August Heinrich
English 241
Five Questions
Shalimar the Clown
1) Was
it fair for Max Ophul’s reputation to be entirely tarnished for his
transgression toward Boonyi?
2) Was
the loss of Kashmira a fair punishment to Boonyi for her transgression towards
her people and way of life?
3) How
much blame should be placed on Edgar Wood for Boonyi’s decline into addiction
and madness?
4) Is
Shalimar’s anger justified? If not, when
do his actions become excessive?
5) Are
the actions taken by General Kachhwaha on Kashmir under “President’s Rule”
justified at all? Why?
3. I believe that Edgar Wood was the enabler to her addiction. She was in a dangerous state of mind after having abandoning her husband and life at home. She was likely to enter the life of drugs and addiction and as her watcher, he brought her the devices she needed to enter into ruin. Especially once she became obese he was to blame. As someone who was that fat, she couldn't get her own food or drugs. All he needed to do was stop fueling her addictions and eventually she would've stopped eating or doing the drugs. That being said, had he not brought her food she would've continued doing the drugs and potentially become even more addicted and to even more drugs.
ReplyDelete4. I do believe Shalimar's anger was justified. They were childhood sweethearts and went through many hoops to wind up married together. They were truly in love and each other's firsts. He even warned her not to stray, knowing he would not be able to handle it. She went back on her marriage oath to him out of pure selfishness. She betrayed him because she wanted to leave their town. She could've requested that they travel and see the world, but instead of remaining faithful she schemed and plotted to abandon him knowing it would devastate him. Boonyi's actions were heinous and therefore Shalimar's anger was justified.
4. I do not think Shalimar's anger was justified. That's ridiculous. Yes, they were married because of a forced marriage to spare Boonyi's reputation. But, right after they first had sex, Shalimar immediately threatened her. While it is acceptable for Shalimar to be upset, his anger became excessive the minute he decided he was going to follow through with the execution of Max and India. Rushdie set this character up to be a savage - and he did so successfully.
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