Character of Mumbi in A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

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Character of Mumbi in A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

Name :  Pipavat Gopi

Course No. 14 :  The African Literature

Topic :-  Character of Mumbi in A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o 

M.A. English Semester – 4

Batch: 2015 - 2017

Department of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o is a Kenyan writer. He was formerly working in English and now he is working un Gikuyu. Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has been acclaimed as East Africa’s foremost novelist. His work include novels, Plays, short-stories, and essays, ranging from literary and social criticism to children’s literature. He is the founder and editor of the Gikuyu language journal Mutiiri.

 Ngugi Wa Thiong’o has rejected Christianity which he regarded as a sign of colonialism, and changed his name from James Ngugi to Ngugi Wa Thiong’o to honour his African heritage. The transition from Colonialism to Post colonialism has been a central issue in a great deal of Ngugi’s  writings.

Helen Hayward has commented that his early novels like, The River Between, A Grain of Wheat, and Petel of Blood, act as 

“Important documents in the history of Post-Colonial  writing, distinguished by the urgency of their political engagement and the subtly of their historical grasp”

Abstract :

The background of the story is in Kenya when the county is on the edge of independence. Mugo is a poor orphaned man who has suffered a lot and is indifferent to what is going on around him and he expects the rest of the world to leave him alone. This happens until Kihika recruits him by force to join the rest of the freedom fighters. Resenting this, he etrays Kihika to the colonial government. Consequently, Kihika is hanged. No one suspects Mugo.

In fact, people worship him and see him as a hero. Unfortunately, it is Karanja, a man who collaborates with the colonialists and a home guard who becomes the main suspect and a number of people want to carry out their revenge on him especially Kihika’s fellow freedom fighters Lt. Koinandu and General R. Karanja and Gikonyo were enemies due to their competition for Mumbi. Mumbi chooses Gikonyo, a carpenter, over Karanja. When Gikonyo is sent to prison by the colonial government like most men in the country, Karanja sets out to seduce Mumbi who gives in and is impregnated. On the other hand, the Europeans in the country have their own devils to deal with. John Thompson a one time District Officer and his wife Margery are considering living the country soon before the colonialists hand over power to the Africans. Unknown to Thompson, Margery was having an affair with Dr. Van Dyke, a meteorologist. Everyone knew except Thompson. The affair ended when Dr. Van Dyke was crushed by a train. Dr.Lynd, a librarian, worked with Thompson and hated the Africans as she had once been attacked and raped by them. She and her boyfriend Roger Mason were planning to leave to Uganda as soon as Kenya got its independence to avoid the blood killings they predicted would be meted out on all Europeans by the Africans. When Gikonyo is released from prison he eagerly goes home looking forward to seeing Mumbi only to find her with Karanja’s child. Angry more so, because he couldn’t get back at Karanja as he was the new chief with immense powers he ignores Mumbi and mistreats her and she decides to leave for her parent’s home. Meanwhile, as the Independence Day celebrations draw near, Mugo is appointed by the villagers to give a speech in honor of Kihika’s memory. Mwaura is sent to Githima to tempt Karanja to attend the celebrations as the freedom fighters intend to wring out the confession out of him before the crowd. Things take a turn when General R asks for Kihika’s betrayer to confess and instead of Karanja, Mugo confesses. Everyone at the rally is shocked at the revelation. Karanja and Gikoknyo’s enmity is brought to an end through a race that none of the wins as they both tripped and fell with Gikonyo breaking his left arm. He is resigned to Mumbi and Karanja leaves the village.

A full summary of the novel :

Ngungi wa Thiong’o has used flashbacks in his work to tease his readers. I am among readers who enjoyed the book and here under I would like to share with you what I enjoyed. The whole story in the novel centres on Mugo as the central character.

