The Vendor of Sweets

Jagan believes that Grace is avoiding him. As he waits for her to cross the room he sits in, he thinks of the sweet shop. The daily crowds are increasingly unruly, demanding sweets from him even after his stock for the day has been exhausted. The cousin arrives and says that the sait spoke with him. There is a rumor that Jagan has agreed to raise his prices again. Jagan has said no such thing, and this new pressure worries him. The cousin says that he recently saw Mali, who told him that Grace is preparing to return to America. Also, the sait has agreed to buy shares in Mali’s company.

Two days later the cousin returns. He says that Mali is away, inspecting potential site for his factory, and Jagan should be able to visit Grace while he is away. Jagan reminisces about how we was sent to prison. As a volunteer in Gandhi’s legions of supporters, he had once climbed to the roof of the British Collector’s bungalow and had replaced the Union Jack flag with the Indian flag. When caught, he was badly beaten and incarcerated.

Jagan goes to the door of Mali’s apartment and knocks. Grace answers. He asks why he never sees her in his house anymore, and if she wants to return to her country. She says that Father Mo wants her to return because he can’t afford to keep her in India any longer. Grace reveals that she never married Mali. He had promised to marry her in India, “In the Indian way” (131), but had never kept his promise. Jagan leaves, feeling that Grace and Mali have polluted his home.

The next day the cousin visits. Jagan tells him that Grace and Mali are not married. He says that their impure actions have tainted his house. The cousin argues that the young people live in a different world than they do. Why must Jagan let himself get so upset? Jagan persists in feeling that he has been wronged. The cousin proposes that they arrange a hasty marriage for Mali and Grace. Jagan protests that it is impossible; they do not know her caste. The cousin says he knows someone who can perform the conversion ceremony so the marriage can take place, and Jagan views him as a savior. 

Jagan goes through an elaborate series of rituals to avoid encountering the immoral union of Mali and Grace in his house. He uses different doors than usual, and avoids certain areas of his house. It is revealed that his brother and sister have shunned him for allowing Grace and Mali to taint their family’s honor. His sister writes him a letter saying that Mali turned out badly because of Jagan’s influence. A fortnight later, Jagan speaks with Mali and tells him that they must get married. He explains the cousin’s plan to wed them and convert Grace into the appropriate caste. Mali says that they are both crazy, and that Grace needs a psychiatrist, a word that Jagan has never heard. As Mali leaves, Jagan is more confused than ever. He does not understand why Mali is so aggressive with him. 

One evening Jagan goes to sit on the pedestal of the statue of Sir Frederick Lawley. He remembers when he traveled to meet the woman who would become his wife. When he arrived at their house, he was greeted by a large group of siblings, chaperones, and questioners. Throughout, he grew more anxious to see his bride. He did not know what she would look like, or what her personality would be. But he grew more excited and impatient with each minute, wearying of the endless procedures that were required of an arranged marriage. When he glimpsed her, the exchange was so brief that he was unable to form an opinion. After returning home with his brother, all of his own relatives give their opinions. It becomes clear that the decision to marry her is not entirely his; the other family members must also grant consent. Finally, the marriage takes place and nearly 3000 people attend.

Jagan is happy to find that he loves his new wife, whose name is Ambika. When they are alone, they spend all of their time making love, to the extent that he begins to fail in his studies. Soon, though, he becomes selfish and spoiled. He is an inattentive, childish husband. After 10 years, they still have no child of their own, and Jagan worries that his manhood is being called into question. He has nothing to show for his marriage. In the absence of a child, Ambika grows increasingly impatient with his mood swings and tantrums. They both feel judged by Jagan’s family for their inability to conceive.

Jagan continues to fail at his BA exams, and continues to blame everyone else for his lack of studiousness. One day his father announces that they are going to the temple on Badri Hill. Visiting the temple is the only way to cure Ambika’s barrenness. Jagan agrees reluctantly. But first, he applies himself to his studies with great determination. He never misses a class, never fails to study, and it looks as if he is on the right path. Then his father insists that they have waited long enough and must go to the temple immediately. After a long bus ride, they arrive at the base of the mountain on which the temple sits. Mali is born almost exactly nine months later. 

Jagan has dozed off at the foot of the statue. He awakes and realizes that his house is no longer his. But he does not feel remorseful about this. He goes home to collect a few things and finds himself more assured than ever about his decision to leave the house. As he walks away, he sees the cousin on a bicycle. The cousin falls off, but is unharmed. He tells Jagan that he must come with him—Mali has been arrested for drunkenness. He had half a bottle of alcohol in his car during a time of prohibition. Now Jagan must come meet with an attorney. Mali is being held in the same jail in which Jagan had been imprisoned.

The cousin suggests that the bottle might have been left in the car by a hitchhiker that Mali may have picked up. He outlines a strategy of the things Jagan must say during the trial so that he can be a successful character witness for Mali. Jagan refuses. He knows that Mali will learn an important lesson from his arrest. He tells the cousin that he is going away to the grove where Chinna works. He tells the cousin that if he sees Grace, to tell her that if she still wants to return to America, Jagan will buy her ticket.