The Fifth Night

The Fifth Night 147-166

Part 1

This chapter starts out with Balram telling Mr. Jiaboa about the Great Indian Rooster Coop,

which means that the entire Indian economy is based on the trustworthiness of servants. For a better understanding he gave some examples, here is one: Every day are chauffeurs driving an empty car with a black suitcase in the backseat! Inside of it must be a million or two million rupees. And he will never touch that suitcase. He takes it where every the master wants him to put it, puts it down and goes. That all because Indian are the most honest people.

In the other part of the book Balram talks again about his time in Delhi as driver for Mr. Ashok. Balram sat a whole day in his little room until he got called up again. The Mongoose opened the door and the Stork was there too. Balram had to give him feet massages. Until Pinky Madame came out of her room no one told Balram he hadn’t go to prison because they had a contact at the police and no one reported the accident. The stork hit him again, like he always does when the water is cold or the massage is to strong. Pinky Madame ran back to the room and slammed the door. She is the only one in the whole family with a conscience.

On night Pinky Madame woke Balram up to drive her to the airport. Balram was confused because Mr. Ashok didn’t come with her and he never heard that a woman leaves her husband in real life. Mr. Ashok was really sad and a little depressed that Pinky Madame left him. He drank a lot of whisky and did not eat. Balram took care of him like a wife because someone had since his wife left. He felt like it was his duty. Balram tried to cheer him up with singing, joking and philosophy. The minute the Mongoose came back the whole relationship changed into a normal servant master relationship. Balram was still just the servant, just the driver. On day they were driving past a slum were a lot of families were outside. Mr. Ashok was touched by that and told his brother the Mongoose that family is everything and that he is happy to finally have someone real by his side, after 5 nights with just the servant. Back at the house the Mongoose opened a letter from Balrams granny Kusum and read it out loud. They need more money because it’s getting bad again and Kishan married but Kusum will not order Balram to marry. She wants him to visit. Balram had to bring Mr. Ahsok to the mall and stayed in the car to think. He thought about marriage and how Kusum would get the dowry.

At 1:32 in the morning he suddenly had to leave because of an emergency.

Part 2

The following quotes are from the part where the Mongoose came back to Delhi after Pinky Madame left Mr. Ashok and Balram started to take care of him like a wife because he felt like it was his duty.

Pg 160 “The moment he arrived, everything changed for me. The intimacy was over between me and Mr. Ashok.”

Pg 161 ““When I was in Americas, I thought family was a burden, I don’t deny it. When you and Father tried to stop me from marrying Pinky because she wasn’t a Hindu I was furious with you, I don’t deny it. But without family, a man is nothing. Absolutely nothing. I had nothing but this driver in front of me for five nights. Now at least I have someone real by my side: you.””

Balram really started to take care of Mr. Ashok and felt bad for his situation. He did everything to cheer him up and the relationship really started to get better between them. I think Balram was really happy about it because he felt lonely so often. When the Mongoose came back it must have felt like a slap in his face. It must be so depressing and unmotivated. Mr. Ashok talks derogatorily about Balram and is not pleased at all for his help. I thought Mr. Ashok is different than his brother and more like Pinky Madame because he married her and was so happy. He liked the westernized way of life and that must have changed him. But I guess I was wrong after all.

Part3

Yoga

http://www.indiaconsulate.org.br/html/english/yoga.php

http://www.americanyogaassociation.org/general.html