seems to provide generalised, preconceived notions about people from different cultures, disregarding the fact that each person is an individual and it comes as a surprise to find that someone of a different culture does not react according to expectations. However, Olivia and the narrator do not correspond with society's expectations.
For Olivia, the expectation to conform to the way of the British was inevitable. She is suffocated by the propriety and social constrains of her position as the wife of an important English civil servant. She did not let prejudice and narrow mindedness blind her to the charms of India, its people, and its culture. Instantly Olivia is drawn into the spell of the Nawab, a minor Indian prince deeply involved in gang raids and criminal plots. She displays tolerance and respects the differences of the two cultures and even admires some of the Indian traditional practices while the others around her think it is savage (p. 59, l.11/ p61,ll.3-4: "I'd want to. I mean, I just wouldn't want to go on living. I'd be grateful for such a custom."). She feels India has more to offer than just heat and dust.
Unlike the other British people , Olivia doesn't adopt a patronizing attitude. This attitude and behaviour often occurs throughout the novel such as in the scene where Douglas and a group of Indians are talking and everyone is playing their part (p.40, ll. 26 ff./ p.41, ll.5 ff.: "they think they're frightfully cunning but really they're like children." "But once you known them - and they knwo that you know-well, you can have a good time with them. Just as long as you're not fooled. It's rather fun really.") The conversation was as if it was composed with Douglas as the director and leading actor at the same time. Douglas sees and treats them as chilldren but Olivia sees the British and Indians as equals and doesn't seem to approve of Douglas' approach.
Later Olivia chooses to release herself from her life with Douglas hich was restricting and highly conventional. There were expectations to be a loyal wife, to bear a child and to maintain her British in India. She chooses to abort her baby. Her fate was her own personal choice and she decided to escape the clasps of society and elope with the Nawab.
The novel Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala displays people with differing views of India in two time periods. Some accepting the culture and some not. Acceptance and personal choice is a reoccurring theme in the novel and plays a significant role in Olivia's and the narrator's experiences in India.
In the novel, levels of society are apparent. This is shown in the manner in which the English behave towards the Indian servants in 'Heat and Dust'. (p. 31, ll.15 ff. '...Olivia saw that one of the slovenly servants had come in, wearing slovenly shoes... and of course it was a mark of disrespect for a servant to enter the room with shoes on, Douglas would never have allowed it to happen in their house. But Olivia was amazed and frightened by the strength of Mrs. Saunders' reaction. She had sat up in bed and was shouting like a mad-woman. She called the servant a dirty name, too.')
It is not just Mrs. Saunders' reaction to the servant wearing shoes that makes clear the levels of society, but more importantly the fact, that all slaves in British India were Indian. Thereforer it was not the low level of the slaves' status, but the colour of their skin.
Due to the reinforced barriers of social classes , the success of intercultural interaction , in this case between the British and the Indian, needs to be measured on an individual basis, as society itself does not seem to allow true interaction and acceptance for one another . Society seems to provide generalised, preconceived notions about people from different cultures, disregarding the fact that each person is an individual and it comes as a surprise to find that someone of a different culture does not react according to expectations. However, Olivia and the narrator do not correspond with society's expectations.
For Olivia, the expectation to conform to the way of the British was inevitable. She is suffocated by the propriety and social constrains of her position as the wife of an important English civil servant. She did not let prejudice and narrow mindedness blind her to the charms of India, its people, and its culture. Instantly Olivia is drawn into the spell of the Nawab, a minor Indian prince deeply involved in gang raids and criminal plots. She displays tolerance and respects the differences of the two cultures and even admires some of the Indian traditional practices while the others around her think it is savage (p. 59, l.11/ p61,ll.3-4: "I'd want to. I mean, I just wouldn't want to go on living. I'd be grateful for such a custom."). She feels India has more to offer than just heat and dust.
Unlike the other British people , Olivia doesn't adopt a patronizing attitude. This attitude and behaviour often occurs throughout the novel such as in the scene where Douglas and a group of Indians are talking and everyone is playing their part (p.40, ll. 26 ff./ p.41, ll.5 ff.: "they think they're frightfully cunning but really they're like children." "But once you known them - and they knwo that you know-well, you can have a good time with them. Just as long as you're not fooled. It's rather fun really.") The conversation was as if it was composed with Douglas as the director and leading actor at the same time. Douglas sees and treats them as chilldren but Olivia sees the British and Indians as equals and doesn't seem to approve of Douglas' approach.
Later Olivia chooses to release herself from her life with Douglas hich was restricting and highly conventional. There were expectations to be a loyal wife, to bear a child and to maintain her British in India. She chooses to abort her baby. Her fate was her own personal choice and she decided to escape the clasps of society and elope with the Nawab.