This novel A Grain of Wheat is divided into three eras that are;

1.  Pre – Colonial Era

2.  Colonial Era

3.  Post – Colonial Era

The story of this novel is center around the character Mugo. The plot revolves around his home village’s preparation for Kenya’s Independence day celebration, “Uhuru day”. On that day, former resistance fighters General R. and Koinandu plan on publicly executing the traitor who betrayed Kihika. The entire novel tells about the history of Kenya and the Mau Mau revolt.

A Grain of Wheat was a turning point in the formal and ideological of his works. This text is multi-narrative liens and multi-viewpoints unfolding at different times and spaces replace the linear temporal unfolding of the plot form a single viewpoint. The collective replaces the individual as the center of history.

In the novel A Grain of Wheat there are many characters in the novels, but Mugo, Gikonyo, Mumbi, Karanja and Kihika plays very vital role in the novel. The character of Mugo is a central character of the novel. These characters also plays vital role in freedom fighting of Kenya and the Mau Mau revolt.

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o begins the novel with the character of Mugo, who is asked to speak at the Uhuru, which is another Swahili word for the Kenyan Independence. Mugo agrees and denies knowledge about another character’s death. Gikonyo, another character, who married to Mumbi. Gikonyo’s rival is Karanja, whom Mumbi sleeps with when Gikonyo is away at a detention center, when came back after six years, Mumbi is pregnant and the presence of the baby causes their relationship to be strained.

Throughout the rest of ‘A Grain of Wheat’ Mugo struggles with the guilt of betraying Karanja and later confesses; he is punished by the Freedom fighters. Writer ends the novel with Gikonyo and Mumbi working their marriage.

Ngugi Wa Thiong’o early novels like A Grain of Wheat and another also like “Weep not Child” and “The River Between” explore the detrimental effects of Colonialism and Imperialism.

Character of Mumbi in A Grain of Wheat

Before we start to elaborate this topic I have one question in my mind and with the help of that question we can elaborate this topic very well. And that question is,

Women should not be looked down on as they can play important roles in the society. Example Mumbi, Wami and Wambui were talking about the duties they have as contribution to the building of the nation.

Mumbi is a beautiful, strong woman who grew up in Thabai. She is Kihika’s sister, and Gikonyo’s wife. She looked after her family during the State of Emergency, which shows she is caring and responsible. She is also compassionate and does not want to take revenge for her brother’s death.

Mumbi is one of the central and main female character of this novel. In the novel Mumbi can be described as a beautiful and very influential figure for example,

“Her eyes were soft and submissive and defiant”

Mumbi with her beauty and natural charisma she is used to link all the important themes, ideas, characters and even some of the symbols of the novel. Ngugi makes use of a number of different themes to convey his ideologies, it is in these themes that the reader come across the specific characteristics of Mumbi and can really come to terms with the novel from a female point of view.

Mumbi, is the wife of Gikonyo and the sister of Kihika. Mumbi has baby with another man namely Karanja, while her husband was in a concentration camp. While Gikonyo was imprisoned she slept with Karanja, who had been appointed village chief by the Colonial power.

Mumbi is one of the significant part of the novel. She is the sister of Kihika. Kihika is the considered the leader of the people and leads the movement with Kihika being like this Ngugi brings Mumbi into the novel with a jumpstart on the other characters.

In the novel "A Grain of Wheat" the character of Mumbi can be described as a beautiful and very influential figure for example "her eyes were soft and submissive and defiant". With her beauty and natural charisma she is used to link all the important themes, ideas, characters and even some of the symbols of the novel.

Ngugi makes use of a number of different themes to convey his ideologies, it is in these themes that the reader come across the specific characteristics of Mumbi and can really come to terms with the novel from a female point of view.

Mumbi is the only central character in the novel that is female. This fact is a message from Ngugi to the reader telling them that Mumbi is to be a significant part of the novel. She is also Kihika's sister. Kihika is the most idolized character in the novel. He is considered the leader of the people and leads the movement. With Kihika being like this Ngugi brings Mumbi into the novel with a jumpstart on the other characters. She is of the same bloodlines of Kihika so the reader can expect to see important things coming from her.

