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Privately I thought, Well, and what if we gave in to our troubles at every step! We would be pitiable creatures indeed to be so weak, for is not a man’s spirit given to him to rise above his misfortunes?

After Kenny offers Selvam a position as his assistant, Rukmani counters Kenny’s philosophy on want and endurance in Chapter 19. Once again Kenny exhorts Rukmani to cry out when she needs help rather than suffer in silence. Yet even her argument against his position is silent, expressed only in her thoughts. In this passage, she highlights the contrast between Western and Indian traditions. Kenny stands for action, particularly to alleviate physical suffering, and as a doctor, he dedicates his life to this goal. In the chapter just preceding the quote, Kenny admits to Rukmani that he has lost his wife and children because of his work in India, another concept quite foreign to Rukmani, for whom family is critical. As a westerner, Kenny fights the appalling poverty of India with his will and his skills. He works among the people until he droops with fatigue. Kenny lives what he preaches, taking direct action against suffering by treating the villagers’ illnesses and crying out for help through his fund-raising.

Rukmani, on the other hand, puts more emphasis on the spirit than on the flesh. She considers it a weakness to give in to trouble. As her losses mount, her endurance increases. When Raja dies at the hands of the tannery guards, Rukmani does not cry out for compensation, for she believes there is no compensation equal to a human life. When the monsoon flood ruins their crops and damages their shelter, Rukmani turns to her resources and savings rather than expecting help from outside. With her strong spirit, she refuses the role of “pitiable creature” even though she is poor. In Hindu belief, suffering is a form of purification, and Rukmani is willing to bear her suffering and rise above misfortunes. However, there is one exception: when she realizes she is barren, she cries out to Kenny for help. By consulting Western medicine, Rukmani reaches across the philosophical divide.

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