Literatura

About the author:

-Born in 1962

-Grew up in Bombay, India

-Doctorate from Oxford

-Has written novels, short stories, poems and critical essays

-won several major awards and has received international critical acclaim

-Also acclaimed Indian Classical musician.

Genre ¬ point of view:

-Slice of life

-realistic fiction

-Memoir

-3rd person omniciesnt

Setting:

-Calcutta, India

Mr. Talukdar's appartment

Plot/summary

Real Time tells the experience of an ambassador visiting his wife’s distant relations whose daughter “jumped from a third-floor balcony”. On the way, he was wondering if a proper shraddh ceremony will take place, given the circumstance of death. Actually, the reasons behind the death is not clear. The author provided hints enough to make our imagination run wild. At the ceremony, everyone feels awkward at dealing with each other. It was clear that the situation was not common, so the visitors had difficulty knowing how to behave themselves.

Characters:

-Mr Mitra (impatient, indescisive, irritable, bored, flustered, ...) Thoughts of remainning comfortable.Noncholant. Shallow way of thinking. Compared to a distraught child. Always concerned with task at hand and how much time was left.

-Mrs. Mitra (Constantly wainting, bossy, tell husband what to do and slightly talks down to him, proper, snobby, rational,...) Grounded her husband. Delicate and sociable.

Abdul.. Distant. Simply follows directions like a robot.

-Anjali (Antagonist, Distant relation of Mrs Mitra, commits suicide by jumpig off of the 3rd floor balcony, left her husban multiple times, but the last time was really the las time, ...) Commits suicide because of leaving her husband and her parents being rough on her. Academically accomplished. Had everything benefit of having both the goddes of wealth and learning on her side (considered a blessing)

Symbols:

-Tuberoses; flowers that symbolize dangerous and forbidden pleasures, these flowers were good for the occasion because the act of suicide is an illicit act.

-Child riding tricycle in circles; symbolic of the Mitras

...