Student Question
What lessons does the main character learn in "Nectar in a Sieve"?
Quick answer:
Rukmani learns to adapt to poverty after marrying Nathan, a poor farmer. Initially resentful of her new life in a mud hut without furniture, she grows to appreciate her circumstances and becomes a skilled gardener. Additionally, after struggling with infertility, she overcomes her prejudice and learns to trust a white doctor, which helps her have several sons. These experiences teach her resilience, adaptability, and the importance of open-mindedness.
One lesson that Rukmani learns is how to adjust to her life of poverty with her new husband. Rukmani, married at 12 years old, without a dowry, is matched up with a very poor farmer. He is of a lower class than her family. She is brought to a 2 room mud hut with no furniture by Nathan, her husband.
At first she resents this situation, but then learns how to appreciate what she has. She becomes a very capable gardener.
After Rukmani gives birth to her first child, a daughter, she is unable to conceive another child. Desperate for a son, she learns how to trust a white doctor who helps her overcome her infertility. As a result, she bears several children, all boys.
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