Plotting the Story
pp. 39-43 What information do we get about Douglas and his work?
Douglas Rivers operates as the assistant of Mr Crawford who is the collector. Douglas speaks Hindustani very fluently( p.39, 21). He is often dealing with Indians and he is responsible for „settling a great variety of local problems“( p.39, 22-23). He always works in his office or in the courts and not at home, so Olivia never comes in contact with it( p.39, 24-24). Sometimes some of the local rich men come to pay their respects and sit on the verandah with their offerings. Douglas has a firm and manly voice and when he speaks the rest just agrees to it.
The relationship between Douglas and the rich local men:
Douglas calls them „a pack of rogues“ and that they think that they´re cunning but he says that they´re really like children.
I think that expresses the stereotyped thinking of the colonial powers of the time. In their view the “White Man” had selflessly come to bring civilization and progress to the retarded peoples of Asia and Africa. There is also another example for it because Mrs Saunders calls their servants „devils“ and that they could really drive anyone crazy and have bad habbits as well.
