Wrld 220 - behind the beautiful forevers essay PDF

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Professor Corubolo Human Rights & Literature 4 November 2018 Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo Behind the Beautiful Forevers was a heart-wrenching novel about life in a slum called Annawadi. Throughout the narrative, we are exposed to many different stories and viewpoints from slum residents of varying demographics. This was a way of elucidating the mechanics and dynamics of life in the slums by exposing us to people from Annawadi in different age ranges, social classes, genders, etc. We see what life is like for a young boy in the religious minority, a disabled woman, a young girl in fear of an arranged marriage, and a woman with political power. Being able to see all these different viewpoints allows us to fully understand the mechanics and dynamics of life in the slums. The story illustrates the dialectics of tradition and modernity in various ways. Regarding tradition, it is presented to us that arranged marriage is still rampant. For example, the book states, “If Asha arranged any marriage that sentenced her to a life in Vidarbha, Manju had decided that she would run away” (Boo 141). This shows us that younger girls in Annawadi do not have a voice in the way their life turns out, which is a very backwards way of living. On the other hand, there are also many instances of modernization. On page 29, the book states, “In an effort to ensure that women had a significant role in the governance of India, the political parties were required to put up only female candidates for certain elections” (Boo 29). We can see that India, in other ways, is becoming more progressive by requiring a certain quota of women participating in politics.

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Furthermore, we see the contrast between center and periphery (development and underdevelopment) throughout the narrative. In the slums, it is much easier to find economic opportunities than it is in rural areas of India. One example of life being better for civilians in the slums was when the Husain family was renovating their home. Most of their possessions were placed outside during the renovation, including “fresh cardamom and cinnamon, superior to the spices most Annawadians used. A cracked mirror, a tube of Brylcreem, a big bag of medicines. The rusty bed. Most people in the slum, Asha included, slept on the floor” (Boo 85-86). These possessions show us that the Husain family has found a better life for themselves in the slums, with their garbage trading business doing a lot better than others. In contrast, when Asha returns to her hometown of Vidarbha, we can see how difficult life is for those who live in the rural areas of India. As stated on page 137, “In the new century, the government counted an average of a thousand farmer suicides a year in Vidarbha; activists counted many more.” With crop failure and not having the funds to upkeep their farms, many farmers feel that they have no way out. These contrasting examples relate to the concept of innovation versus adaptation. If an individual was a member of the Husain family who was lucky enough to have a fairly successful garbage trading business, they have the ability to innovate their lifestyle (for example, renovate their home before monsoon season). Those who do not have the opportunities or the funds to better their life must simply adapt to their environment and hope for the best. Katherine Boo discusses many themes throughout the narrative, such as endemic poverty, inequality, rampant corruption, violence, and mass education. The theme of endemic poverty is portrayed in many instances, as mentioned before with farmers in rural areas committing suicide at high rates. Another instance of endemic poverty was stated on page 86, “Most people in the

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slum, Asha included, slept on the floor.” This shows how, for civilians in these slums, a simple bed is considered a luxurious commodity. Inequality is another theme that is repeatedly mentioned in the narrative-- whether it is due to religious discrimination, sexism, classism, etc., inequality is prevalent. One specific example of inequality was stated on page 12, “Shiv Sena blamed migrants from other states for taking opportunities that rightfully belonged to the natives.” This blame placed against migrants is similar to our current state of affairs in the United States, in which President Trump spews hateful propagandic statements such as “America first!” Using nationalism as a way to treat migrants as less than human is an obvious instance of inequality. Along with inequality, rampant corruption is presented heavily throughout the book. One significant example was when Abdul was in the hospital for a forensic investigation to determine his age, and the doctor attempted to take a bribe from him. The book stated, “Abdul was seventeen years old if he paid two thousand rupees, and twenty years old if he did not” (Boo 129). This shows that a doctor, who Abdul was supposed to look to for care and guidance, could not even be trusted. On page 28, after an excerpt about Asha’s corrupt behaviors, “for the poor of a country where corruption thieved a great deal of opportunity, corruption was one of the genuine opportunities that remained.” The theme of corruption in Behind the Beautiful Forevers is presented to us as an opportunity rather than a shameful act. Although there were numerous occurrences of violence in the narrative, one specific occurrence was when Fatima (“One Leg”) caught herself on fire to prove a point about the Husain family. She felt lonely and isolated throughout her life, so she committed suicide and used that act to place blame on an innocent family, stating, “It is because of these people that I have done this” (Boo 96). Rather than resolving an issue calmly and maturely, Fatima resorted to

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extreme violence in order to simply prove a point and place blame on someone else. The last recurring theme in the narrative was education, which also goes along with corruption. While some people (Manju, for example) are actually passionate about teaching the youth of Annawadi, others participate in the school system simply for funding purposes. As stated on page 62, “Although Asha was pleased with the small stipend the school brought to the household, she thought Manju should conduct the class only on days when the supervisor came to check, the way a lot of other hut-school teachers did.” This shows that the education system is an opportunity for people in the slum to simply take advantage of their stipends while not actually doing their jobs. Moreover, the novel highlights the impossibility of ethical thinking within the slum. The main character that displays lack of ethical thinking is Asha, who will do anything to make money and get her daughter ahead. There was one instance on page 25 in which an old friend of Asha’s, Mr. Kamble, asked for a loan to obtain a new heart valve. She simply told him to pray, because she felt that his financial proposal was not good enough. This act shows us that Asha is willing to put ethics aside and collect any amount of money to get her daughter into college. While Asha can seem unethical for rejecting Mr. Kamble, it is important to acknowledge that she has only one option if she wants to get a higher education for Manju-- and that is to collect as much money as she possibly can. In terms of my personal reaction to the story, it hit really close to my heart. From my family’s experience, I understand what life is like in a truly corrupt nation. Most of my family lives in Iran, a nation that is currently facing some of the harshest sanctions ever placed by the United States. Not only are inflation rates and unemployment rates skyrocketing, but the Iranian people are still living under an oppressive Islamic government. Due to all of these factors,

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innocent Iranians are forced to “cheat the system” in a way, by obtaining VPNs to access websites prohibited by the Iranian government, buying illegal satellites off the black market, drinking alcohol indoors, etc. The statement on page 103, “what patients needed, families had to buy on the street and bring in,” reminded me of how Iranians are forced to buy expired cancer medication off the black market. Moreover, my grandmother living in Iran always has to bring her own supplies to the hospital whenever she needs medical attention. Since I was able to relate so much to this novel, it hit me a lot harder than the other novels we have read in class so far. Overall, it was a fascinating story that led me to become very invested in the issue of slums, endemic poverty and rampant corruption....