Review of "Pigeons at Daybreak" by Anita Desai
Pigeons at Daybreak was first published in her novel Games of Twilight and Other Stories in 1978. Read the story hereSummary
The story takes place in India one morning with Mr. Basu and his wife, Otima. She reads the newspaper Mr. Basu at breakfast. He quickly gets frustrated at his wife for not reading the important news articles that he likes. Instead she is taking her time and when she does begin to read some news, she begins to share her thoughts on the subject. Mr. Basu is no longer interested in the paper. At least, not until she reads the news about the electricity going out. Knowing this, Mr. Basu begins to panic and feels like he can't breathe. Without the electricity the fan will not run and the air in the house will be hot. Throughout the day Mr. Basu keeps complaining to his wife. Even with the fan on, he can't take his afternoon nap because he feels like he can't breathe knowing the fan will be off at night. Otima gets frustrated with her husband and begins to remember a happier time in their marriage. Not so long ago.
When the fan turns off at night, Otima has a great idea to move Mr. Basu out to the terrace to get some fresh air. Outside Mr. Basu begins to remember when he brought his grandson up there and how they would watch the pigeons. When Otima returns inside the house very early in the morning, she notices that the electricity is back on. She tries to bring Mr. Basu inside and he refuses. Not because he is being difficult this time. But because he is enjoying the memory of his grandson, watching the sunrise and the birds fly off into the blue sky.
Analysis
There is a theme of appreciation that runs throughout the story. The Basu's may not live lavishly, but they do have a fan. While some people in the city do not. They also have access to a terrace, a place outdoors that's all their own. Mr. Basu is too concerned about the fan being turned off that he's forgotten to appreciate it. His illness has caused him to be dependent on his wife and has forgotten to appreciate what she does for him. It is never said what Mr. Basu's condition is, except that he gets asthma and has trouble reading and moving around. Otima thinks that her husband is overreacting to everything. Mr. Basu seems to think that nothing can be done to make their situation better. It's not until Mr. Basu is on the terrace, that he comes to accept his situation and appreciate what he has and what he had.
Throughout the story, Otima is constantly trying to help her husband but with little success. While her idea to sleep on the terrace seems to fail at first, it ultimately is a success. Perhaps Mr. Basu needed to trust his wife more and accept his dependence on her, rather than fighting it. Their relationship is a key element to the story. While we don't get their whole backstory there is enough to get a sense that Mr. Basu's asthma condition is fairly new. The couple is still working out their dynamic with each other. By the end of the story, it seems to suggest that they will figure things out.
The memory of his grandson and the sight of the pigeons flying off in the early morning sky are what allow Mr. Basu to appreciate the wonderful things in life that he does have. The pigeons flying in the air symbolizes the rebirth of Mr. Basu's new appreciation for life.
Thoughts
To start, my summary is a very condensed version of the story. There is a lot of emotions and details that really make the story engaging. I had to read this story a few time to decipher all of the details. I really enjoyed the complicated relationship between the married couple. From reading the story, I interpreted Mr. Basu's illness as being relatively new, probably within the last year or two. The couple is still getting used to the new situation and Mr. Basu doesn't like having to rely on Otima. Knowing that the fan is going to go off is a trigger. He already feels that his quality of life is low and not having a working fan just makes it worse.
What I like about the story is that the two are struggling to communicate with each other. Mr. Basu's illness doesn't only affect him but his wife as well. They both long for their previous lives. I love the ending. Mr. Basu realizes that his life is not over. He still has much to live for, his grandson, watching the pigeons and even his wife. This is a simply story, one about relationships and how they change as people grow older. I'll be honest, if you haven't read the story, this review is not doing it justice. I highly recommend reading this story.
Ask questions, comments or suggest topics for me to discuss. Tweet to me @BelleArboreus or leave a comment on the blog. You can also visit the Instagram account @fantastic_literature
The story takes place in India one morning with Mr. Basu and his wife, Otima. She reads the newspaper Mr. Basu at breakfast. He quickly gets frustrated at his wife for not reading the important news articles that he likes. Instead she is taking her time and when she does begin to read some news, she begins to share her thoughts on the subject. Mr. Basu is no longer interested in the paper. At least, not until she reads the news about the electricity going out. Knowing this, Mr. Basu begins to panic and feels like he can't breathe. Without the electricity the fan will not run and the air in the house will be hot. Throughout the day Mr. Basu keeps complaining to his wife. Even with the fan on, he can't take his afternoon nap because he feels like he can't breathe knowing the fan will be off at night. Otima gets frustrated with her husband and begins to remember a happier time in their marriage. Not so long ago.
When the fan turns off at night, Otima has a great idea to move Mr. Basu out to the terrace to get some fresh air. Outside Mr. Basu begins to remember when he brought his grandson up there and how they would watch the pigeons. When Otima returns inside the house very early in the morning, she notices that the electricity is back on. She tries to bring Mr. Basu inside and he refuses. Not because he is being difficult this time. But because he is enjoying the memory of his grandson, watching the sunrise and the birds fly off into the blue sky.
Analysis
There is a theme of appreciation that runs throughout the story. The Basu's may not live lavishly, but they do have a fan. While some people in the city do not. They also have access to a terrace, a place outdoors that's all their own. Mr. Basu is too concerned about the fan being turned off that he's forgotten to appreciate it. His illness has caused him to be dependent on his wife and has forgotten to appreciate what she does for him. It is never said what Mr. Basu's condition is, except that he gets asthma and has trouble reading and moving around. Otima thinks that her husband is overreacting to everything. Mr. Basu seems to think that nothing can be done to make their situation better. It's not until Mr. Basu is on the terrace, that he comes to accept his situation and appreciate what he has and what he had.
Throughout the story, Otima is constantly trying to help her husband but with little success. While her idea to sleep on the terrace seems to fail at first, it ultimately is a success. Perhaps Mr. Basu needed to trust his wife more and accept his dependence on her, rather than fighting it. Their relationship is a key element to the story. While we don't get their whole backstory there is enough to get a sense that Mr. Basu's asthma condition is fairly new. The couple is still working out their dynamic with each other. By the end of the story, it seems to suggest that they will figure things out.
The memory of his grandson and the sight of the pigeons flying off in the early morning sky are what allow Mr. Basu to appreciate the wonderful things in life that he does have. The pigeons flying in the air symbolizes the rebirth of Mr. Basu's new appreciation for life.
Thoughts
To start, my summary is a very condensed version of the story. There is a lot of emotions and details that really make the story engaging. I had to read this story a few time to decipher all of the details. I really enjoyed the complicated relationship between the married couple. From reading the story, I interpreted Mr. Basu's illness as being relatively new, probably within the last year or two. The couple is still getting used to the new situation and Mr. Basu doesn't like having to rely on Otima. Knowing that the fan is going to go off is a trigger. He already feels that his quality of life is low and not having a working fan just makes it worse.
What I like about the story is that the two are struggling to communicate with each other. Mr. Basu's illness doesn't only affect him but his wife as well. They both long for their previous lives. I love the ending. Mr. Basu realizes that his life is not over. He still has much to live for, his grandson, watching the pigeons and even his wife. This is a simply story, one about relationships and how they change as people grow older. I'll be honest, if you haven't read the story, this review is not doing it justice. I highly recommend reading this story.
Ask questions, comments or suggest topics for me to discuss. Tweet to me @BelleArboreus or leave a comment on the blog. You can also visit the Instagram account @fantastic_literature