Objectification of Women's Body is also shown here trough character of Mumbi. That her body is seduce by Karanja to prove his masculine power over her. Mumbi is an object of great interest and affection. She is courted by both Karanja and Gikonyo. Ngugi uses the affection of Karanja and Gikonyo to foreshadow the underlying animosity between the Whiteman and the Kenyan People.

Karanja represents the Whiteman while Gikonyo represents the Kenyan people. Gikonyo represents the Kenyan people because it was him that went to the detention camps for 6 years to protect the oath of the Mau Mau. In contrast to this Karanja confessed the oath immediately and then became the creature of the Whiteman. He turned on his own people and destroyed hope in some of their eyes. Mumbi chose Gikonyo as her husband; this however did not deter Karanja. He still loved Mumbi and wanted to possess her.

In Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s opinion, the power of women in the community is very important. Mumbi and other women in the novel are often shown to be strong.

Example : Mumbi tells her mother that she will not For return to Gikonyo :

“I may be a woman, but even a cowardly bitch fights back when cornered against a wall.”

The community’s women ask her to go to Mugo. She tells him that the “women of Thabai and Rung’ei area sent me to you. They want you at the meeting tomorrow.”

         

We see that women succeed where the men have failed, as Mugo responds to Mumbi – although, ironically, he does not give the speech she expected to hear at the celebrations. At the end of the novel we see how Mumbi persuades Gikonyo to face up to his life, just as his mother told him to,

“Read your own heart, and know yourself.”

There is a “valley of silence” between Gikonyo and Mumbi. It is only at the end of the novel that this is bridged and Gikonyo hears Mumbi’s side of the story. The trouble between Mumbi and Gikonyo, which began with Gikonyo refusing to talk about the child, reaches a crisis. Mumbi leaves him and their marriage seems broken.

In many of the novels Ngugi has presented the problems of the women in African society. In A Grain of Wheat, there is an effect of patriarchy in the marriage of Mumbi with Gikonyo. Although she has some problems in her marriage, she cannot tell her family, and also though she wants to go her parents’ home, she cannot do this because of the patriarchal ideology, because in such a society, her parents take sides with her husband. Her mother’s statements upon Mumbi’s decision to go home demonstrate the power of patriarchal ideology. Wanjiku, Mumbi’s mother, says Mumbi,

“The women of today surprise me. They cannot take a slap, soft as a feather, or the slightest breath, from a man. In our time, a woman could take a blow and blow from her husband without a thought of running back to her parents.”

In the novel A Grain of Wheat centres around the female character Mumbi who is the connecting thread with the other characters. It shows that how the female character was treated in the colonial society.

In the entire novel this character played very vital role which is connecting with each other. Mumbi’s character explains the situation of the African society and the history of Kenya through the myth of Gikuyu and Mumbi. Mumbi is the connecting thread with other characters in the novel A Grain of wheat.

Conclusion :-

So, with the help of this all the statements we can conclude this point in a favour of character of Mumbi. As we disused earlier that her character is very strong character in this novel. And she is the only female character who is a thread between all the characters.

Here Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o tried to give very powerful voice to her female character like, Mumbi. Without her presence this novel seems very dull or lack of interest.

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The White Tiger: A Challenge to the Ethnic Codes of India

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The White Tiger: A Challenge to the Ethnic Codes of India

Name:  Pipavat Gopi

Course No. 13: The New Literature

Topic :- The White Tiger: A Challenge to the Ethnic Codes of India

M.A. English Semester – 4

Batch: 2015 – 2017

Department of English

Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University

The White Tiger: A Challenge to the Ethnic Codes of India :

The entire novel is narrated through letters by Balram Halwai to the Premier of China, who will soon be visiting India.

Balram is an Indian man from an impoverished background, born in the village of Laxmangarh. Early on, he describes his basic story: he transcended his humble beginnings to become a successful entrepreneur in Bangalore, largely through the murder Mr. Ashok, who had been his employer. Balram also makes clear that because of the murder, it is likely that his own family has been massacred in retribution.

