The Englishwoman by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
"The Englishwoman" by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala tells the poignant story of Sadie, a 52-year-old Englishwoman who has spent thirty years in India as the wife of an Indian man. Despite her long residence, Sadie remains emotionally connected to England and decides to leave her husband, children, and grandchildren to return to her homeland. This departure is marked by mixed feelings; while Sadie is thrilled at the prospect of returning, her husband’s mistress, Annapurna, expresses genuine sorrow at her leaving, highlighting the unique dynamics within their unconventional family structure.
The narrative explores themes of identity and belonging, as Sadie reflects on her past and the gradual erosion of her marriage, which has transformed into a friendship devoid of romantic intimacy. As she prepares to leave, Sadie recalls a moment from her past when she first sensed her disconnection from her life in India, stemming from a longing for the quiet comforts of her childhood home. Ultimately, Sadie's impending departure becomes a symbol of her reclaiming her identity and the joy of returning to her roots, as she envisions the English landscape that embodies her true self.
On this Page
The Englishwoman by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
First published: 1976
Type of plot: Autobiographical
Time of work: The 1970's
Locale: India
Principal Characters:
Sadie , the protagonist, a fifty-two-year-old Englishwoman who has been living in India for thirty yearsHer husband , an IndianAnnapurna , her husband's mistressDev , andMonica , Sadie's children, now grown up
The Story
Although fifty-two-year-old Sadie has been married to an Indian and has lived in India for thirty years, she has always remained an Englishwoman at heart. She feels young and free as she packs her bags and prepares to leave her husband, children, and grandchildren in order to return to England, where she intends to spend the rest of her days.
Over the years her relationship with her husband has so withered away that their marriage now exists in name only, but they remain friends. The person who is apparently most upset at Sadie's impending departure is Annapurna, a distant relative of her husband who now lives with them as his mistress—an open arrangement that suits everybody, including Sadie. There appear to be no hard feelings on any side. Annapurna is genuinely grieved that Sadie is about to leave the household because both she and Sadie's husband love her in their own way and enjoy taking care of her. Sadie, however, is so thrilled to be leaving that she can hardly contain her joy, but she tries to suppress her smiles because she feels ashamed of her happiness in the face of their grief at her leaving.
Sadie has carefully planned her departure. A week earlier, she went to Bombay to say good-bye to Dev and Monica, her grown children who have families of their own. When Monica asked her why she was leaving, Sadie explained that as people age they grow homesick for the places where they grew up until their need to return becomes unbearable. Monica understands and sympathizes, and both her children promise to visit her regularly in England. The only person who remains inconsolable is Annapurna, who cries and repeatedly asks whether Sadie will miss them, their love for her, and her life of the past thirty years. Sadie, however, is merely appalled to think that it has been such a long time since she left her real home.
Sadie does not like to remember the time when she arrived in India as a young English bride of a slim Indian boy with bright eyes, whom she had met when he was a student at Oxford. She was happy then, even when her husband was busy with his activities outside the home, because the family had lavished so much attention and love on her. However, the heady excitement of her strange new life in India paled over the years until she lost interest in it and her marriage. Her husband began straying to other women. Annapurna then entered the house after fleeing from an abusive husband, and she slowly took over Sadie's duties of a wife. Sadie was grateful and there was never any bitterness or jealousy between them. Annapurna looked after her husband, fed him delicacies that made him fat, and played cards with him during the evening before taking him to bed. After they retired for the night, Sadie often stayed up for hours arguing with herself about her own future.
It was during those hours that she decided to return to England. When she announced her decision, it seemed sudden, but she had actually agonized over it for a long time, and she realized that she had begun preparing to leave some twenty years earlier. She could even mark the exact day—a moment when her young son was very sick. Sadie wanted to nurse him alone in peace and quiet, but his room was filled with the numerous women of the house who fussed over him until it nearly drove her crazy. She remembered the cool and quiet sickrooms of her own childhood in England, which her mother had periodically visited with medicine. When she sensed the alarming difference of her new life, she became distraught and burst into tears on her husband's return. He and Annapurna struggled to soothe and comfort her, without understanding the real reason for her distress. She knew then that she did not belong.
On her last night in India, Sadie feels excited and young again. As she gazes over the moonlit garden of her Indian home, it is transformed into a vision of the English downs as she remembers them, and the wind that she feels is the English wind against the hair of her youth.