1) Characterisations

The novel „Heat and Dust“ by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is divided into two plot-lines which feature many similarities. These links can also be seen between the two main characters Olivia (1923) and the narrator (1970s).

The novel is about the narrator who travels to India to follow Olivia’s footsteps. During her journey she finds out many things about Olivia and her life with the Nawab and many things that happened to Olivia happen to her as well.

The narratoris an Englishwoman who travels to India to find out about her past. She’s the grandchild of Douglas and Tessie Rivers. From the very first she tries to adapt to the Indian culture, e.g. she’s wearing Indian clothes. She’s also studying Hindi which shows that the narrator is really interested in India and its culture. Although the Indians make fun of her and call her a „hijra“, the narrator tries to adapt to the Indian lifestyle, which reveals that she’s an open-minded person. She accepts the other way of living and therefore she is very tolerant as well.
Later on, the narrator gets to know Inder Lal, her landlord, and falls in love with him (at almost the same place like Olivia and the Nawab). When she gets pregnant by him, she first wants an abortion, but then changes her mind and decides to get the baby. This is the wide difference between her and Olivia’s story:

Olivia, a fine Englishwoman, is the first wife of the narrator’s grandfather. She came to India because of Douglas’ work, but does always have to stay at home with the servants. She becomes lonely and bored and feels worthless, because Douglas has no time for her. The childish and naive Olivia has no friends and seems like an outsider. Not until she meets the Nawab she changes her mind and begins to visit him more frequently.  The sensitive and emotional person (p. 29) starts an affair with the Nawab and gets pregnant by the Indian ruler. Olivia, who’s now torn between two men, decides to abort her child by making use of an Indian curative treatment. Later, she decides to leave Douglas and to stay with the Nawab who buys her a house in the mountains where she lives till the end of her life.
However, at the end Olivia is lonely again: The Nawab leaves to Britain and Olivia is on her own like she was when she was married with Doulgas.

Although Olivia and the narrator are two different persons, they have many similarities. Both of them came to India and both of them had an affair with an Indian man. They got pregnant, but only the narrator decided to get the baby.
Contrary to the narrator, Olivia never adapts to the Indian culture. She’s also unprepared when she comes to India and is inexperienced by it; in contrast, the narrator likes adventures.
However, there are also similarities: both women are very young when they come to India and both of them have to live with similar conflicts and problems, like e.g. conversation problems. Though, they resolve the problems in different ways, which results in that they continue their life in different ways likewise.