In Laxmangarh, Balram was raised in a large, poor family from the Halwai caste, a caste that indicates sweet-makers. The village is dominated and oppressed by the “Four Animals,” four landlords known as the Wild Boar, the Stork, the Buffalo, and the Raven. Balram's father is a struggling rickshaw driver, and his mother died when he is young. The alpha figure of his family was his pushy grandmother, Kusum.

Abstract :

Aravind Adiga’s The White Tiger is the story of a man named Balram Halwai and his journey of redemption from regression and suppression. The writer paints a sardonic and dark picture of India. and this article is an endeavor to bring out the truth behind his representation of the nation. Adiga views India as being infested with servitude and swath, where a man born in a poor family finds his chances of progress being limited and the conditions prevailing in India are such that propel the self of an economically deprived individual to justify a crime like murder, Language in India Political Perspective and become a legal as well as social criminal. Adiga has raised many issues in his work and it Is a fact beyond contestation that India is being confronted by most of the issues put forth by him. But what concludeshis work as an unacceptable representation of India is that he has increased the magnitude of the problems manifold, so that they seem to be the dominant factor in Indian society.It cannot be argued that his work is devoid of reality  but it is indeed the exaggeration of reality, which makes his work liable to criticism and splenetic reactions My paper would critically examineand bring about clarity betweenAdiga’s India and the real India. Keywords:Aravind Adiga, White Tiger, Light,Darkness, Servitude, Defunct.Indian Diversity and Indian Writing in EnglishThe worst of times usually brings about the best in nations. And India throughout its glorious history, has encountered its fair share of adversities,whether they be in the form of invasions, slavery or famines and so on.Each part of history is unique, in its own way and the consciousness of the nation has always found an effective medium to express itself through the writers of the age Same is the case with modern day India in which the Chetan Bhagats, Vikram Seths, Amitav Ghoshs have become the voice of the nation.However,the new age writers of India will probably find the task more difficult than their predecessors,Primarily because of India’s diversity and divisions existing in its social, economic and cultural areas. Indiaone of the most diverse nations in the world is almost incomprehensible and cannot be limited within the realms of a single book. Its facts are just too many, to be amalgamated into one single work. That is why Chetan Bhagat has more or less focused on college students.

Aravind Adiga is an Indian-Australian writer and journalist. He was born on 23 October 1974 in Madras.

The White Tiger by Arvinda Adiga tells two interrelated and interested stories about Balram and his success in life, his success causes moral decay. Darwinian concept of survival of the fittest is very applicable to the novel. But what are really matters a lot in this novel is changing phase of morality, which can be considered as new morality which is full of immortal items.

Ø How the white tiger challenge the ethnic codes of India?

Let’s have a look on this question very deeply with some basic arguments.

1.    The way writer has narrates the Nation and the character is a bit shock full to the readers. India has changed its face and the new face is full of crime and corruption.

2.    The situation has become in such a way that none will believe another one easily. The image of India is changed and it is worse than the prior where the humanity and honesty was at the centre of Indian’s Heart.

3.    The novel presents the elements of darkness and light of India. It talks about the journey of darkness to light. How Balram Halwai, as a son of poor rickshaw puller, escaped a life of servitude to become a successful businessman, describing himself as an Entrepreneur.

4.    Balram being the hero of the novel talks about his life to Mr. Jiabao. He begins the story by telling about his service at tea-shop with his brother at Dhanbad. While working in the tea-shop he begins to learn about India’s government and economy from the customer’s Conversation. Balram describe himself as a bad servant and decides to be a Rich person.

5.    He learns how to drive and got a job at Mr.Ashok’s house. Balram moves to Delhi and worked at Mr.Ashok’s place as driver cum Servant. Being a servant he learned lot of things about the harsh reality of life.

