Summary of Fasting Feasting
By Anita Desai
Anita Desai is one of the Indian's foremost writers. She is the first Indian writer who introduces the psychological aspect in the fiction. She was awarded Indian's most prestigious literary award Sahitya Academy Award in 1978 for her novel "Fire on the Mountain". She has authored many works of fiction including "Clear Light of Day (1980), "In Custody(1984), and fasting Feasting. Her most resent work is " The Artist of Disappearance (2011) . 'Fasting Feasting ' is the story of two families in two different countries, , that is in India and in America, was publish in 1994.
The present novel divided into two parts. Part-I deals with the family intrigue through sociocultural and Spiritual experiences in India, Where part-II projects familial existentialism in small town in America.
The novel begins with a picture of Uma's parents Mama and Papa. They are just Mama Papa or papa mama but remain nameless throughout the novel. Papa was the son of tax inspector and now was a successful lawyer yet both of them displayed their tradition orthodox ideas and opinion. They have three children Uma, Aruna and their son Arun. All morning mama papa has found things for uma to do. Uma was totally repressed and was like imprisoned at her own home Mama and papa were totally deaf and blind to the needs of their daughters. The parents had also imposed certain strict restrictions on their daughters like wearing of ribbons and not allowed the lipstick. Uma was also restricted to use telephones.
In the early part of the novel we see Mama is struggling at school. She reads in Convent school she is not very bright but loves the sisters who teach and appreciate her. Finally she is made to leave school and serve her parents as well as her younger newly baby brother Arun. Papa celebrates the birth of Arun as he had never done at the birth time of Uma and Aruna. Thus the nobelist has very effectively projected the two external poles of human life-fasting and feasting on the one hand Mama has no time for her family on the other hand, she was always busy attending kitty parties and meetings. So, it was feasting by Mama papa and on the contrary their young daughter were feasting by their orthodox restriction.
Uma and her sister Aruna are apposite. Aruna is a arrogant girl from her childhood. She does not respect her sister as an elder sister. Compared to Uma, she has faced less difficulties and issues in her day to day life. She appear very smart, alive and fuel of self confidence. She enjoy to go out with friends and to see movies. She often bullies and threaten Uma.
On the front of marriage Uma has also confronted some of the predicament, hurdles and failures. The very first sister of Uma shows interest in her sisters, Aruna instead of Uma. Aruna accepts the marriage proposal and settles with her wealthy husband in mumbai. The second time, Mama papa were cheated by the bridegroom and then third time proposal came from another family. This time the suitor was not so young. He was a man of fatherly age and he was married previously. But their marriage life was not one. Papa mama were annoyed . Papa br brought Uma back home. The elder daughter Uma was fasting in her where as it was Aruna who was enjoying feasting moments in her life. She has a splendid marriage ceremony any leads a conjugal marriage life with Arvind in Mumbai.
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