hi - I really loved the book...Jagan kept me guessing right up to the end, I think I ended up admiring him - when I started out being very cross with him, so that's quite a reversal: but I was cross with Narayan for only giving us Jagan's 'backstory' in the penultimate chapter

 gleaming | Oct 31 2007, 21:00 pm

I certainly started off with a lot of sympathy for him - but as the tale wore on, my attitude towards him certainally hardened, he went from being someone who I felt was good natured and taken advantage of, to being inflexible and set in his ways - to the detriment of his relationships with others. It's hard to pinpoint where that change came - but his reminicances of his marriage certainally got me thinking....

 juliab | Oct 31 2007, 21:02 pm

I actually warmed to him more as the book went on. He annoyed me to start with as he was so into his stricy dietary regime and was so easily flattered by the cousin. But I loved it when he suddenly decided to sell his sweets cheaply, for example. It was as if scales fell from his eyes and he responded to it unswervingly.

 burntsugar | Oct 31 2007, 21:05 pm

Hi juliab: that's the opposite of my feelings...in the beginning I just saw Jagan as the aloof king of his little kingdom - although I never understood where his self-imposed abstinence came from

 gleaming | Oct 31 2007, 21:05 pm

reducing the price of sweets seemed like a contrary thing to do...like he didn't understand his reasoning, and kept getting caught out by the unintended consequences: I felt sad for Jagan because he didn't seem to know himself very well

 gleaming | Oct 31 2007, 21:13 pm

Hmm, yes... I think I just felt for him immediately, but saw how his actions and rigidity appearedto effect his relationships as the story progressed - I liked him, but felt that he needed a stern talking to!

 juliab | Oct 31 2007, 21:14 pm

He did seem lost within his own routine - I found myself fascinated to know what would happen when he shed that - would he find himself?

 juliab | Oct 31 2007, 21:16 pm

I think that Jagan was quite infuriating. I agree with Juliab that his actions affected his relationships. You felt sorry for him at first and felt he was taken advantage of, but then you also felt he was very inflexible and ALWAYS thought he was right about everything. This had a lot of consequences in the story, because he had made his mind up about things before they were discussed, so never listened to what was said.

 Humz | Oct 31 2007, 21:18 pm

but what about the contrast with the young Jagan? he was so much more 'alive' when he met his wife Ambika for the first time, and in the early days of marriage - he was loving the food and frustrated at having to pick at it, and mischievously determined to get a good eye-ful of Ambika

 gleaming | Oct 31 2007, 21:21 pm

It was very sad to see how he kept missing the point with Mali. He seemed to be so concerned about their relationship and not connecting - but then relied so heavily on the cousin to 'intervene' - and never actually interacted directly with Mali. He wasn't even listening when Mali told him of his big plan with the story-writing machine! Speaking of which - why do you think Narayan chose this to be the 'great innovation' that India needed (according to Mali). Was he making a point that this was exactly what India didn't need (with it's history of rich story-telling?)

 burntsugar | Oct 31 2007, 21:21 pm