Previous
Chapter 18
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Beyond the Sky and the Earth, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Culture Shock and Home
Buddhism and Everyday Life
Ethnic Nationalism and the Outsider Perspective
Women’s Role in Society
Summary
Analysis
Zeppa takes a truck to Sherubtse College. The vice-principal shows her the new place where she’ll be living, and although he apologizes for the quality, she is amazed at how much nicer it is than her apartment in Pema Gatshel. She gets a tour of campus and learns that the school was once public but is now affiliated with the University of New Delhi, which sets the curriculum. As Zeppa walks into the village of Kanglung, she can tell it’s not much bigger than Pema Gatshel but looks much more prosperous. Zeppa is amazed at the amenities her college has compared to the schools where other teachers like Lorna are stationed—Sherubtse even recently bought a machine to slice bread.
Arriving at Sherubtse College, Zeppa learns how much living conditions can change from village to village. At the college, she sees that while it is not quite the life she was used to in Canada, people generally don’t live with the same hardships or poverty as they do in the smaller, more rural villages. Having experienced what life is like in Pema Gatshel, Zeppa is able to see things like a bread slicer through fresh eyes and realize exactly how much more privilege and convenience people have here.
Active
Themes
