pineapple cake Flashcards
impressions of mrs fernandez (dissatisfied)
“but success never satisfies and Mrs Fernandez sighed to think how much easier it would have been if she had a daughter instead” (pg50)
- dissatisfied character who discriminates against her own child.
-thus, she is always looking for something better in life
impression of mrs fernandez (insincere mother)
“victor hadnt much faith in his mother’s promises.” (pg 51)
-unlike most nurturing mothers, who were quick to show love, victor’s mother is rather insincere.
-as she was rather unfulfilled by her unhappy life, she does not give her son any security. she constantly breaks her promises to him or finds excuses to not live up to her promises.
impression of mrs fernandez ( determined)
“take it, take the pineapple cake,” (pg 55)
- determined to get what she came to the wedding- a slice of pineapple cake.
- thus she does not allow the unexpected tragedy to distract her from her attendance of the wedding. also the cake is not a reward for her son, but a reminder of her having a taste of the “upper class”
impressions of victor (anxious)
“victor was a nervous rather than rebellious child.” (pg 50)
- although he is only a young boy, he seems tense and easily agitated.
- he is behaving like most boys, yet it is only later we learn that the reason he appears easily disturbed, is due to his mother’s neurotic behaviour and unfair expectations.
impressions of victor (afraid)
“so he would not exchange looks with her but stared stolidly down at his polished shoes, licked his dry lips and wondered if there would be Fanta or Coca Cola at tea.” (pg 51)
- constant expectations of him to behave well makes him terrified or even looking at her. Instead, he distracts himself with typical childhood fantasies of favourite drinks.
impression of victor (pitiful)
“she urged him, pushing him towards the plate, and when the boy didn’t move but stared down at the pantry dish… She ate it quickly.” (pg 55)
- like any typical child who is surrounded by an abusive or troubled parent, he just lets them have their own way.
- as she has no one to question her, Mrs Fernandez appears to take out her frustrations on poor victor. he is expected to follow her every command.
impressions - the bombay community
“the woman made little remarks about how beautiful Carmen Maria had looked and how the de Mellos couldn’t be badly off, tea at Green’s, after all.” (pg 52)
- the woman gossiped about trivial matters such as looks and appearances and seem to respect the wedding couple’s family because they were rich.
- hence, the location of the wedding tea reception is considered a status symbol.
“an omen, i tell you it must be an omen.” (pg 55)
-believe in signs and premonitions
- instead of trying to comfort the couple, the guests retreated to the balcony or moved away to comment on how this unexpected tragedy was a sign of bad things to come.
themes: life challenges of middle class indians
“this time it was seats at a suitable table that Mrs Fernandez demanded, could not find,”
- mrs fernandez is unable to cope wth challenges of being middle-class.
- being related to rich relatives, shows that she might have been from a family of upper-class.
- however, her life is o longer the same.
- troubles her that she could not even get a taxi to reception or more significant seats that were reserved for more important people
- irritated by her impoverished life and takes it out on poor victor
theme: childhood disappointments
- mrs fernandez is not very nurturing in bringing up of her son, makes victor feel “nervous”, “shoved out” and holds “him by the arm.”
- mrs fernandez is unlike most mothers and keeps him away from her emotionally and psychologically.
- she doesn’t trust her son to behave, so she controls his actions, behaviours, clothes and what he eats.
-inability of victor to be himself or think for himself together with her lack of keeping promises leaves victor disappointed and unhappy and afraid of mother’s expectations. - depicted the coldness of mother’s actions towards victor and leaves little room for love or warmth between them.
themes: the suffering female
“her mouth gave an impatient twitch and she reached out to fork the pineapple cake onto her own plate.”
- desai presents Mrs Fernandez who experiences loss in her life such as lost dreams and lost of social status.
-feels emotionally and psychologically oppressed by the rules of indian society and distances herself from the life she desires.
- in an attempt to hold on to her dream of experiencing the upper class, she goes to her rich relative’s wedding and is determined to eat the pineapple cake.
- her son is disgusted by accidental death
- mrs fernandez is determined to uphold some of her dignity by eating the pineapple cake
literary device: use of food imagery
“ ‘take it, take the pineapple cake,’ she urged him.”
- eating pineapple cake is Mrs Fernandez’s way of momentarily escaping from her middle-class life.
- for Victor, the spongy cake is a reminder of the horrific death of the old man during the wedding reception
literary device: use of death imagery
“an adam’s apple rose and fell so lugubriously”
- uses death to show the unpredictable event of the old man passing that affects the happiness associated with a wedding.
- even though the death was shocking, the rest of the onlookers did not do much to help with the situation
- victor, as a child is shocked , traumatised
- mrs fernandez still focus on eating her pineapple cake and the death did not deter her from her original purpose to attend this high-status wedding.
-through this usage of death imagery, desai provides a critical commentary of eccentric individuals and how children under their charge indirectly suffers the impact of unfulfilled desires.
literary device: use of diction
“Don’t you go and wet your pants, man”
-uses informal language to illustrate how mrs fernandez looks down even on people who do not match up to her expectations
- the use of the word ‘man’ is an informal way to address someone that appears to be lower in social status.
- mrs fernandez uses this to address her son as she wants to exercise her superiority over him.
- victor is just a child who wants to be appreciated by his mother, yet she has no time for him, only when she needs him to look good for her in the eyes of society
-this informal address shows her dissatisfaction for anyone who does not live up to her standards in life
significance of ending
“her mouth gave an impatient twitch and she reach out to fork the pineapple cake onto her own plate. she ate it quickly.”
-revelation of mrs fernandez oppressed self
-illustration of child’s disgust at the adults’ indifference just after an unexpected death
-further reiteration of a child’s disappointment due to games played by adult in their lives
-eating of pineapple cake exposes mrs fernandez lifetime suffering of lost dreams n pain she in turn inflicts on the vulnerable around her
-her greed in the context of a upper class, materialistic society
what is the similarity between pineapple cake and games at twilight?
“he lay down full length on the damp grass, crushing his face into it, no longer crying, silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance” (GAT)
“(he) didn’t move but stared down at the pastry dish as though it were the corpse on the red rexine sofa,” (pineapple cake)
-both ravi and victor face disappointment as children
-children look for answers or forced to grow up through childhood games of “hide and seek” or wedding attendance respectively.
- both expected to conform to societal expectations of adults
- both forgotten, mistreated or ignored because they do not fit in
