A Dichotomy of Poverty

In order to adequately discuss poverty as represented by Swarup’s novel, I find that you must first acknowledge the dichotomy with which it is conveyed. In many of the instances where the reader receives a detailed description of Dharavi or any of the chawls, poverty is described with a set piece of archetypes which quickly begin to distance the audience from the depravity that Swarup initiates but soon dilutes with formulaic expectations. The efficacy of those passages become desensitized through their repitition, which very well could have been Swarup’s intent. However, when we as readers experience poverty through the mind of Ram rather than just his eyes (meaning his personal dialogue or emotional condition rather than an overt depiction of the poor), a much more humanistic value can be found in the writing. On page 135, Ram says in a fit of doubt and frustration, “A sense of defeat has begun to cloud my mind. I feel that the specific purpose for which I came to Mumbai is beyond me. That I am swimming against the tide. That powerful currents are at work which I cannot overcome.” Immediately preceding this passage is a description of Dharavi’s inhabitants and their way of going about life. When other people’s sense of poverty is being discussed the perspective is that of a bird flying over the slum weightlessly watching the seemingly helpless. In the lines quoted above, Ram is at last feeling overwhelmed by this grand obstacle that is poverty. I find this particular portion of a passage of venting to be very telling and different from most in the novel because Ram is usually represented as slightly above the abject. His rootless background and lifestyle keeps his mind from ever feeling usurped by the suppressive scenarios he revolves in and out of throughout the story. Conveniently, this passage works all to well with this week’s prompt because the very next string of sentences in Ram’s stream of thought is as follows: “But then I hear my beloved Nita’s cries and Neelima Kumari’s sobs, and my willpower returns. I have to get onto that show. And till that happens, I will continue to listen to the stories of the drunkards in this city.” First there is the love that will drive him beyond the “obstacle” of poverty. The next two sentences effectively display the level that Swarup situates Ram in regard to the people he lives with and works around. Ram is above the obstacle, not engulfed by it.

-Drew Moore