The Importance of Lenny as the Narrator of Deepa Mehta’s Earth
Often times, the narrator of a story plays a crucial role in the portrayal of events and characters. Deepa Mehta recognizes the importance of the narrator in her film Earth, which tells the story of Partition as witnessed by Lenny, an 8-year-old Parsee girl. The film takes place in Lahore in 1947, in the time directly before and during Partition. At the beginning of the film, Lenny spends most of her time with her nanny Shanta, a Hindu woman, and Shanta’s friends, a close group made up of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. As tensions between religious groups in Lahore rise, tragic events begin to unfold. Although Lenny’s family maintains a neutral position, she witnesses the division …show more content…
In order to avoid persecution, the Parsee community adopted a position of neutrality during Partition. Lenny’s father explains, “…after the British leave, elect whoever wishes ruler, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh. We Parsees are too few in Lahore to take sides you know. We shall cast a lot with whoever governs Lahore,” (Earth). He later compares this position of neutrality to that of the Swiss during World War II, saying, “Who do we not betray? Best position, neutral position. If the Swiss can do it, so can we Parsees. We all must think ‘Swiss,’” (Earth). The choice of Lenny, a young girl from a Parsee family, as the narrator allows the story to be told without a religious bias. Because of Lenny’s neutrality, she is able to have connections with and be influenced by many different characters, such as Shanta and Shanta’s friends, a diverse group made up of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. Much of the story is told through Lenny’s interactions with these characters, or more accurately, through interactions between these characters as seen by Lenny. In her analysis of Cracking India, the novel that inspired Earth, Deepika Bahri explores Lenny as narrator, saying, “Exempt from violence and pain in as much as it was possible to remain …show more content…
Lenny’s innocence can be seen many times throughout the film. For example, after learning about Partition, Lenny smashes a plate on the ground in an attempt to grasp the idea of the “breaking” of India. She asks her mother, “Can one break a country? What happens if the British break India where our house is? How will I get to the park then?” (Earth). Her understanding of the division is limited as she believes that India will break in the same way as the plate. Because Lenny does not understand the complexity of Partition, she often speaks objectively about events she witnesses. After a train arrives in Lahore filled with the bodies of massacred Muslims and sacks filled with severed breasts, Lenny and Shanta visit a friend known as Ice Candy Man, whose two sisters were killed in the massacre. Even after being told not to mention Ice Candy Man’s sisters, Lenny still asks him, “Ice Candy Man, did you see your sisters in the gunny sack?” (Earth). Lenny does not understand the anger and pain felt by Ice Candy Man and accidentally speaks insensitively, yet objectively, about the murder of his sisters. Deepa Mehta’s film Earth explores the importance of the narrator to the portrayal of the story. The film depicts the horrors and violence that took place in Lahore during Partition through as seen by an 8-year-old Parsee girl. Lenny’s age and religion define
Often times, the narrator of a story plays a crucial role in the portrayal of events and characters. Deepa Mehta recognizes the importance of the narrator in her film Earth, which tells the story of Partition as witnessed by Lenny, an 8-year-old Parsee girl. The film takes place in Lahore in 1947, in the time directly before and during Partition. At the beginning of the film, Lenny spends most of her time with her nanny Shanta, a Hindu woman, and Shanta’s friends, a close group made up of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs. As tensions between religious groups in Lahore rise, tragic events begin to unfold. Although Lenny’s family maintains a neutral position, she witnesses the division …show more content…
In order to avoid persecution, the Parsee community adopted a position of neutrality during Partition. Lenny’s father explains, “…after the British leave, elect whoever wishes ruler, Hindu, Muslim, Sikh. We Parsees are too few in Lahore to take sides you know. We shall cast a lot with whoever governs Lahore,” (Earth). He later compares this position of neutrality to that of the Swiss during World War II, saying, “Who do we not betray? Best position, neutral position. If the Swiss can do it, so can we Parsees. We all must think ‘Swiss,’” (Earth). The choice of Lenny, a young girl from a Parsee family, as the narrator allows the story to be told without a religious bias. Because of Lenny’s neutrality, she is able to have connections with and be influenced by many different characters, such as Shanta and Shanta’s friends, a diverse group made up of Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. Much of the story is told through Lenny’s interactions with these characters, or more accurately, through interactions between these characters as seen by Lenny. In her analysis of Cracking India, the novel that inspired Earth, Deepika Bahri explores Lenny as narrator, saying, “Exempt from violence and pain in as much as it was possible to remain …show more content…
Lenny’s innocence can be seen many times throughout the film. For example, after learning about Partition, Lenny smashes a plate on the ground in an attempt to grasp the idea of the “breaking” of India. She asks her mother, “Can one break a country? What happens if the British break India where our house is? How will I get to the park then?” (Earth). Her understanding of the division is limited as she believes that India will break in the same way as the plate. Because Lenny does not understand the complexity of Partition, she often speaks objectively about events she witnesses. After a train arrives in Lahore filled with the bodies of massacred Muslims and sacks filled with severed breasts, Lenny and Shanta visit a friend known as Ice Candy Man, whose two sisters were killed in the massacre. Even after being told not to mention Ice Candy Man’s sisters, Lenny still asks him, “Ice Candy Man, did you see your sisters in the gunny sack?” (Earth). Lenny does not understand the anger and pain felt by Ice Candy Man and accidentally speaks insensitively, yet objectively, about the murder of his sisters. Deepa Mehta’s film Earth explores the importance of the narrator to the portrayal of the story. The film depicts the horrors and violence that took place in Lahore during Partition through as seen by an 8-year-old Parsee girl. Lenny’s age and religion define