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Moyna's potential to become an independent woman in "The Rooftop Dwellers" is limited by her fear of rejection in what is essentially a traditional Indian society.
Evidence:
---wants to leave the women's hostel (where she was originally staying) because she doesn't feel independent; she relies on the other women for acceptance, help, and advice.
---adopted Mao (the cat) even though she knew that the cat wasn't allowed to live with her in the hostel (or in the barsati), displaying a note of rebellion. She wants to be her own person, even if it does mean going against the rules, but she doesn't want to get in trouble and thus tries to keep the cat a secret.
---does not get a room in a barsati for quite some time. "But Moyna had already 'looked around' and while, by comparison with the cell in the women's hostel, all the rooms had seemed princely, shamingly is was she who had been turned down by one prospective landlord or landlady after the other. She had been scrutinised with such suspicion, questioned with such hostility, that she realised that no matter what they stated in their advertisement, they had nothing but fear and loathing for the single working woman, and the greatest dread of allowing one into their safe, decent homes" (3105). She wants to be honest with the landlords, but she does not get a room until she presents the hosts with false modesty. This proves that she's also super desperate to be on her own (out of the hostel), despite the suspicion and scrutiny she goes through with the land-people.
---"He looked at her with the kind of exasperation her own brothers turned on her when she failed to understand what they were doing under the bonnet of the car or with electric gadgets at home. She came from a family so competent that she had never needed to be competent herself" (3107). You'd think that, after relying on her family for everything for so long, she'd want to be independent too, right? She just doesn't know how to go about doing it.
---when Ritwick discovers that Moyna's barsati does not have a storage tank for water, Moyna begs him not to ask the Bhallas (her landlords) about it, promising to do it later. She doesn't want Ritwick to do things for her--and she's also afraid that confronting the Bhallas' about something like a storage tank would ruin her chances of keeping the barsati. He does anyway, of course. "Mrs Bhalla turned away from him and looked at her tenant with an expression that made clear what she thought of any young woman who would be asleep at five in the morning and 'at work' at five in the evening. She clearly had an equally low opinion of sleep and work, at least where her young tenant was concerned" (3109).
---has to rely on Gurmail Singh to get her to and from work because she can't wait around for the autorickshaws because she's afraid/warned not to use the bus.
---envies Tara, who manages to be an independent woman without worrying about the rest of the world. "She managed somehow to convey her need to escape from family and home, and Tara felt both maternal and proprietorial towards her, while Moyna immensely admired her style, the way she smoked cigarettes and drank her coffee black and spoke to both Raj Kumar and Bose Sahib as equals, and she hoped ardently to emulate her, one day" (3111).
---Moyna initially only speaks up/fights with Bose Sahib when she knows Tara will back her up--like with the name of the magazine. Moyna only brings it up because she and Tara were discussing it earlier. (This changes later.)
---Moyna is afraid to go out in the world by herself. "Tara thought Moyna could go out in search of advertisements, but when Moyna looked terror-struck and helpless, and cried 'Oh, but I don't even know Delhi, Tara,' she got up, saying resignedly, 'All right, we'll do the rounds together, just this once,'" (3113). Tara enjoys the chance to walk around Delhi. Later one... "Moyna followed her, quietly impressed if uncertain as to whether she could bring off a confrontation so satisfactorily" (3114).
---worries about what her landlords think. "'Tara, please don't bring Adrian again,' Moyna begged. 'I don't know what my landlord thinks about me. He seems to think I'm some hostess or entertainer, the way he and his wife go on'" (3116).
---Tara mentions that Moyna isn't mature and Moyna protests with: "'I am grown up! I live in a barsati! I don't want to be thrown out of it, that's all.'" (3116) Mohan (coworker) tells her that girls should not live on barsatis and that Moyna should live in a women's hostel.
---When her radio is stolen, Moyna does not want to get the police involved because she's afraid the Bhallas' will kick her out of her barsati. Ritwick calls the police, however, and Moyna leads them to the house. "At the gate, Moyna's courage failed. She looked around wildly in the hope of seeing Gurmail Singh with his autorickshaw ready to put-put her away from the scene, but of course he was not there and Ritwick and Karan between them silently compelled her to open the gate and lead the party in." (3120). When she eventually finds out that the servant boy took it, she doesn't do anything at all.
---won't tell family what's really going on in Dehli, no matter how bad it is, because she doesn't want them to worry or be at all concerned about her. "She also knew she was trying to hold onto her pride, as she sat there, stroking and stroking Mao" (3119).
