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A Division of the Spoils
HISTORY OF SOUTHERN ASIA
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WE ARE OPEN - WEEK TWO ~ A DIVISION OF THE SPOILS - September 7th - September 13th > BOOK ONE: 1945 - Section One ~ An Evening at the Maharanees - Chapter 2 (pg. 35 - 74) - (No spoilers, please)
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Chapter Overview and SummaryPerron arrives early at the party at a rather dingy block of flats where the Maharanee resides. The servant serves him a drink and takes her to meet "Auntie" which is the name the servants use for the Maharanee. She is an exotic creature and seems well versed in Operation Zipper, a subject Perron chooses not to discuss.
Perron sees Major Merrick with two other men who are introduced as Count Bronowsky and Ahmed Kasim and remembers he had met Merrick earlier when he was involved in questioning an Indian prisoner who had been a part of the National Army. At that point, Merrick discovered that Perron had gone to school with Hari Kumar, his avowed enemy.
Sarah Layton joins them and Merrick tells Perron he is taking her home before the party gets worse. Perron is puzzled, and Merrick tells him that many of the "girls" there are actually young boys and all is not what it appears to be. The group leave the party and Perron is again asked about Hari Kumar but he remains vague about their friendship.
DiscussionI obviously am being obtuse but I'm not sure that this party would be of much use to Perron as the majority of people are of questionable character and how does one sort street rumor from fact? Would he be able to pick up any good information from the loose talk there or as Purvis says, it is a waste of time. Or was the object to get close to the Maharanee who may well be a good source of the information that the Army is seeking?(whatever that is).
Great questions, Jill. As the son of an intelligence officer who served on the Russian desk at the State Department, and who did some exemplary work, all of what you bring up is valid.In the context of the book: Perron is there because he was ordered, and the officer who ordered him is a knucklehead.
His orders do not put him in a position to gather any valuable information about threats to the waning war effort. In fact, in the larger context of the war whose outcome is determined, Perron's and Purvis' assignment at best is going through the motions of tracking down rumors that might have been of a more valid concern earlier. As Purvis notes, everyone knows about operation Zipper.
But, as a literary device, the party is an opportunity for characters from the three previous volumes to be thrown together with new characters, all of whom bring the baggage of their back stories as the quartet's final movement unfolds.
Perron, Merrick, Bronowsky, Sarah, the younger Kasim all are at the party physically; and through their back stories we become aware of Hari, and the older brother Kasim's involvement in the Indian troupe's betrayal of the Raj and its fundamental undermining of the Brits' delusion that India was so content to recognize its place as England's little, brown brother.
But we also start to weave together the stories of the characters. Merrick and his pathology are woven into the story through the recounting of the Kasim interrogation and his interest in Hari. The Layton sisters are woven in as well as well as Bronowsky.
In addition to the English perspective that is introduced at the party, there is the Indian perspective as well. The Kasim back story obviously is a manifestation of the Indian's yearning to be free of their colonial yoke. We also learn of a link between Perron and Hari.
They both attended the same upper-crust school in England. There, Perron asked Hari the difference between karma, and dharma; but Hari could not answer because he had become so English in his upbringing that these very fundamental Indian concepts were obscured.
Understanding karma and dharma can serve as a key to unlocking the quartet.
For instance, in Sarah's earlier ruminations about the individual's ability to influence history during the set piece of her sister Susan's wedding, we see a western parallel to the meaning of karma and dharma.
Leave it to you, Martin, to make some sense out of a rather senseless appearing situation. What better place to pull together all the major players from the first three books than at a party, even one of dubious interest and intent.To me Merrick's attitudes and personality are best revealed here. Although we knew how intense his feelings toward Hari were, it appears it has now turned into an obsession. He sees Hari as the center of some intrigue even though his original "sin" was his supposed role in the rape at Bibighar Gardens. Perron's acquaintance with Hari at school in England fans the flame of Merrick's obsession. He keeps gathering pieces of information about Hari and I assume that he will use these to bring him to the dock for treason against the British (or whatever charge is appropriate for an Indian citizen against an occupying country).
I know it is a little tough when you haven't read the first three books but I think you will do well.Re: the Maharanee.....she appears to be using a title to which she is no longer entitled since she divorced the Maharajah......but she is a new character in the Quartet and I think she probably uses it to her advantage without much comment from others, especially if she is a "madame".....is she? Looks like it to me,
The Layton sisters have been with us since Book I and have been involved in various aspects of the life of the British young woman in India but it is her mother, Mildred, who is the interesting person in that family. She is not what she appears at all and that may become clearer in Book IV.
I definitely agree about the Maharanee. Time will tell about the later.Why do you think Ahmed is working that job?
At one point, he was going to marry the Nawab's daughter, so I think that is still in the wind. A very advantageous liaison. Sarah Layton was once rather taken with him but, of course, that was taboo and he is really the one who kept distance between them.
