Maji Abstract in Heat and Dust
Maji Abstract in Heat and DustShe sat astride me. I couldn’t see her clearly in the dark, but she seemed larger than life and made me think of some mythological figure: one of those potent Indian goddesses who hold life and death in one hand and play them like a yo-yo.
The quote is from the Narrator. She is talking about Maji, a friend of Inder Lal’s mother. Many villagers believe that Maji has certain powers (54). Initially, I think this quote is rather simple, but on a more intimate level it is revealing the Narrator’s fascination and bewilderment over the exotic and sacred practices of Indian women. The quote is rich in imagery and symbolism. When the Narrator says that Maji is “larger than life” and much like the “potent Indian goddesses” my perception of Maji becomes much more complex (164). I begin to appreciate Maji’s simplicity and wisdom in a way that would not have been possible without the quote.
Throughout the novel, we get to learn more about Maji. According to the Narrator, Maji is a very earthy-looking peasant woman; she is quite fat and always jolly (83). This quote supplements other interesting facts about Maji. The narrator regards Maji as an enigma, a mysterious force of human and supernatural elements. The Narrator tells us that Maji was a midwife, a fact that seems to surprise the Narrator more than if Maji actually had supernatural powers (138).
The quote also helps me to understand the importance of Maji’s character in the Novel. As with India, Maji is much more complex and advanced than what we initially perceive. Maji had been a married woman with several children. She had been the bread winner for her family, then after her husband’s death, Maji spent several years on holy pilgrimages (138). The Narrator is surprised to discover that Maji continues to have a worldly life despite her dependence on friends and her life inside her earthen hut.
Additionally, the quote is relevant because it occurs after Maji’s samadhi. Maji has the ability to reach a higher state of consciousness in the state of samadhi. After she completes her transition from the samadhi to ordinary life, Maji asks the Narrator if she would like to have an abortion. The Narrator is curious and allows Maji to perform a simple massage. Certainly, the Narrator believes that Maji is supernatural to some degree, she describes Maji’s massage, “Her hands seemed to have a soothing quality . . . again I had the feeling of her transmitting something to me–not taking away, but giving (165).
Finally, the Narrator is convinced that Maji’s powers and her energetic massage will induce an abortion, the Narrator prevents the completion of it. Immediately, the Narrator cries out for Maji to stop. The Narrator asks Maji if something will happen because she does not want Maji’s efforts to be successful (165). Rather, she wants to have the infant. Through the use of the quote and the events surrounding the Narrator, we understand Maji’s wisdom more clearly. We learn that the Narrator will keep her child. The Narrator says, “It was absolutely clear to me now that I wanted my pregnancy and the completely new feeling – of rapture –of which it was the cause (165). Maji made her realize that new feeling, perhaps that is why she laughs reassuringly after the massage as if she knows more about these emotions than the Narrator knows.
Ultimately, the Narrator realizes that Maji did not harm the pregnancy, “I thought of the way she had sat astride me, a supernatural figure with supernatural powers which it now seemed to me she had used not to terminate my pregnancy but to make sure of it: make sure I saw it through” (173). Indeed, Maji is not a mythical goddess, but she is a woman who seems to understand her place in life and in the life of others.