Controversial Isolation

There is an overwhelming presence of isolation in this novel that permeates through generations, locations, and characters. I believe that Mala’s home can be seen as an extremely paradoxical symbol of this theme. It is common knowledge in society that individuals who seek refuge from loneliness tend to embrace their communities as a form of social support and belonging. Mala pushes back against this conception with an understanding that, “the scent was indeed more pleasant than the stink that usually rose from beyond the wall” (138). In this passage it is evident that there has been a role reversal in what constitutes an isolating presence. Surrounded by a barrier of soil, insects, decay, and death Mala feels welcomed and safe. She does not fear the “screaming crickets”, the “frantic moths”, the “hairy bodies”, the “crazed bats” (138). Instead, she fears the stink of what lays beyond. There is a potent stench of putrid curiosity that emanates from tepid visitors who can only conceptualize her existence from behind a physical and metaphorical barrier.

Up until Mala’s last day in her home it was her against them. Her community is a pollutant that can only be thwarted by the powerful and pure forces of nature that engulf her home. Mala’s perfumed barricade is stronger than their betrayal, their ignorance, and their malevolence, so she shrouds herself inside of it. In light of these observations, I hypothesize that Mala transcended her human form after losing her sister. In that home she resembles the weather, the insects, and the pungent cereus more than she resembles those who share her corporeal form. By embodying her environment she is able to temporarily step away from the pain that grounds her human experiences. The boundary between Mala and society controversially reverses the concept of social comfort in a bold and creative way.