The House of Blue Mangoes by David Davidar
The House of Blue Mangoes begins with “the commonplace violence of daybreak” and concludes with the mundane aroma of a mango. Although spectacular events occur in this somewhat lengthy generational saga, it is every day that drives the plot. The action takes place in late-nineteenth-century India (1899-1947), and it depicts India’s march to independence, as well as a series of deadly caste battles, as seen through the eyes of the Dorai family.
The story begins with Soloman Dorai, the town head or “thalaivar,” and his wife Charity, and proceeds through the Dorai children, Daniel, Aaron, Rachel, and Miriam, and Daniel’s children, Shanthi, Usha, and Kannan. Despite the novel’s extensive historical background, the focus is very much on the Dorais’ personal lives and the impact of changes in their world on their lives.
There are a number of very nasty incidents, including a rape that occurs early on and symbolizes the transition to the slumbering town of Chevathar, a senseless but vicious assassination, and a beach war in which an innocent man is graphically slain while attempting to aid. Overall, this is a lyrical and serene work that covers a variety of dissimilar issues, including Gandhi and the Congress Party’s historical significance, World War II, and the personal self-actualization of a number of characters.
The book is structured into three sections, each of which focuses on a different member of the Dorai family. The first book is about Soloman, his attempts to prevent caste conflicts from breaking out, and his loss of authority in the face of a changing India. The second book looks at Daniel, Soloman’s peace-loving son, who becomes a famous doctor following in the footsteps of his mentor Dr. Pillai, and inventor of Moonwhite Thylam: “make your face shine like the Pongal moon”. There’s also Aaron, the rage-filled liberation fighter, and his fight for India’s independence. The third book, Pulimed, is about Daniel’s son Kannan, who falls in love with an Anglo-Indian Helen at Madras University.
Kannan leaves his home to work as a plantation manager on the tea estates in Pulamed after his father disapproves of Helen. The men are reasonably well drawn, and Soloman’s physical strength and attempts to balance his traditional role and the changes occurring around him drive the plot forward, as does Aaron’s anger and pain, which color his political focus and make Daniel’s focus on family and internal matters seem more realistic than the flimsy and shifting ethics of the political world into which Daniel refuses to be drawn. Kannan’s attempts to integrate into British culture, which are partially the result of his father’s political apathy, and his battles for self-actualization in the face of his wife’s unhappiness and British “superiority,” are both moving.
Charity is also a decently intriguing character, struggling to maintain her sense of propriety and pride in a culture that severely undervalues her sex. Her spiral into insanity is as compelling as Aaron’s agony and role as a political assassin. The other characters, including Daniel’s wife Lily, Kannan’s stupid wife Helen, and the female sibling/children Rachel, Miriam, Shanti, and Ushi, lack depth and believability. More noteworthy is Mrs. Stevenson, whose fixation with the perfect cup of tea and fear of Indians is both amusing and tragic:
The description of the natural world is where Davidar excels, even if it has a small purple lushness to it, focusing on the sensual – color, sound, smell, taste – for which most Indian writing is known: “The open flame lapped at the tasseled edges of the peacock feather. Indigo, emerald, aquamarine, gold, and bronze, the showy gamut of color, were gradually reduced to ash.” The fragrance and taste of a mango are all given great consideration: “Daniel ate his first Alphonso, and as the taste – a touch of acidity, a spill of honey, a profusion of fresh light notes on a deep bass background – sank into his palate, he realized why it was so wanted.” If the characters had exhibited the same level of richness, this would have been a far more powerful story.
While the narrative voice is mostly in the third person omniscient form, there is one brief shift into the first person that does not appear to be intentional: “Indian vs Indian. We’re fantastic at it. For thousands of years, caste, community, language, and religious differences have divided our civilization.” While this is precisely the type of involvement that the story needs – a sense of intensity and character that could have been put into the mouth of one of the characters – possibly Daniel. As it stands, one wonders who the narrator is and why we should have access to his personal ideas on occasion.
The story is more about occurrences than ideas, and it is more about a specific group of characters than it is about the significance of these events and personalities. Finally, there is no resolution. We know the end of the story’s setting history – a genuine history – but we don’t know what is right and wrong, or if Aaron’s engagement or Daniel’s sense of family and the personality is correct or not. Kannan finds a sense of purpose in his home – almost a Panglossian tilling of his garden: “I’m here, it is the place of my heart,” and perhaps that is the book’s ultimate thesis – to stay at home, become yourself, and till your own garden/grow own mangoes. In any event, Kannan’s return home is a relatively satisfying ending, even if his country’s ultimate troubles will continue beyond the setting of this novel.
The Themes of ‘The House of Blue Mangoes’
David Davidar’s novel “The House of Blue Mangoes” explores various issues, including:
Family dynamics: The story delves on the complexities of family relationships, such as generational conflict, fights for power and control, and the significance of family traditions.
The novel digs into the issue of cultural identity, namely the experiences of Indian immigrants in the West and the conflict between their Indian and Western cultural backgrounds.
Colonialism: The story explores the influence of British control on India, as well as the legacy of colonialism in the contemporary day.
Coming of age: The novel follows the protagonist as he navigates the complications of adulthood, such as love, relationships, and responsibilities.
The novel investigates the concept of home and the various interpretations of what it means to belong to a place, whether a physical location or a cultural community.
The protagonist starts on a journey of self-discovery, investigating his cultural and personal identity and challenging the beliefs and values he inherited from his family and community.
Overall, “The House of Blue Mangoes” is a rich and multi-layered story that delves into a variety of topics such as family, culture, identity, and the meaning of home.