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Heat And Dust Olivia's Relationship

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In Heat and Dust, by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Olivia, an Englishwoman, is not fit for the drastically different lifestyle in India. With the constant Indian heat along with the stress of maintaining her relationship, Olivia’s emotional limits are challenged. The heat, present when Olivia is upset about her deteriorating relationship with Douglas, is symbolic of the tension between her and Douglas' as they become distanced from each other. Tension in a relationship is represented by the inability of the two individuals to connect emotionally because of increasing isolation from one another. When Olivia sees the grave of the Saunders’ baby, she quickly becomes upset because it reminds her of her inability to have a baby and further strengthen her …show more content…

Olivia reveals this emotion by “blowing her nose into her handkerchief and wiping her eyes.” Then, Olivia “got up, but he didn’t help her,” which reveals her feelings of solitude in her relationship because Douglas does not assist her in standing up. Because it is clearly stated that Olivia got up on her own, Jhabvala intended to make Olivia’s independence from Douglas evident. These feelings of despair and distance from Douglas reveal the tension in their relationship. Douglas responds that Olivia “should have gone to Simla” because the “heat is getting her down.” The heat that Douglas says is “getting her down,” is actually just tension in their relationship; Olivia is jaded from the stress of her inability to get pregnant, which isolates Olivia from Douglas and causes her to have this emotional outburst. Douglas believes Olivia should have escaped this heat, or stress, by going to Simla. As he says this, Douglas stands “stiff and straight.” His uptight posture reveals the disconnect in their relationship because he does not show any emotion to support Olivia’s distress. After Douglas states that it is the heat getting Olivia down she responds, ‘is that what it is.’ Olivia’s statement conveys a tone of acceptance as she is “glad of the excuse” that Douglas thinks the heat is what is affecting her. While Douglas says that the hot Indian temperature is wearing her down, Olivia shows through her emotions about their relationship that it is actually the tension, or heat, in her poor connection with Douglas that leaves her feeling this

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