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
Later that day, Sampath’s family inquires with the local police to investigate his sudden disappearance. The neighbors gossip about this, and after one full day of Sampath having seemingly vanished off the face of the earth, the watchman of the nearby university research forest spreads the news that someone had climbed a tree in the old orchard outside of town, and hasn’t descended. Correctly assuming that a person this crazy must be Sampath, the family takes a bus to the outskirts of town to look for him in the orchard. When, after a while of searching, they find Sampath in his guava tree, he wonders what he might say to defend himself, but ends up saying nothing as his family urges him to come down.
Despite Sampath’s serious motivations for wanting to leave modern society behind, the humor and absurdity of the situation shines through in this sequence of events. Sampath’s family knowing immediately that Sampath is the man in the tree is both comedic and telling. It reinforces the association between Sampath and nature, while highlighting how ridiculous and unlikely the situation is. But the presence of guava fruit is still significant; Sampath has finally found a simple, happy place for himself in nature and is unlikely to return to modern life.
Themes
While Mr. Chawla, Ammaji, and Pinky tell Sampath to get down from the tree and stop this foolishness, Kulfi quietly recalls her own past, and her own feelings of being trapped and unable to escape. She feels she understands why her son is up in a tree, and knows that this is where he must belong. She tells Mr. Chawla to “let him be,” but Mr. Chawla refuses to allow his son’s behavior to continue, insisting that only monkeys climb trees, and that he’s the only person in the family with any sense. Meanwhile, Sampath holds tight to the branches of the tree, still silently refusing to descend.
Mr. Chawla comparing his son to a monkey strengthens Sampath’s association with the wildness of nature even further. Up in his tree, it’s almost as if he’s shedding his humanity and starting to become something different. This mention of monkeys may also be foreshadowing events to come. Meanwhile, Kulfi’s instinctive understanding of Sampath’s decision highlights how both of them feel similarly trapped by the constraints of modern life. Kulfi was in much the same situation in the first chapter, so she can’t blame her son for finding a means of escape.
Themes
Believing that something must be wrong with Sampath, the family enlists the help of the local Dr. Banerjee, who agrees to climb the tree to give Sampath a check-up when Sampath refuses to come down. After examining the young man, Dr. Banerjee can only shrug and admit that Sampath is physically fine but mentally crazy, and nothing can be done about that. Next, the family tries getting help from other doctors, who prescribe homeopathic remedies that seem to have no effect on Sampath’s behavior. Finally, they ask a holy man near the local deer park for help. They tell him that their son has gone insane and describe his behavior, but the holy man rules out insanity as an explanation, instead suggesting that they arrange a marriage for Sampath to solve this problem.
The repeated attempts of Sampath’s family to bring him down from the tree continue to heighten the absurdity of the situation. This sequence also introduces Dr. Banerjee, a minor comic relief character who appears only occasionally. When faced with the absurd and unbelievable reality that their son has decided to live in a tree forever, the family finally turns to the safety of tradition for help. The possibility of an arranged marriage represents order and cultural customs overcoming the chaos and antisocial behavior that’s disrupted Sampath’s otherwise ordinary life.
Themes
The family eventually finds a prospective bride for Sampath. The young woman arrives on a bus along with a group of singing pilgrims heading home from a visit to the nearby Krishna temple. These passengers happily agree to take the young lady directly to her husband-to-be up in the tree. As the group approaches, offering the girl in front of them like a gift, Sampath looks down at her and remembers fantasizing about the girl on the bottle of hair-oil in his bathroom. He feels hot and nervous as the crowd urges the girl to climb the tree and meet Sampath. Uncomfortable in the tree and unsure of what to do when she reaches Sampath, the girl lightly touches him, causing him to jump in fright and her to tumble back down to the ground in surprise.
The complete, ridiculous failure at an attempt to arrange a marriage for Sampath seems to confirm that he’s truly never coming down from his tree. When faced with the prospect of a proper, traditional life defined by other people’s expectations, Sampath recoils and clings to the chaotic new existence he’s found. Sampath’s memory of the girl on the hair oil bottle is a sign that he thinks romance is only something to be idly imagined for fun. The possibility of a real marriage and the associated responsibilities frighten him, only strengthening his resolve to stay in the tree.
Themes
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As the pilgrims fan the poor girl with a leafy branch and remark on how inauspicious these circumstances are for marriage, Mr. Chawla throws up his hands in exasperation. He wonders aloud what he’s going to do with Sampath, remembering how he himself had been Sampath’s age when he was married. Kulfi’s family had wanted to marry her off as quickly as possible, as they feared her odd behavior would only continue, and that they would have to take care of her for the rest of her life. When they learned that Ammaji was looking for a wife for her son, they offered her a valuable dowry along with Kulfi. Mr. Chawla had protested, not wishing to be wed to a woman who seemed so abnormal. But secretly, he had been attracted to her and happy to fulfil his role as the responsible and level-headed man of the family.
In this brief flashback, the details of Mr. Chawla’s past reveal more interesting facets of his character. As much as he makes a show of berating his family for their abnormality, he actually feels a sense of purpose and pride in contrast to them. Where his wife and children are strange and socially unacceptable in his view, Mr. Chawla gets to act as the cornerstone of order and rationality he’s always wanted to be. This highlights how his sense of self is firmly rooted in the idea of traditions, customs, and social norms. His family might frustrate him, but they also give meaning to his life.
Themes
Nonetheless, Mr. Chawla continues ranting about how he can possibly be expected to properly raise a boy who insists on living in a tree. The pilgrims agree with the sentiment and look up to Sampath to see how his father’s frustration is affecting him. Still uncomfortable around people, Sampath wants to shoo everyone away, but holds back this urge. He reflects on his post office days and recognizes some familiar faces in the crowd below. He calls out to one man, asking if the man’s jewelry is still buried under the tulsi plant. Shocked, the man asks how Sampath could know about that secret information. Sampath only knows because of the private letters he’d idly read during his post office days. But rather than admitting this, he continues asking members of the amazed crowd about matters they believed to be private.
Sampath is only playing a joke and messing with the townsfolk for fun, but this moment marks the beginning of a whole new life for him. The situation is absurd, as everyone believes Sampath to have some seemingly magical insight into their lives, when in reality he only read their mail. Nonetheless, their sense of awe towards Sampath is genuine, and their amazement adds another layer of comedy to an already ridiculous scenario.
Themes
Astounded by all the intimate knowledge Sampath somehow possesses, the crowd returns to Shahkot to spread the news of what they’ve heard. Surely Sampath is something greater than a normal man, to know all the things that he knows. Later that week, Mr. Chawla reads a local news story to the rest of the family. The story describes a mere post-office clerk who had climbed a tree, and who has since demonstrated a spiritual gift and incredible wisdom. Through this short story, Sampath is introduced to the world as something akin to a holy man.
At this point, it’s clear that Sampath’s impulsive decision has far-reaching consequences. The newspaper falling for Sampath’s joke takes the absurd comedy one step further, painting the novel’s world as more and more satirical. The townspeople growing to respect Sampath also highlights how they’re applying their social norms in a new way. Before, Sampath was just a madman up in a tree to them. But now that he seems to meet their expectations for what a wise holy man should be, they treat him with respect.
Themes
