As an overbearing, apathetic, paternalistic person, Kenny from Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya exemplifies the attitude of the British during imperialism. His counterpart, Rukmani, is a quiet, agreeable woman. As the novel progresses, so too, do their behaviors. The development of Rukmani and Kenny’s relationship symbolizes the relationship between India and Britain. Initially, Kenny lives separately from the Indians and shows little emotional support for them. His coldness and distance represent the literal and cultural divide between the two nations. Like Kenny, the British had no interest in hearing the voice of the Indian people, instead choosing to push their own beliefs on Indians. Furthermore, Kenny is racist and makes generalizations
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Rukmani first meets the British doctor in her childhood hometown as her mother dies. She briefly informs him of her fertility issues, and he says he might be able to assist her. With Kenny’s help, Rukmani and her husband eventually has five more children, all boys. When Kenny appears near her home, Rukmani is overjoyed. She rushes to meet him and tells him about her sons. Rukmani narrates Kenny’s words, “‘Am I to blame for your excesses?’ said he, grimacing, but his eyes were alight with laughter, no doubt at my crestfallen face” (32). Kenny asks if he is accountable for Rukmani’s abundance of sons and snickers when Rukmani is upset by his dispassion. By referring to her sons as “excesses,” Kenny objectifies them, stripping them of their dignity. By calling them excess, he suggests that her children are unnecessary and undesirable. His word choice is particularly unfortunate since Kenny is the reason her sons could be born at all. He helped bring life to the world, yet he feels no connection to it, perhaps because it is Indian life. He sees her negative reaction, and he laughs at her rather than backing off. In fact, the joy for him comes from hurting Rukmani instead of helping her. Likewise, the British helped Indians, but it was not their primary objective. While the British improved transportation, communication, sanitation, education and public health, they also stripped Indians of their dignity. Supremacist beliefs are demonstrated most clearly in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden,” a poem which bemoans the difficulties of being a white man. Kipling writes of the sacrifice and dedication necessary to educate and civilize thousands of ungrateful, homicidal barbarians. Like Kenny, Kipling objectified nonwhite people, believing that Europeans were responsible for bringing their superior culture to less civilized colored folk. Tension between Rukmani
Rukmani first meets the British doctor in her childhood hometown as her mother dies. She briefly informs him of her fertility issues, and he says he might be able to assist her. With Kenny’s help, Rukmani and her husband eventually has five more children, all boys. When Kenny appears near her home, Rukmani is overjoyed. She rushes to meet him and tells him about her sons. Rukmani narrates Kenny’s words, “‘Am I to blame for your excesses?’ said he, grimacing, but his eyes were alight with laughter, no doubt at my crestfallen face” (32). Kenny asks if he is accountable for Rukmani’s abundance of sons and snickers when Rukmani is upset by his dispassion. By referring to her sons as “excesses,” Kenny objectifies them, stripping them of their dignity. By calling them excess, he suggests that her children are unnecessary and undesirable. His word choice is particularly unfortunate since Kenny is the reason her sons could be born at all. He helped bring life to the world, yet he feels no connection to it, perhaps because it is Indian life. He sees her negative reaction, and he laughs at her rather than backing off. In fact, the joy for him comes from hurting Rukmani instead of helping her. Likewise, the British helped Indians, but it was not their primary objective. While the British improved transportation, communication, sanitation, education and public health, they also stripped Indians of their dignity. Supremacist beliefs are demonstrated most clearly in Rudyard Kipling’s “The White Man’s Burden,” a poem which bemoans the difficulties of being a white man. Kipling writes of the sacrifice and dedication necessary to educate and civilize thousands of ungrateful, homicidal barbarians. Like Kenny, Kipling objectified nonwhite people, believing that Europeans were responsible for bringing their superior culture to less civilized colored folk. Tension between Rukmani