Summary
In "Such Perfection," an artist makes a statue of the Hindu god Nataraja. He spends years working on it and admires his own craft. He is warned that he should deface it slightly, by removing a toe, because the gods are angered by perfection. The sculptor ignores this advice and as a result a terrible natural disaster occurs in the area. The sculptor then discovers his home was crushed by a falling tree. The statue is unharmed, save for a single broken toe. He accepts his wrong and hangs up his chisel for the rest of his life.
The story "Father's Help," is about a young man named Swami who tries to get out of going to school one particular morning. His father insists that he go, and Swami constructs a lie about how his teacher, Samuel, viciously beats the students every day. Outraged, his father writes a letter to the school, which will almost certainly cost Samuel his job. At school, Swami tries to goad Samuel into punishing him by being increasingly disruptive in class, but only gets lightly hit with a cane. Swami then discovers that, because the headmaster is on vacation, he will have to give the letter directly to Samuel, as he is the assistant headmaster. Swami is unable to do so and returns home. His father insults him and says that he deserves Samuel.
"The Snake-Song" is another story from the Talkative Man. After hearing about a concert, he tells the tale of why he stopped playing music. He says that he used to play the bamboo flute, under the tutelage of an obscure master. One day, a beggar asks him for food while he is practicing and he ignores him. The beggar places a curse on him and says that this will be his final night of playing music. Later, while he is practicing, a large snake appears. Terrified, he plays the "snake-song," which is the only piece of music that seems to keep it at bay. Exhausted, he finally surrenders and asks the snake to spare him. The snake disappears and he vows never to pick up the flute again.
The story "Engine Trouble" is also told by the Talkative Man. In the narrative, he wins a road engine (a steam-powered tractor) at a carnival lottery. Initially happy, he quickly realizes he has no way to transport or use it. He is forced by the local government to pay rent on it, as he leaves it at the fairgrounds. He attempts to move it, using an elephant, but this results in the destruction of his neighbor's wall, creating more fines for him to pay. After a major earthquake, the road engine is lodged inside a well. The well belongs to the man whose wall was destroyed and he tells the Talkative Man that this actually did him a favor, as he was going to have to pay fines for the well's unclean water. They call it even, and the Talkative Man later notices the well has been sealed with concrete.
In "Forty-Five A Month," a man named Venkat Rao tries to get home from work to take his daughter Shanta to the movies. Shanta gets ready to go, but notices that her father is still not home. She attempts to locate his workplace and is eventually returned home by a servant. At work, Venkat Rao is miserable and contemplates quitting. He is never home before his daughter is asleep and feels that he is not being paid enough. He nearly turns in a resignation letter, but then his boss tells him he received a raise. He arrives home, finally, to find that Shanta is fast asleep.
In the story "Out of Business," the main character, Rama Rao, is the former owner of a gramophone company that went out of business. After a great deal of financial hardship, and no job prospects, his family downsizes significantly. Desperate for money, he buys into a crossword competition in the hopes of winning the large cash prize. When he checks the posted answers, he realizes he wasn't even close to winning. Extremely depressed, he lays his head down on the train tracks in an attempt to end his life. Due to a derailment, no train arrives and his life is spared. Thrilled at this second chance, he goes home. His wife admonishes him about not playing crossword games anymore.
"Attila" tells the story of a dog purchased by a family to ward off robbers. They name him Attila, in an effort to make him more fearsome. Unfortunately, he proves to be useless as a guard dog, as he is always friendly and nice. One day, a real robber, Ranga, arrives at the house and Attila greets him excitedly. He has no trouble taking valuables from the home, but Attila follows him around. This eventually leads to him tripping in the street and dropping a piece of jewelry he stole. The family celebrates Attila for being a great watchdog, unaware he foiled Ranga by accident.
The story "The Axe" recounts the life of a man named Velan. He grew up very poor but was able to secure a job as a gardener on a wealthy man's estate. He enjoyed the work and was very good at it. He watches as his wealthy employer constructs a large three-story home and quietly tells the margosa trees he planted to grow to be as tall as the home. The wealthy man eventually dies, leaving the home in a state of disrepair. Velan becomes the sole tenant. Eventually, two of his sons decide to sell the estate, and Velan hears one day that the margosa trees are being chopped down with axes.
Analysis
In "Road Engine," a series of disputes leads to increasingly significant problems for the Talkative Man. He wins the road engine at a carnival lottery and then quickly discovers he is required by the rules of the contest to accept the engine. Unable to relocate it, he is then forced to pay large fines on the engine. In attempting to move it, he destroys the wall of one of his neighbors, who demands he pay for the destruction. This is only resolved when the engine falls in a well, leading the matter to be dropped. The story explores the way in which these disputes begin to snowball, trapping the Talkative Man in a series of mounting problems. From the rules of the carnival to the town's financial penalties, he is inextricably caught in a conflict right away.
Work is a major theme in the story "Forty-Five A Month." Venkat Rao is always at work and wants to make it home in time, for a day, to take his daughter, Shanta, to the movies. She waits for him and even tries to go to his work, but eventually falls asleep. He contemplates quitting, but after he finds out that he has received a raise, decides he cannot. He comes home to see that Shanta is fast asleep, but was dressed up to go to the movie theater. He is torn up about this. This story highlights the way in which work and money can interfere with family life, as Venkat Rao has no spare time to spend with his daughter. At the end of the story, he feels the weight of his inability to fulfill his role.
Chance and coincidence are important parts of the story "Attila." In the story, the dog, named Attila, is purchased to be a fearsome guard dog. However, he is overly friendly and proves to be useless at scaring off intruders. Eventually, Ranga, a robber, breaks into the family's home and steals some valuable items. Attila does nothing to stop him, but cheerfully follows him around. Out in the street, Attila continues to follow Ranga, leading to him tripping and dropping a piece of jewelry he stole. Attila is celebrated as a hero, even though he was not really trying to stop Ranga. This story shows how chance can create the false appearance of an event's meaning. Attila's victory is illusory, as he is still incapable of actually protecting his family.
"Father's Help" prominently features the theme of dishonesty. In the story, a young boy named Swami tries to get out of going to school by describing the cruelty of his teacher, Samuel. His father then writes a letter to the headmaster that will likely get Samuel fired. Swami tries to provoke his teacher into beating him, but is unsuccessful. Due to the fact that the headmaster is absent, Swami learns that he will have to give his father's letter directly to Samuel. He refuses to do so and returns home to his father, who says he deserves a cruel teacher. The story demonstrates the way that Swami's lies have a domino effect, creating bigger and bigger complications in his life. It shows how his dishonesty ultimately results in more trouble than just going to school would have incurred.
As its title suggests, the story "Such Perfection" provides a closer look at the relationship between art and religion. In the story, an arrogant sculptor spends many years crafting a statue of the god Nataraja. He marvels at his creation when it is completed; but the people in the town who come to see it advise him to take off a toe, as the gods do not look kindly on perfection. He refuses and a terrible natural disaster occurs, killing multiple people. Still, he refuses to change the statue, but plans to drown himself as an offering to the gods. As he attempts to do so, he sees a tree fall on his house. The home is ruined, but he finds that the statue has been damaged slightly and is now missing a single toe. Shocked and amazed, he hangs up his chisel for the rest of his life. The story examines how artistic perfection, and idol worship, are an affront to the gods of this particular religion, as they seem to celebrate the narcissism of their creator.
