Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Absurdity and Chaos
Nature vs. Modernity
Traditions, Customs, and Expectations
Exploitation of Spirituality
Summary
Analysis
The monkeys continue their reign of terror with renewed energy. They shrug off the slingshot attacks of Sampath’s devotees and begin to attack people in the streets of Shahkot in their relentless search for alcohol. After they bite two people, the town erupts in outrage. As the CMO (afraid of getting rabies from the monkeys himself) issues a statement urging the people not to panic, the Hanuman Temple speaks up in defense of the monkeys, which they consider to be sacred creatures. This splits the town into two factions: those who wish to respect the monkeys, and those who want them gone. The public officials of Shahkot fear the civil unrest that this controversial conflict will surely cause.
Though the monkeys’ shenanigans in Shahkot are absurd and unbelievable, the problems they cause for the town are very real and pressing. As nature and modernity clash very literally and violently all around town, its people turn on each other over matters of religious tradition. Those who treat the monkeys as sacred creatures believe in the importance of their cultural traditions, while those opposed to the monkeys can only see the chaos of nature trespassing in civilization. In both cases, the citizens of Shahkot respond to chaos by quickly and angrily attempting to restore order, much like Mr. Chawla.
Themes
The conflict over the monkeys manifests itself in front of Sampath’s tree, as both sides viciously argue in the once-serene orchard. Sampath continues giving his sermons, but he feels that his heart is no longer in it, and he knows that the arguing visitors aren’t really listening to his words anymore. Miss Jyotsna is firmly on the side of the monkeys, as she believes that Sampath (often called the “Monkey Baba”) would no longer be the Monkey Baba without the monkeys in his tree. She bursts into tears when Sampath’s family holds firm to their belief that the monkeys should be removed for Sampath’s safety. Sampath struggles to suppress his own anger and sadness as these fierce arguments rattle him. The monkey conflict seems to have made the entire town tense and divided.
As the orchard’s social order breaks down over the monkey issue, Sampath’s visitors exhibit the same exploitation of spirituality that Mr. Chawla has used throughout the past few months. To the arguing people of Shahkot, Sampath is no longer a person of his own, but a religious symbol to be used as a weapon against those who disagree with them. By inadvertently blending nature and modernity together, Sampath has stirred up a fierce conflict where he’s only a pawn for others to exploit.
Themes