6.    The White Tiger is the form of seven letters to the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao who is planning to visit India and the letter are delivered by a Bangalore Businessman Balram Halwai. In these letters he tells him his journey from Munna to the White Tiger, the portrayal of New India. When he becomes a driver of a rich family in New Delhi, he learns that success often involves corruption, cruelty and inhumanity.

Delhi has become the synonym of crime and corruption. The situation has become in a way strange that none believe another one easily.

Newspapers, now, speak of the cases of exploitation, mal-practice, cheating, murder, bribery, fraud, etc. the image of India is changed and it is worse than the prior one when honesty and humanity was at heart of India.

This is how the novel challenges the Ethnic codes which make people aware of moral values but those values are subsiding day by day in India. 

One more thing which is highlighted in the novel is communication between rival countries India and China. Both these countries are emerging as next powerful country of the world and Adiga has shown this idea even in the novel. As Balram Halwai sends the Chinese premier letters, it means he makes him aware of Indian culture and moral aspects. China is far better so far as their moral codes are concerned.

The White Tiger is his rebuke of the cheerful and false notions of a new and transformed India. Adiga has travelled various parts of the country including places whose backwardness has shocked his sensibility. He himself says about this novel that it has been the fruit of his labours as a reporter.

Balram Halwai writes about three countries with admiration;

Ø Only three nations have never let themselves be ruled by foreigners: China, Afghanistan, and Abyssinia. These are only three nations I admire. (The White Tiger)

Furthermore, Adiga writes: “ The future of the world lies with the yellow man and brown man because “our erstwhile master, the white skinned man, has wasted himself through buggery, mobile phone usage and drug abuse.”

(The White Tiger)

As it is mentioned earlier, he tries to portray the picture of India, and India- China are emerging countries.

This novel also presents the elements of darkness in the entire book. Balram Halwai comes from Biharic-rural area and in New Delhi and Bangalore becomes villain’s character. His actions question the morality of India. It is the country where the myths of Gods and Goddesses exist, where the martyrs became the winners, where Gandhiji was born and where humanity was at the heart.

Now, the condition is changed, the myths are washed away and the Gandhian ideologies become ancestral and the martyrs become the foolish who sacrificed their lives for their patriarchy.

 Balram is not only a hero but a modern –Indian hero, and modern heroes are different from their ancestors. Balram, at the same time, is not only an entrepreneur but also a roguish criminal with a remarkable capacity of self-justification.

The characters also seem superficial. Balram’s boss and his wife, Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madam, are caricatures of the insensitive upper-class, cruel to and remote from their employs. Balram and other driver Ram Prasad go for buying liquor for his boss. This is the present India where wine becomes the livelihood of modern man and people openly accept it and enjoy it. The White Tiger also shows this mentality of Indian.

It advocates the idea of crime similar to the novel The Godfather by Mario Puzo, at the very beginning of the novel he writes;

“Behind every great fortune there is a Great Crime”

  - Balzac

(The Godfather by Mario Puzo)

Same thing is similar to this novel and to the character of Balram Halwai, as his fortune and his modernity as a master become a part of crime. He murders Mr. Ashok, his master, to whom he was merely a driver but as he shows modern India, kills his master and breaks the ethnic codes of India.

West culture and tradition have affected Indian society in a way that Indian people even have surpassed all the levels of immorality.

In the novel, the present situation of India is demonstrated for example, there is the voting system and it is already pre-planned whoever will become next minister is decided at the beginning and sometimes they force people to vote particular party.

For example, Vijay, the bus conductor attacks and insults the rickshaw-puller for election. Indian water system, roads, hospitals get repaired or established when the election comes close. People cheer up the Great Socialists saying that “Long live the Great Socialist.” But those socialists are corrupted, they have reached to their success by committing crime or murder which is the dark side of India.

This is how the moral ideas are broken down by those who crush the poor people and slaves. Munna is the poor boy but when experiences reach to him, he puts his step forward to Mr. Ashok. In older India, the multiculturalism prevailed and all the castes and cultures lived together like bread and butter, but, the present condition says something else about India.

