Strength+and+Health+or+Weakness+and+Illness

Based on your review of your assigned section, post 3-5 concluding statements for each category: Strength/Health and Weakness/Illness.

Anne comments on how the days and nights of India are starting to heat up. Becuase it is so unpleasant to sleep indoors, they have had to move their beds outside to sleep. Differing from Anne, Olivia is able to adapt to her surroundings. "I no longer change into a nightie but sleep, like an Indian woman, in a Sari." (45) As well as just Anne herself she mentions the strength of the community she is in, "I have never known such a sense of cummunion." (45) The final realization of the strength of communion is reflected through the intense increase in heat. Moreover, the greadual increase in the temperature may also reflect Anne's increasing ability of being able to finally adapt to India. When reading through the text i felt that Inder Lal's mother, although old, is able to take care of Ritu, "The mother opened and closed her hand and circled it over that bowed head, cracking her knuckles..." (46) || Ritu is portrayed as someone who is physically ill and unhealthy, but also mentally weak. When Inder Lal is asked about his wife, he tells Ann that not only is she uneducated, she is not intelligent. Her mental weakness and incompetence to handle new situations, such as being away from home, eventually wears her body down. Her unhappiness and suffering caused their child to be born weak, and when Inder Lal bluntly states "It was her fault" (43), he is placing the blame solely on Ritu. Ann's physical and emotional characteristic descriptions of Ritu only offers a more clear image on how weak Ritu really is. Ritu is described as "frail" and "thing" (44), which often gives the impression of someone who is underfed and therefore unhealthy. Ann also states that Ritu's mind and will "is not strong either" (44) because she seemed to be the type of person that "would give way quickly" (44). She seems to have lost the point and meaning of life and does not genuinely care about anything in particular. || The entire dinner conversation centers around whether Suttee is an act of strength, and the Englishmen have a hard time accepting it and, in showing their reactions of unacceptability, seem meek compared to Indians whose strength is seen as barbarous. Curiously the men react to the strength and Olivia, a woman, defends it. This is in contrast to how the European men regard their women, as sensitive and submissive and also is how they're treated when in each other's company. And so, in this section the Europeans are expressed and react in ways that are described as and are situations where their weakness is emphasized, the Indians are only in ways described and behave with that emphasize strength and weakness. || Because of the Nawab’s high social stature, combined with his confidence and enigmatic personality, characters often seem weak when they challenge him or have views contrasting his. This occurs in the passage when the Nawab talks Harry out of leaving India, and again when Douglas confronts him about it; although Douglas tries to display strength, his status does not allow him to speak frankly to the Nawab and so he is in an inferior position. However, despite Douglas' inability to take action or words while remaining in his social boundaries, his "silence was eloquent" (66). Olivia still sees Douglas as strong given the situation. Before the Nawab's intervention, Harry and Beth vivaciously sing as Olivia plays piano arrangements of //"I Pagliacci" ,// a comic opera about clowns (reflective of Harry). The lively nature of the scene demonstrates a bonding between the characters and suggests Harry is happy with Olivia as opposed to an exhausted demeanor exhibited when with the Nawab.
 * **pages ** || **Strength/Health ** || **Weakness / Illness ** ||
 * **41-46 **
 * TJ & Crystal ** || In this section, Anne is portrayed to be physically and mentally healthy, simply through the fact that she compares herself with Ritu, "I feel is my rsponsibilty to get us going since I'm older and (I think) stronger." (44) Apart from Anne, Inder Lal is also described by Anne to be strong in personality, "But now i see that he is not meek and bowed at all... that insde of him he is alive and yearning for all sorts of things." (44)
 * **47-53 **
 * Maura & Carl ** || * The English and the Indians seem to express their strength and health in different ways. The English tend to show their strength subtly, Douglas displaying mental strength through being cool and collected, even in difficult situations such as the suttee and Olivia showing strength through calmly questioning and arguing with her husband at a dinner party. On the other hand, Indians, such as Inder Lal's mother, Maji and the Nawab, display both physical and mental strength/health through their assertive, energetic and enthusiastic dispositions. For example, Inder Lal's mother, despite being a widow, "hold her head high" around the town and often has outings with her many friends. However, both the English and the Indians seem to obtain their strength from praise and support given to them by the people they surround themselves with. || This section seems to be centered in a dialogue between Indian and English attitudes to strength and weakness, concerning the act of suttees. The English are repulsed by the act, such as: the narrarator upon seeing a statue ".. gave me an eerie feeling" (48), at the dinner the English agree that; "... when all was said and done, it was still suicide and in a particularly gruesome form" (51) and Dr.Saunders says; "It's savegery. Like everything else I've seen in this country, plain savagery and barbarism... Most gruesome and horrible mutilations. All in the name of religion" (52).
 * **54-58 **
 * Adrian & Pam ** || * It seems that to the underprivileged, devout religion and spiritual health will grant them physical and mental strength.
 * For instance, Anne had found Chid feverish and near death besides the tomb, but he is able to recover quickly, seemingly because of his spiritual health and daily religious rituals.
 * Despite Chid's physical frailty and asexuality, some other subtle quality causes the strength of Anne's attraction to him.
 * It also seems that because of their strong spiritual belief that "Indian holy men...are a sturdy set of rascals" despite their lack of material goods. || * On the other hand, people of the higher class such as the Europeans (other than Chid) in the novel have access to abundant resources and can thus be physically healthy.
 * There is almost no mention of their religious beliefs, and they seem to have the most problems plaguing them emotionally. (i.e. Harry and his conflict over returning to England, Olivia's moral conflict over the Nawab's frequent visits)
 * When the local women are "ill" and cannot bear children, they turn to Hindu rituals, such as going to the shrine and shouting "out the name of God as if in pain and some of them tried to prostate themselves". In their poor conditions, religion is all they can turn to to "heal" themselves. ||
 * **59-63 **
 * Emily & So Yeon ** || Characters who typically show strength and health are those who have resided in India for quite some time and have become accustomed to the country's culture and happenings. In addition to being used to India, characters who tend towards their own small "world" and do not often gain exposure to local India (e.g. the Nawab, Mrs. Crawford, and Mrs.Minnies) show more vigilance because they are not exposed to the riotous atmosphere outside. In this section of the novel, Douglas also shows strength and health, although his attempts are revealed to be a facade, so as to prevent Olivia from worrying about him. || The characters' weakness and illness in this section of the novel are [indirectly] caused by the riots in India. Douglas and Major Minnies' direct exposures to the local riots due to their occupations, and the Nawab's refusal to help them, cause the two men to worry. At one point, Major Minnies' weakness is emphasized when he "begged and pleaded" for the Nawab's help. Like a chain reaction, Douglas' worry causes Olivia to become restless and anxious due to a concern for her husband's well-being. Harry also shows weakness and illness in this section of the novel, expressing tiredness upon reaching Olivia's house and admitting that the heat and chaos outside caused him to become "mad" at one point. ||
 * **64-68 **
 * Evan & Liam ** || Strength:

