Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard

. You are welcome to develop your own topic as well, or to use these as a starting point for a discussion that spins off in a slightly different direction. What is most important is that you compose an essay of 1,500 words (roughly 4-5 pages) that is interpretive/analytical and driven by clearly articulated thesis.
-Perform a close reading of a passage from Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard. Select a paragraph, a particular exchange, or a short few pages and explore their thematic significance within the text. What does the passage accomplish in the grand scheme of the whole? The idea behind a close reading is to look as closely, and with as much focus as possible at one aspect or element in order to gain a deeper understanding of the whole.
-Perform a close reading of a device or symbol in Hullabaloo. It could be that you look closely at Desai’s use of foreshadowing, or perhaps you would like to look at the motif of ascension and descent in her novel. As above, the idea behind a close reading is to look as closely, and with as much focus as possible at one aspect or element in order to gain a deeper understanding of the whole.
-Though Hullabaloo focuses on Sampath Chawla, we are also presented with three prominent female characters from three different generations of Indian women. What do Ammaji, Kulfi, and Pinky represent in the novel? How do their interactions with each other reflect Desai’s views on the status of Indian women?
-Is Sampath a fraud? Can a fake holy man provide true enlightenment?
-Perform a character study of a character from the novel examining what they represent within the novel’s larger structure. It’s tempting to jump right to Sampath here, but often character studies of minor characters are particularly illuminating, and, in a relatively short paper, much more manageable than a thorough study of a major character. The DC or the DC’s cook or Mr. Gupta or Miss Jyotsna or Hungry Hop. You could also choose to focus on an interaction or series of interactions involving one of these characters

Last Completed Projects