Oh that's right! I do remember the marriage talk. :-)
Plus the Nawab is the "leader" of a small portion of India which is a stand-alone government (a princely state) which might just come in handy for Ahmed because of his father's political stance.....even though the older Kasim is keeping mute right now about where he stands with independence right on the doorstep.
Really? Now I never thought about that scenario although nothing would surprise me in this series. I was getting the feeling (and I think Martin mentioned this) that he had lost touch with the leadership during his time in prison and is not the power he once was. Without power, his opinion doesn't carry much weight. He was for a unified India and it is becoming pretty obvious that will not be the case.Strange things are happening in India, so your idea is not without merit, just not one that crossed my mind. Thanks for your thoughts on that mystery.
Your two cents are well received!!!!! There is so much going on now that the times are changing that I have to admit his behavior is questionable. He was such so outspoken and now he is a cypher....so maybe you have hit on something.
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Sometimes character development takes place in a series over multiple books and prison can change anybody or a son who you valued and placed on a pedestal doing something that is so foreign to you that you do not understand - that too can change a man like Kasim.
Bentley wrote: "Jill - there are no imposters - just to keep the conversation on track. Do not like to get into foreshadowing but the conversation needs to be grounded in reality and we do not want to confuse fol..."It's speculation, but that's part of the fun of a book club - discussing possibilities. I think my comments are fair game and that I should be allowed to express myself.
I think that a re-read will show a mutually appreciated exchange of thoughts here.
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Perron remembers meeting Merrick on an earlier occasion when he was interrogating one of the soldiers who had joined the Free India Army, only because he remembered the prosthetic hand. They spoke of Perron's schooling and wouldn't you know it, Hari Kumar came into the conversation. Merrick's obsession with Hari seems to have taken over his life Is it because of what happened with Daphne.......is it political......or what? I remember Martin saying on an earlier read, that Merrick was trouble (I am paraphrasing) and it is proving to be true. What do you think?
Will do, Bentley.Leslie,
Yes. Daphne was raped in the first volume. That and the prosecution/persecution of Hari, who we know is wrongly accused, throughout the quartet is a thread throughout the narrative.
And, yes, Merrick appears throughout the quartet. In my estimation, his malevolence grows and knows no bounds. I used the word "pathological" to describe him early in our discussion, and think it's an apt description.
Again, with the subject of karma in mind (karma is cause/effect, with motivation serving as what completes the act), Merrick's actions (karma) initially appear to be those of a small minded, but well intended, police commissioner - at least that assessment is warranted by the text, IMHO.
But, also early on in a scene where he invites Dauphe to dinner, we see at the least an alienated and manipulative man who could be perceived as a predator type.
He's a most interesting character. As William Blake noted, Lucifer/Satan is the center of our attention in Paradise Lost as Ahab is in Moby Dick. All three characters, in my mind, are cut from the same cloth.
Leslie,I might add that in a set piece during Susan Layton's wedding, the more thoughtful Layton daughter Sarah expounds on the individual's ability to influence history.
This appears, at least in this reader's eye, to closely parallel, if not converge on, the dharma/karma theme.
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Everyone else is taken.
Martin.....you caught on to Merrick very quickly when the Quartet began and saw trouble coming. But it appears that he has become even more strange. It would be understandable that his terrible injuries would make him a bitter man but is there more than that?
I get it. After I promise no more spoilers, you bait me with a spoiler question. Ok, the answer is...ha, ha, ha. I used to read Peanuts including the strip that occurred each year at about this time, you know, the one where Lucy holds the football and baits Charlie Brown to kick it and then pulls the ball at the last, sending CB sprawling on his back.I ain't Charlie Brown.
Your answer is in the spoiler thread.
Martin, no one would think you were Charlie Brown!!! I was hoping that there were some issues that were coming to the forefront that were clues to his attitudes on which you would give us your insight.......plain and simple.
Let me just say this about brother Merrick: you ain't seen nothing yet. This guy has a lot of downside to him. Issues hinted at as early as his evening with Dauphne have yet to rear their ugly heads. In the, ah, end, there is little to no ambiguity about this guy's pathology.
I have my suspicions about him but we will see if they turn out to be correct. Complex may be a good word for him.....or sociopathic!
One of the themes Scott is exploring is how assignment to India affects Englishmen. I think we've discussed this before. In Merrick, as noted in the text, the constable has vaulted to a position he never would have attained at home.The ramifications are disastrous. His pathology is unchecked because he is in a position of authority that remains unchallenged by his superiors because he goes through the motions of being a good constable.
But Scott allows the reader to see what really is going on, and what makes the wheels turn in the bad cop's head. At least, that's my take. I think it's pretty close to the text.
He's the greatest masterpiece of a villain I've come across in all of literature.
