Genre
Fiction
Setting and Context
England, 20th Century
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person omniscient narrator
Tone and Mood
Amusing, uncertain, and hectic
Protagonist and Antagonist
There are three protagonists (Sunita, Chila and Tania). The antagonist is a non-person (oppressive and tedious cultural expectations of women).
Major Conflict
Sunita, Chila and Tania attaining fulfilled lives in an environment where cultural expectations and personal priorities are antagonistic.
Climax
Sunita’s climax occurs when she becomes a mother. Tania’s climax occurs when she relocates to pursue career success. Chila experiences an anti-climax on her wedding day.
Foreshadowing
Chila Foreshadows that her marital life will not be blissful.
Understatement
The title understates the joys and contentment that one would anticipate to find in life.
Allusions
Allusion to psychology, such as the introspection that Sunita engages in.
Imagery
Marriage, as seen in the life of Sunita, cannot independently fulfil a woman.
Paradox
Pursuance of happiness leaves the three characters unfulfilled. Sunita is overwhelmed because of familial obligations. Tania, with her success in her career, feels empty and unfilled. Chila finds a partner, but he does not fulfil her emotionally; her life is utterly empty.
Parallelism
The lives of the three characters, their achievements and their struggles are compared and contrasted throughout the novel.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
‘Operating tables’ denote a career in medicine and surgery.
Personification
N/A