Now, there is no relation between Hindu and Muslim at least not that much of the prior one. The number of murder rape and revenge is increasing each day.

This is how the writings of the novel challenge the Ethical elements of India, as Mukesh says to Ashok,

“This is India, not America. There’s always a way out here”
(The White Tiger. pg-121)

With the help of  Mukesh’ statement, it becomes clear what exactly he does is the comparison between India and America so far as their moral conduct is concerned.

America is far better than India because the people are not that far corrupted, first of all for them their nationality becomes important and then other matters come as its follower. They give priority to their nation whereas; Indian people are always concerned about their own advantages. Patriarchy has evaporated from the mind of the nationalists.

The novel also advocates the Marxist theory of all are equal but the novel does not deal with the idea of social values. Balram kills Mr. Ashok to be equal to him but at the same time he becomes a murderer.

That’s why it is said that,

All Are Equal, But Some Are More Equal Than Others.

- Animal Farm (1945)

The Indian nation has failed somewhere and the statue of Gandhiji in The White Tiger is shown differently than the statue of him in Delhi. It also presents the ideas of class conflict, society division and rapidly changing world. Bourgeoisie class is at the centre because the number of this class people is highest than any other and also it shows that progress can make an unmake civilization, as it is called unethical progress.

The idea of uniform is also very big thing in this novel. For example, dress, fashion, popular magazine, popular music, slang, television and internet are demonstrated as alternative subversive cultures as against the established standard cultures. There are layers of cultures like high culture and low culture. It is having consumption behaviour like if you have money you spend.

Idea of success overtakes humanity which happens in the novel The White Tiger. Changing behaviour and changing language become a share of this novel.

Conclusion :-

Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger observes the competitive “Jungle Law” current in Indian culture by demonstrating how the traditional values and behaviours of the caste system are undermined by the Western ideas of individualism and capitalism which imply the fittest survive and succeed.

The desperately clinging traditions of caste prohibit success and advancement, thus the only way to improve one's self is to betray such institutions.
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Harry potter

The theme of love and death is as old as human being live on the earth. The theme of love and death goes parallel to the text but stands opposite throughout the text. The theme of love and death can be divided into two parts: Willingly and forcefully. Harry potter is the best example of the love because he stands due to the scarifying of his mother’s life out of love. Harry stands out of love while horcruxes Voldamort stands out of evil sources. The past of both are same because both are brought up without parents but here Harry got love from those who are surrounded to him while Voldamort has company in the form of followers. And those who follow Voldamort, due to self-motive and out of fear. So, in a way he never got love in his life. Another important thing is that – Why has Harry needed to hide his love? Voldamort think that love is the weakness of human being. Harry is aware about mentality of Voldamort. If Harry tries to reveal his love with Ginny, he may attack on his love.

Death is inevitable reality of life whether we accept or not. What is the importance of the story of three brothers? The story of three brothers telling the ultimate reality of life is death. In whatever ways we trying to hide ourselves but death find its own way.  It can be applicable to the life of Voldamort because he tries to preserve himself in seven horcruxes though at the end he died. In addition he also knows that “Neither can live while the other survives”. So he tries to destroy Harry. While on the other hand Harry willingly sacrifice his life to save people in front of evil but he save out of love. So here we can say that love winning over the evil.

2. At the very beginning the first power lies in the hand of J.K. Rowling. J.K. Rowling has power and due to that she also able to give power to female figure but it is not happen here. So, on the ground of J.K. Rowling we should criticize herself also that – What are the reasons behind it that even she wasn’t able to give justice to her female characters. And if we talk about the character of Hermione, she is intelligent and “brave” enough. Why am I used brave because normally “brave” word used for male only. But here Hermione is capable to defeat male also through the spell. So she is brave enough mentally. At the very beginning of text Hermione portrayed as a strong character than Harry also but as the text go ahead; it is take part of Harry. Harry becomes more powerful as story growing. Another observations are also criticized on the ground of feminine perspective that Ron aware about the power and capability of Hermione but he never wants to tell this to Hermione because it is may harm the ego of Ron (male). Dumbledore died that time the property given to Harry and his friends. There also we find out the gender discrimination because the important tools are goes to male pocket while the book which is considered as a soft part is given to Hermione.

