Suffering and Survival: Power, Caste and Poverty in Mistry’s A Fine Balance

Abstract

Rohinton Mistry plays a significant role in the postcolonial era, dealing with the cocoon of social norms. He brings out an impactful representation of the intersecting structures where the novels deal with a central stigma. In his novel A Fine Balance, he depicts the social and political oppression that happened in Bombay around 1970-80’s. He mainly speaks about the sufferings of the marginalised, representing his community on the verge of extinction. The novel revolves around various characters who tried to survive their daily lives. He represented how minorities struggle to face their basic needs in a financially oppressed state. The major characters depict different struggles that brought them together in unity. Here we see Maneck, who comes in search of a place to stay, while Om and Ishvar, as tailors, struggle financially. It brings out multiple problems such as poverty, suffering for survival, power, age, gender, caste and religion. There is a problem of uncertainty about survival that permeates the novel. Dina, a widower faces gender bias and unequivocally shows how a woman suffers during the period of the Emergency Act. This research paper clearly gives a narrative of economic exploitation, gender inequality, displacement, disability, and the importance of friendship. It argues that disquiet is not about torment but about social and political erections. I feel that disquiet is the core issue. He also speaks about women’s restrictions in the form of culture and predominantly widows who act as a relic. The attachment among Dina, Om, Ishvar and Maneck highlights the nature within this merciless society. Emergency played a role in transforming poverty into political crime mainly through slum clearance, family planning and arbitrary policing.