Summary
In chapter eight, Jagan meets up with the bearded man and they travel to a secluded pond. At the bearded man's sanctuary, Jagan talks to him about his master and the work that he used to do. After learning more about the bearded man and his master, particularly their devotion to the craft of Hindu art depicting the gods, Jagan begins to feel inspired. He feels increasingly distant from his own problems with his son and his business, as they seem trivial in comparison to the depth of this kind of religious belief.
The bearded man leads Jagan down some steps and asks him to stick his hands into the water. He then asks for his assistance in lifting a heavy stone. Jagan does so and has to lie down after from the intense exertion. When he awakes, he finds the bearded man scraping moss off of the stone. The bearded man describes the patience required to choose a stone for a sculpture.
He says it must be treated with water before it is ready and if it breaks he must choose another stone and start all over. The man asks Jagan if he will buy the garden and place his master's statue of the goddess Gayatri, effectively becoming the bearded man's patron. Jagan says he is not sure that he can and the bearded man said he simply wanted to offer him an escape. Jagan thinks of telling him about all of his struggles but decides not, as he feels ashamed of his problems.
Jagan returns home and thinks about what the bearded man has said to him. He spins some cotton on a wheel. He considers how different his concerns are from that of the bearded man and wonders if he has been led astray by his desire for profit. Mali knocks on his door and comes in. He demands to know if Jagan will invest in his business and says if he does not Grace will have to return home.
Jagan is surprised by this comment and asks where Grace is. Mali says vaguely that she is out for the evening. Mali says that she will have to return because she has nothing to do here. Jagan remains surprised, saying a wife's place is with her husband. Mali says that times have changed since Jagan's "day." Jagan is troubled by Mali's cryptic remarks and has trouble sleeping that night.
Jagan listens closely at his door for any conversation between Mali and Grace, but hears basically nothing. Jagan's cousin returns after being absent for a few days and the two have a long conversation. His cousin tells him people say he will raise his prices again, but Jagan says he will not. His cousin also informs him that many people are interested in Mali's business and that Grace will return to America. Jagan is unsettled by this and asks his cousin to get some more information.
Two days later, his cousin says Mali has been scouting a plot of land for his machine factory. Jagan thinks this is absurd as he still has no actual investors, but his cousin says everyone thinks of Mali as a serious businessman. He returns home and talks with Grace, asking her what is going on. She tells him that Mali has lost interest in her and wants her to leave. She also tells Jagan that they are not actually married, which upsets Jagan greatly, as it means that they have been living together out of wedlock. Jagan reports the news to his cousin later and they discuss a course of action. His cousin says that he can arrange for a marriage ceremony and Jagan is thrilled.
Analysis
This section of the novel introduces Jagan's turning point as a character. He encounters the bearded man and observes a life entirely different from his own – one that consists of a patient, single minded focus on the construction of Hindu art. He begins to consider the nature of his own life and how wrapped up it is in fighting with Mali about money. At the same time, he is troubled by Mali's strange comments about Grace needing to return to America if the business does not get off the ground. The momentary peace he finds with the bearded man becomes enough for Jagan to question his years-long financial relationship with his son.
The bearded man, though a character who appears later in the novel, is an important catalyst in Jagan's story. Jagan is particularly drawn to the way the bearded man cultivates stones for the Gayatri statue. The bearded man's care for his craft stands in stark contrast to Jagan's focus on money to support his son, while also serving as a parallel to Jagan's own value of hard work. When he arrives home he becomes aware of how different the bearded man's life is from his own and wonders what good has come from his acquisition of money. This trip is significant for Jagan as it reminds him there are other ways of living life, detached from the pursuit of material wealth.
This section of the novel also features the revelation that Grace and Mali are not really married, and that Mali does not treat Grace with the respect that Jagan thinks she deserves. His disturbed reaction to this news is indicative of yet another cultural clash between him and Mali, as well as his gradually lowering opinion of Mali as a person. In order to quell the reaction of the town to this unsettling piece of information, he tries to arrange for a wedding ceremony between the two of them. Jagan's behavior reflects his desperation to keep his family together despite its growing instability. The novel suggests once again that Jagan is attempting to make up for the fact that Mali has grown up without a mother. If the visit to the bearded man's secluded home was the height of Jagan's peace, then this moment is the height of his turmoil.
In these three chapters, Jagan begins a radical reconsideration of his life. While previous sections dealt with his shift away from Mali and interest in large profits, then this part shows him beginning to move away from materialism entirely. He begins to see clearly that his supporting Mali has only led to bad things: a faulty business scheme, demands for further capital, and the mistreatment of Grace. As the book heads towards its conclusion, the reader witnesses Jagan experience a kind of spiritual awakening, as he tries to find a different way to live.