That's, ah, high praise.
The police scenario had crossed my mind as well. He has a "bad cop" mentality and suddenly he is in charge so to speak. Power corrupts, especially those who already have problems and his underlying anger is now being given free reign. He is in exactly in the right place and time to act out....the British turn their heads because it is India and nobody cares about the indigenous population. And yes, Kressel, he is a villain although a rather subtle one.
The subtlety is what makes him such a brilliantly-drawn character.
Perron is puzzled that Merrick seems to have easily made a transfer from the police to the military. The government was hesitant to do that early in the war and Merrick obviously was in a senior post in the police. I don't think he is aware of the Hari Kumar situation which may have greased the skids for the transfer.....but is there another explanation?
Perron is going to come to his own conclusion about that eventually.I re-read a bit from the beginning this morning. Gosh, this series is so awesome! Little details that don't seem that important on the first read jump out at you on the second.
But without any spoilers, I think I can say this. I wonder if there were ever any real Guy Perrons - upper class British men who chose to stay in the rank and file on principle.
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I thought it was an odd thing that he chose to do but it did give him flexibility with his life and direction.
Great question, Kressel. We know that Perron thought that officers were self-deluded, at least as far as India was concerned. He had studied India, knew Indians during his school days (even Hari Kumar!!) and knew that this was not a country of unworthy people who needed guidance from the British. It was certainly unusual for an upper-class Englishman to turn down a commission but I think he felt very comfortable being rank and file.
Kressel wrote: "Perron is going to come to his own conclusion about that eventually.I re-read a bit from the beginning this morning. Gosh, this series is so awesome! Little details that don't seem that important..."
'Aurence of Arabia, although that wasn't in India.
Your reference to Lawrence is very appropriate. He was a man who studied the Arabs, spoke the language in most of the dialects and promised the Arabs their own country. But being British and ordered to insinuate himself with the Arabs and gather them into a fighting force, he knew that the Allies had no intention of giving the Arabs their own country. He was misleading them which caused him personal pain. Perron, although not in quite the same situation, has much in common with Lawrence as far as his feelings for the people are concerned and his role as occupier. MHO.
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Paul ScottMartin, I think the post is a wonderful one but contains huge spoilers for the next book which we plan to read so I am moving it to the glossary spoiler thread. Additionally since this is a book not being discussed on these threads - it would have to be cited.
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Yes, odd I would never have cited him as Perron like until you and Martin just mentioned it - but he did have similar principles and qualities. However in Perron's case and not to get ahead ourselves I think he was pro England through and through - in terms of the love of his country and wanting to return to his native land and his family roots.
I would agree that Perron is loyal to his country and so was Lawrence. But I think in the case of both men, they had scruples about what England was doing to Arabia/India because they knew the people. The majority of the higher-ups in the military could not give a squat about the Indians and have made, for the most part, no effort to understand the culture.
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Agreed.I'd forgotten about citations. Will need to brush up. Thanks.
It's a small thing, but I greatly appreciate Scott's capture of the undercurrents associated with any party. Part of this, of course, is that the party serves as a means of folding in characters from previous volumes with newer characters and shifting into high gear as he winds up.But he does it in such an accomplished way that it's quite comfortable for the reader to envision being there, able to see behind the party action with all its innuendo and gauge the truth, or a truthful understanding, of what is going on.
The beauty of Scott's writing to me is that much is done by innuendo, as you mentioned Martin, or diversion.....read what you will into some of the situations that he presents. You may not be correct in your interpretation initially but as the story proceeds it becomes clear.Bringing together Count Bronowsky et al at the party is a device that works well.....the reader is concentrating on the party and what it means when it suddenly occurs that this is a clever way to re-introduce continuing characters. They could just as easily run into each other on the street or in a restaurant but instead, Scott adds the color and mystery of the party as the background.
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Books mentioned in this topic
Staying On (other topics)The Raj Quartet (other topics)
A Division of the Spoils (other topics)
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Paul Scott (other topics)Paul Scott (other topics)
For the weeks of September 7th - September 13th, we are reading BOOK ONE: 1945 -Section One - An Evening At The Maharanees - Chapter Two ~ A Division of the Spoils -Book IV,(pg. 35-74).
The second week's reading assignment is:
WEEK TWO- August 31st ~ PART ONE: Section One ~ An Evening At the Maharanees (pg. 33-74))
We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers. We will also open up supplemental threads as we did for other spotlighted books.
This book was kicked off on August 31st.
We look forward to your participation. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, local bookstore or on your Kindle. Make sure to pre-order now if you haven't already. This weekly thread will be opened up on September 7th.
There is no rush and we are thrilled to have you join us. It is never too late to get started and/or to post.
Jill will be leading this discussion and back-up will be Bentley.
Welcome,
~Bentley
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