Oley Huang
May 16, 2007
Draft Two

More optimism, More happiness

The life of the poorest people in Krishnan Varma’s country of the 1980s is not an easy one. Varma shares his observations of the poor people’s life in many of his stories. In India, many people hold a religion called “Hinduism”. It is a philosophy characterized by a belief in reincarnation: the transfer of the soul into another body after death. For example, if a person leads a good life, the soul will be born into a higher state. (56) The characters in the story are Hindus. And this may have affected their attitudes toward life.

In the story of “The Grass-Eaters”, Varma seeks to show readers that how and why could a poor couple who lived in a pipe enjoy their life. Ajit Babu is not only the character but also the narrator in this story. And it is through his perspective that we learn what kind of life he had experienced. They enjoy their life because they are optimistic. Through the whole story Babu and his wife Swapna are presented as a fortunate couple who have moved their home for three times and at last are content with their grass-eating life. Instead of feeling sad and frustrated, they had no fears or anxieties after they had survived the events in their life.

Babu and Swapna’s optimism which gave them a happy life can be seen through several parts. Instead of feeling fearful or anxious, they are not only content with the passing scenes but also quiet about the current life.

Firstly, they always think of something better than the past. At the beginning of the story, the family of a spherical boy felt unbelievable that Babu and his wife lived in a pipe. But Babu felt good. “With a piece of sack cloth hung at either end, we had found it far more comfortable than any of our previous homes.” This is something that the author wants to show us. Generally, people will feel distressed if their home is just a pipe. In contrast, Babu and his wife feel it more comfortable than their previous homes. They do not complain about the poverty of life. And instead, they just feel content with the situation. There are several split narrations which show the couple’s optimism. When the couple moves to where they live now, Babu says that it is not as bad as it sounds. It is flat, not gabled, and it is made of cement concrete, not corrugated iron sheets. This clearly reveals that Babu’s positive attitude toward life. “Flat” is better than “gabled”; cement is better than “iron sheets”. Babu does not complain about the current living condition and he shows a kind of contentment with his lot.

A second evidence can be found during the time when they survive of the footpath and move into an abandoned-looking freight wagon at the railway terminus. “A whole wagon to ourselves—place with doors which could be opened and shut—we did nothing but open and shut them for a full hour—all the privacy a man and wife could want—no fear of waking up with a complete stranger in your arms…it was heaven. I felt I was God.” This narration describes Babu and Swapna as a fortunate couple. Although they are in an abandoned wagon, they feel it is heaven as they are the owner of it and they have all the privacy. The sentence “I felt I was God” is a strong evidence of the optimism that lead to a happy life.

Although some people think that there is a kind of despair under Babu’s optimism, I believe that Babu and his wife have tried their best to overcome the events which might have deprived their lives. Is there anything else Babu and his wife could hope for? A less rent than other tenants or far more light and ventilation than their neighbors might be all the things they could expect for the life. Under that kind of status quo, I believe optimism can be the most effective cardiac for the poor. If people always think that they are in a better situation than they may be in, they are optimistic enough to be happy and content.