Desai was born on June 24, 1937 in Mussoorie, India. She grew up under the care of her mother who was German and her father who was Bengali (British …show more content…
It was published in 1980. This piece is split into four parts, each part focuses on two siblings named Tara and Bim of the Das family. Along with most of her works, this piece reflects the author 's tragic view in life. It explores the "lives of various members of a middle-class Hindu family" (Encyclopedia of World). Throughout the emotional story, the main characters find themselves in a hectic world connected to one another. Delving deeper into the story, the reader gets a taste on what happened in India before, after, and during their fight for independence. The author uses time jumps to accomplish this. Thus, the lives of the Indian people are shown and how they were affected during the partition. The effect of imperialism is shown through with allusions to English authors. Raja "tell[s] her the story of Byron 's right for Greek independence and his death in Greece as a hero and poet" (Desai 55). In addition, other famous poems include "the poems of Tennyson and Byron and Swinburne" (Desai 46). The characters quote many English poets and authors. This shows how in India, they were well aware of European authors and their works. With the girls coming to terms with themselves, Desai has India come to terms with itself and move on as a country separate from Britain (Desai, Anita). There are many themes to this story including family, childhood, and forgiveness. Desai considers this novel as an …show more content…
Her passion to show what everyday Indian life was during this time is showcased through her books. By showing the Indian life, she teaches the rest of the world the struggles people had to go through during this time. Imperialism not only affected work back then, but it continues to affect the world now. The influences imperialism has now is shown through the media and revolutions people are facing. People in Africa are fighting for their culture because it was westernized during the Age of Imperialism. Movies today whitewash because during that age, many believed that the white race was the superior race. The influence is prominent in the world today in books, movies, as well as in everyday