In this passage, weakness is usually clear in conflicts between two characters. When one character seems weak, there is somebody stronger than them making them seem this way. In this passage, that person is almost always the Nawab: he comes into Olivia’s house, and after talking with Harry, completely changes the latter’s mind and decides that no one should get in the way of this new plan to return to the palace. Furthermore, Harry displays internal weakness through his insecurity and indecisiveness about where he should go. Another obvious weakness in this passage is that displayed by Harry: at first, his weakness is caused by his worry about his mother. Harry’s mother’s illness contributes to Harry’s anxiety, and also makes it easier for the Nawab to decide what is best for him: “We others have to decide everything for [Harry]” – the Nawab, (68). Therefore, in this passage, we tend to see weakness on the side of the British: Olivia, Harry, and Douglas all show moments of either temporary or prolonged weakness towards the Nawab.
 * The Nawab has the strongest position compared to the other characters due to his high social status.** || Weakness:

Chid is described as one of the exceptional characters, along with Maji, who (at least for the present) are not affected by the searing heat and weather conditions in Satipur. Although Chid was initially sick, he appears to be physically, mentally and sexually healthy during the course of these passages. In addition, Anne displays her emotional strength when she attempts to help Ritu with her affliction and attempts to throw Chid out of the house. The trend therefore appears to be that the most spiritually inclined individuals are the least affected by sickness. Setting Obviously, the heat is a major factor that seems to be affecting the majority of the characters. This theme of Man vs. Nature seems to argue that in this situation, most characters can not cope with Nature's tremendous strength. Another example is the mentioned Himalayas, one of the highest and longest mountain ranges in the world. Ritu is being taken here to treat her for her mental disorder. This implies the belief that taking someone to a 'strong' place in nature may bring out the strength in them. (?) || In this section of the novel, many Indian locals are described as being physically weak and bearing serious illnesses. The "poor and beggars have afflictions", an old man is described to have 'St. Vitus's dance" and "a moneylender suffers from elephantiasis". Weakness and sickness seen in characters reflects society's disintegration, and also reflects society's abandonment of the helpless and needy. Ritu is another significant character described to be mentally weak and unstable, requiring treatment. Ritu, who is stuck in an Indian household as a wife and daughter-in-law with no outlet for expression could represent those who are driven to insanity and sickness because of marriage. || Olivia's strength is the ability to sooth the men by putting on a relaxing atmosphere with a women's touch, which is much depended upon especially in contrast to the hot, dusty exterior environment of India. Olivia tends to have some sort of over bearing power with the male characters. Perhaps it has something to do with her femininity, but she is able to create a comfortable, cool, and relaxing environment for the men, often putting them at ease. For example, her home provides an oasis for Harry, the Nawab, Douglas, and the gentlemen who came over for a dinner party while their wives were at Simla. In the case of Douglas, she knows how to comfort him with her words. By acknowledging that problems at work trouble him all day long, at night she would never touch on any subject that would remind him of them and instead ramble on about anything not related to India. Olivia's strength is knowing how to please. Olivia and Douglas's Mutual Strength: They both are considering physically attractive people, especially to one another. In this way it helps keep their relationship a bit stronger and give them incentive to create offspring that are just at perfect and handsome. The Nawab's Strength: Through his connections as the Nawab, he is able to become very knowledgeable about his enemies and spies and thus how to react to these accusations and threats. Another strength is his skill in being deceptive. The Nawab can act very friendly and considerate towards his friends and maintain their positive opinion for him even when they learn of his crimes. He presents a genuinely good sense of hospitality towards others. || Olivia's Weaknesses Olivia can be a bit negligent in terms of evaluating the Nawab properly. She lets herself trust him easily and this bias towards him is what eventually leads her into his trap. As a parallel, like how she doesn't know all the hallways and rooms in his palace she also doesn't know all intentions and secrets of the Nawab. It is ironic how although she is always at the palace and sees the Nawab routinely, Olivia is always brought to the same places at the palace and is only familiar with one side of the Nawab. Douglas's Weakness His time spent at work can be a weakness towards his awareness of the development of events and relationships. He is ignorant of his ||
 * Harry's weakness is the most profound, exhibiting uncertainty and timidity in both actions and thoughts.** ||
 * **69-73 **
 * Teresa & Abhinav ** || Characters
 * **74-78 **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 27px;">Daisy & Alice ** || Olivia's Strength:

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