Transmogrification of Paradise

TRANSMOGRIFICATION OF PARADISE

ROHINTON MISTRY’S A FINE BALANCE

                                                                                  B. INDIRA.

 It was a vindication of sorts: he was not alone in being appalled by the hideous rape, (AFB, p.217).

However, as years of seasonal discord passes by, the perverse satisfaction soon gives way to a heavy heart. “The lighter the snow covers, the heavier his heart,”(p.217). The son assumes that his father is simply indulging in histrionics as Kolah declares that taking a walk now is like ‘going into the war zone.’ For Kolah the ‘long, solitary rambles’ were a source of delight especially soon after winter when ‘every outing was graced by delicious uncertainty…’(p.217). With the assault of development,

Now a days, every stall was like a death watch. To see what was still standing and what had been felled. Coming upon a favorite tree, he would stop under its branches for a while before moving on, [AFB, p.218].

For it may not be there when he visits next. Maneck the son is incensed at the father’s behavior as the towns folk conclude, “Mr. Kolah’s screw is getting a little loose. He speaks to trees and rocks and pats them like they were his dogs,”(p.218).