Poverty
Lahiri explains, "He'd (Subbash and Udayan’s father) watched from the street standing among the bettors and other spectators unable to afford a ticket, or to enter the club's grounds. But after the Second World War…the height of the wall was raised, so that the public could no longer see in." The club and the horses are symbolic of affluence which is elusive for the Indians. Inability to pay for tickets depicts the Indians' extreme poverty, while heightening of the wall is symbolic of the barriers which hinder Indians from experiencing mobility and attaining wealth.
Imperialism
Lahiri explains, “From time to time, Bismillah had said, there was a birthday party for the child of a British family still living in Indian... Though Nehru was Prime Minister, it was the new queen of England, Elizabeth II, whose portrait presided in the main drawing room." The queen's portrait is emblematic of imperialism. Her stimulus is still evident although there is an Indian Prime Minister in place. The British dominate India still; hence, the country is not absolutely autonomous from British dominion.
Rebellion
Lahiri writes, “The Peking People’s Daily accused the West Bengal government of bloody suppression of revolutionary peasants. Spring Thunder Over India, its headline read…On the streets, on college campuses, demonstrations broke out defending the peasants, protesting the killings.” The government applies the strategy of killing to discourage the peasants from pushing on with the rebellion. Evidently, the peasants are dissatisfied with the government; otherwise they would not oppose it. The rebellion is chaotic since it occasions violence and theft. Peasants suffer the most due to the lawlessness. Poor peasants are compelled to resign from, the rebellion and those who refuse and murdered. Manifestly, the government does not accommodate the peasants’ voices; otherwise, the rebellion would not ensue.
Foreign Interference
Lahiri explains, “Majumdar said India had turned into a nation of beggars and foreigners…He accused India of turning to the United States to solve its problems. He accused the United States of turning India into its pawn. He accused the Soviet Union of supporting India’s ruling class.” Majumdar’s reasoning surmises that India is not utterly independent from foreign nations. Overdependence on USA and Russia is a mode of neo-colonialism which hinders Indians from relishing their independence. Furthermore, the omnipresence of classes in India, which is attributed to Russia, promotes the perpetuation of inequalities. Peasants suffer significantly due to inequity between them are the ruling people.
Avoidance
Lahiri elucidates, “In almost five years he had not returned to Calcutta. Though his parents wrote now of wanting to meet Bela, Subhash told them that she was too young to make such a long journey… He didn’t want to be around the only other people in the world who knew that he was not Bela’s father.” Subhash’s unconscious yearning is to have a father-daughter bond with Bella even though he is not her biological father. The desire motivates him not to take her to his parents for they would remind him that he is not her father. Subbash embraces avoidance to avoid the scenario where he would confront the reality of being just an uncle to Bella.
