Nectar in a Sieve

Nectar in a Sieve is a powerful, moving narrative highlighting the struggles and prosperity of one woman as she strives to hold tightly on to tradition in her rapidly shifting world. Written by Kamala Markandaya, the author was raised in a middle class family which gave her many opportunities for travel and a higher education. It is seen in the first moments of the novel that the author seems thrust herself into the main character, Rukmani, who leaves her well educated and wealthy upbringing to become a lowly farmer’s wife. Markandaya writes the accounts of Rukmani so convincingly that Nectar in a Sieve reads more like an autobiographical description of her life rather than a work of fiction. Like many great fiction writers, Markandaya uses her book as an art form. Reflecting on the novel, one could compare it to a great artist’s painting that is filled with a wide variety of themes, motifs and symbolism that are not always obvious at first glance but are incredibly rewarding when they are finally recognized. The most significant of the themes poised in the book are those of the importance of family and traditional Indian values. The roles of mothers, wives, sons and daughters are enforced and challenged throughout the story. The author also uses strong religious themes while peppering it with ideological encounters with other individuals and outside sources that make the main character both question and embrace her basic principles. The author weaves the story into an inspirational account of an enduring spirit that illustrates the hardships of a traditional Indian family trying to cope with the transformation of their way of life. She shows how with great effort and hard work a person can mold to their new surroundings while still being able to hang on to what they see as the most valuable elements in their lives.
The basic family unit seems to be one of the, if not single, strongest theme within the book. Being the youngest child, Rukmani has always