Nectar In A Sieve Essay

Modernization in rural India has been occurring for many year, but the impact of modernization on the native people is sometimes overlooked. The modernization of the village and the character’s experiences in this modern setting are both major aspects of Nectar in a Sieve, and this story does an outstanding job of highlighting these two main points. However, as in any literary work, the author’s opinion on the subject of modernization is presented and sometimes hidden within the experiences of the characters. This can greatly influence the reader’s thinking about the topic in question, swaying them one way or another. In Nectar in a Sieve, the experiences of the characters would influence the reader to have a negative view on modernization

“’Yes,’ I said, for I had, ‘but what could I buy with the money with prices so high everywhere’” (pg. 28). The unfortunate truth about this situation is the family doesn’t have enough money to purchase food from the market. Recently, prices in the market inflated drastically, leaving the family with no way to pay for food. This rapid inflation was caused by the modernization of the village and the building of a new tannery in the center of the village. Those that worked in the tannery earned higher wages, meaning that the merchants could charge more without losing all of their customers. The downside of this is poor farming families, like Rukmani’s, now have no way to buy goods from the shops. Even in times of need, such as the drought, the family cannot get the things they need to survive, and this leads to a period of starvation for Rukmani and her children. This paints a negative image of modernization because modernization is seen as the cause of the family’s struggles. Had the tannery not caused the rapid price inflation, the family would be able to purchase from the market and not have to solely rely on their crops as the only source of