MORE TO COME.
Evidence:
---wants to leave the women's hostel (where she was originally staying) because she doesn't feel independent; she relies on the other women for acceptance, help, and advice.
---adopted Mao (the cat) even though she knew that the cat wasn't allowed to live with her in the hostel (or in the barsati), displaying a note of rebellion. She wants to be her own person, even if it does mean going against the rules, but she doesn't want to get in trouble and thus tries to keep the cat a secret.
---does not get a room in a barsati for quite some time. "But Moyna had already 'looked around' and while, by comparison with the cell in the women's hostel, all the rooms had seemed princely, shamingly is was she who had been turned down by one prospective landlord or landlady after the other. She had been scrutinised with such suspicion, questioned with such hostility, that she realised that no matter what they stated in their advertisement, they had nothing but fear and loathing for the single working woman, and the greatest dread of allowing one into their safe, decent homes" (3105). She wants to be honest with the landlords, but she does not get a room until she presents the hosts with false modesty. This proves that she's also super desperate to be on her own (out of the hostel), despite the suspicion and scrutiny she goes through with the land-people.
---"He looked at her with the kind of exasperation her own brothers turned on her when she failed to understand what they were doing under the bonnet of the car or with electric gadgets at home. She came from a family so competent that she had never needed to be competent herself" (3107). You'd think that, after relying on her family for everything for so long, she'd want to be independent too, right? She just doesn't know how to go about doing it.
---when Ritwick discovers that Moyna's barsati does not have a storage tank for water, Moyna begs him not to ask the Bhallas (her landlords) about it, promising to do it later. She doesn't want Ritwick to do things for her--and she's also afraid that confronting the Bhallas' about something like a storage tank would ruin her chances of keeping the barsati. He does anyway, of course. "Mrs Bhalla turned away from him and looked at her tenant with an expression that made clear what she thought of any young woman who would be asleep at five in the morning and 'at work' at five in the evening. She clearly had an equally low opinion of sleep and work, at least where her young tenant was concerned" (3109).
---has to rely on Gurmail Singh to get her to and from work because she can't wait around for the autorickshaws because she's afraid/warned not to use the bus.
---envies Tara, who manages to be an independent woman without worrying about the rest of the world. "She managed somehow to convey her need to escape from family and home, and Tara felt both maternal and proprietorial towards her, while Moyna immensely admired her style, the way she smoked cigarettes and drank her coffee black and spoke to both Raj Kumar and Bose Sahib as equals, and she hoped ardently to emulate her, one day" (3111).
---Moyna initially only speaks up/fights with Bose Sahib when she knows Tara will back her up--like with the name of the magazine. Moyna only brings it up because she and Tara were discussing it earlier. (This changes later.)
---Moyna is afraid to go out in the world by herself. "Tara thought Moyna could go out in search of advertisements, but when Moyna looked terror-struck and helpless, and cried 'Oh, but I don't even know Delhi, Tara,' she got up, saying resignedly, 'All right, we'll do the rounds together, just this once,'" (3113). Tara enjoys the chance to walk around Delhi. Later one... "Moyna followed her, quietly impressed if uncertain as to whether she could bring off a confrontation so satisfactorily" (3114).
---worries about what her landlords think. "'Tara, please don't bring Adrian again,' Moyna begged. 'I don't know what my landlord thinks about me. He seems to think I'm some hostess or entertainer, the way he and his wife go on'" (3116).
---Tara mentions that Moyna isn't mature and Moyna protests with: "'I am grown up! I live in a barsati! I don't want to be thrown out of it, that's all.'" (3116) Mohan (coworker) tells her that girls should not live on barsatis and that Moyna should live in a women's hostel.
---When her radio is stolen, Moyna does not want to get the police involved because she's afraid the Bhallas' will kick her out of her barsati. Ritwick calls the police, however, and Moyna leads them to the house. "At the gate, Moyna's courage failed. She looked around wildly in the hope of seeing Gurmail Singh with his autorickshaw ready to put-put her away from the scene, but of course he was not there and Ritwick and Karan between them silently compelled her to open the gate and lead the party in." (3120). When she eventually finds out that the servant boy took it, she doesn't do anything at all.
---won't tell family what's really going on in Dehli, no matter how bad it is, because she doesn't want them to worry or be at all concerned about her. "She also knew she was trying to hold onto her pride, as she sat there, stroking and stroking Mao" (3119).
MORE TO COME.
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