42 pages • 1 hour read
Kamala MarkandayaNectar in a Sieve
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1954A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
Choose one public figure who is in a position of power and analyze why they have it. What gives them influence over others? What do they use their power and influence to accomplish? What criticisms exist about their status and actions?
Nectar in a Sieve is a fictional novel written in the style of a memoir. Using what you know of the memoir and historical fiction genres, write the beginning of a story set in your country. What would an older person in your country reflect on? Choose at least three significant moments they remember that they would discuss further in the novel.
Research poverty levels in your community (town, city, or region). Compile statistics, examine possible solutions, and present a persuasive argument on how the implementation of these changes would benefit your community.
Rukmani and her family’s fates are affected by forces they cannot control, from the climate to colonization and capitalism. Compare the hardships explored in the novel to contemporary crises like natural disasters, climate change, or conflict. Are there any significant similarities you observe? Does Nectar in a Sieve offer solutions or new perspectives for these circumstances?
Why is it significant that the novel utilizes a first-person limited perspective? How does that influence the perception of events and characters? How would the novel change if Markandaya used a third-person perspective, limited or omniscient?
Nathan, Rukmani, and Kunthi share a complicated relationship representative of moral failings and struggle. This guide explores the connection between Rukmani and Nathan and the connection between Rukmani and Kunthi. Write an analysis exploring the symbolism and meaning connecting all three, particularly in Chapter 14.
Nectar in a Sieve opens with an epigraph from which the novel borrows its name. How do the epigraph and title relate to the story? Detail at least three examples explaining the relationship between the epigraph and the book.
Markandaya splits Nectar in a Sieve into two parts: Part 1 contains 23 chapters, and Part 2 contains seven. How does this structure influence the novel’s themes and character development? What might Markandaya want to say by making Part 2 drastically shorter than Part 1?
Many elements of the novel influence other parts, recognizing that nothing is wholly separate. For example, the rain’s impact relates to the crops. Examine the continued effects of rain’s presence and how it parallels other intertwined narrative events. How do characters’ hardships have impacts beyond their immediate effects?