3.. Children’s literature and Harry Potter: The novel is related to the children literature it means that the children literature books were related to the ideas of self-observing it means that children should like those things which were directly related with their self-existence and self-learning also So we can say that J.K Rowling has created the new world into the novel which is directly connected to the speculative literature as we can see the children's literature. In Harry Potter mostly all the scene were related to the magic and power of reality and a different world which is not possible into the real world also. So children like those things which related to power and magic as well as a different world also. 

Hereby I am sharing score of my self-assessment for this blog.
Overall Visual Appeal- 2
Navigation & Flow- 2
Mechanical Aspects-2
Motivational Effectiveness of Introduction- 2
Cognitive Effectiveness of the Introduction-0
Connection of Task to Standards- 2
Cognitive Level of the Task- 2
Clarity of Process - 2
Scaffolding of Process- 0
Richness of Process- 0
Relevance & Quantity of Resources- 2
Quality of Resources- 0
Clarity of Evaluation Criteria-2
Total Marks:- 18/50

task sense of Ending

What is the meaning of phrase ‘Blood Money’ in Veronica’s reply email?

Most of the secrets in the novel are revealed in the end part of the novel. including the old retarded fellow, the meaning of the letter, and the significance of Adrian’s page of diary. All the confusion created during the narration are solved at the end except for the phrase “Blood Money.”

As we know after reading the novel that Sarah Ford the mother of Veronica has left 500 pound and other documents. Veronica calls that 500 pounds blood money. Generally we use the phrase blood money for the money which is earned by mischief, or by committing some kind of crime. This phrase is most disturbing to the narrator Tony Webster. Many times he tried to understand why Veronica calls it blood money? but he never get the answer.

As now we know the fact that there was a relation between Adrian and Sarah, and as it was mentioned in the letter sent by Sarah to Tony that Adrian was happy during his last days; obviously with Sarah ford. And the money which Sarah left for Tony is as a gift or a token of love to Tony because it is he who cause the meeting between Sarah and Adrian.

Thus, Veronica calls it Blood Money because it is earned at the cost of murder of the relation/ of love between Adrian and Veronica.  

2How do you decipher the equation: b = s – v x/+ a1 or a2 + v + a1 X s = b?

It is the equation Tony found it in the diary page of Adrian. Earlier in the novel Adrian use it to demonstrate chain of responsibility.

I would decipher it as

1.      b = s – v x/+ a1  as B= Baby, S=Sarah, V=Veronica, and A1= Adrian

thus for the Baby all three are responsible.

2.     a2 + v + a1 X s = b?

B= Baby, S=Sarah, V=Veronica, and A1= Adrian and A2=Anthony

They all are the units of a chain, a chain of responsibility which caused the birth of a baby.

Adrian was able to meet Sarah only because he was boyfriend of Veronica,

And it is Anthony/Tony who suggests Adrian to meet Sarah.

Thus not only Adrian and Sarah are responsible for the retarded child, but it is collective action of all these characters which resulted in the birth of a child.

Was the mentally retarded middle aged ‘Adrian’, Tony’s friend who did not commit suicide and was suffering from trauma and thus gone mad, and was living with hidden identity?

No it’s not true(according to the story- unreliable narrator), This mentally retarded person is the son of Adrian and Veronica’s mother Sarah Ford. The retarded Adrian is the result of late age pregnancy of Sarah. According to the

Story  Adrian the friend of Tony has committed suicide long before. We can say he his super sense of morality, and the guilt conscious of Adrian forced him to commit suicide.