in the mountains Flashcards
Though she was still in her thirties, she completely forgot to care for herself or think about herself as a physical person.
Pritam has embraced her isolation and lives how she wants, flouting society’s expectations.
A black country brew such as peasants drink…rough and barely furnished room in the rough stone house perched on the mountainside.
Highlights the primitive conditions that Pritam lives in, symbolic of her ‘living on the edge’
How’s everybody? Same as usual? Eating, making money?
Repetition of rhetorical questions used to show that Pritam does not think highly of the way her family lives their life
The prospect of meeting held no pleasure for anyone… they sighed at the necessity of keeping up family relationships.
Illustrates how forced the family relationships in the story are.
You even hate my tea.
Pritam assumes that her family look down on her for the way she lives her life.
He was a tiny man, shabby and even dirty. He wore a kind of suit but it was in a terrible condition and so were his shoes.
Strong adjectives used to illustrate the poverty Dr Sahib exists in. Shows he is incapable of looking after himself.
What are we but two mountain hermits? Or you could even say two mountain bears.
Rhetorical question reflects the friendship between Pritam and Dr Sahib. His use of the pronoun ‘we’ makes them seem united. He relies on her more than she relies on him. He uses affectionate nouns when speaking about her.
She always felt freezing cold in the house, which seemed like a stone tomb.
The use of the simile foreshadows feelings of loneliness and isolation
She is thinking we are two guilty lovers.
Pritam seems to think that her family will be ashamed of her choice of friend (Sahib) - ‘guilty’. Perhaps this is reflective of what happened in the past; it also foreshadows the relationship/chemistry she has with Bobby.
As was evident from his fluent English, Doctor Sahib was an educated man… he was a great embarrassment to his family.
Our past actions greatly influence how we are perceived and relate to society.
The mountains stretching away into the distance – a scene of desolation.
While the mountains appear to be isolating and dangerous, they also offer freedom and opportunity to Pritam and Dr Sahib. Pritam’s mother wanting to stay there shows there is solace in the mountains.
Birds cleaving through the mist, afloat in the pure mountain sky.
The mountains are beautiful, Pritam sees this beauty even though others see it as isolating and lonely.
She had been a big, handsome girl with independent views.
Pritam has opinions which do not match the norms and values of society. She has had to remove herself to find freedom and maintain her independence.
It struck her how much like a murder victim he looked.
Pritam judges Dr Sahib’s appearance repeatedly. There is some irony with this. Alternatively, she pities him and wants to take care of him.
Oh lord, why must these good and noble souls endure such torment, while others, less good and noble, can enjoy themselves freely?
The rhetorical question highlights Dr Sahib’s own experiences, communicating that mistakes (possibly innocent?) have a significant impact on the present
