Writing about character’s journey

Working thesis: While both Mataji and Kanai found great joy in the simple lives the
found after leaving their families,
Question to answer:
 What is similar about the experiences?
o By what paths were the similarities reached?
 What is different?
o Why?
 Two people, two different paths, same destination: spiritual bliss. But why?
Characters:
 Jains:
o Prasannamati Mataji
o Prayogamati
 Bauls:
o Kanai
o Debdas
Outline:
I. Introduction
a. Religions in Modern India/ how it relates to author
b. Overview of Jainism
c. Overview of Bauls
d. Thesis:
II. Body Paragraph 1: Similarities—Simple, peaceful life w/out family
a. Left family—Personal experience
b. Wandering—experiences, music vs. what does mataji do?
c. Few material possessions
d. Peaceful, don’t feel the need to force others to believe—why do they
believe?
e. Joy in simplicity???
III. Body Paragraph 2: Differences—Emotions???
a. Attachment to people (love and companions are a core value of the Bauls
and Jain nuns are supposed to stay solitary)
i. Mataji felt guilty for being so attached to her friend
ii. Kanai and Debdas are each other’s “eyes and ears”
b. Jains try to suppress painful emotions; Bauls pour pain and sorrow into
their music and use the music to express their feelings
c. Kanai stopped his friend from fasting to death while Mataji helped hers
and decided to do it herself….VALUE OF MORTAL LIFE?????

d. Jains have extreme demonstrations of demonstration, such as plucking

their hair, sweeping the path before walking, eating rituals (19, 6, 12)
e. Bauls don’t believe in rituals, but Jains have many important rituals
Brainstorming
The Nun’s Tale and The Song of the Blind Minstrel

Main Similarities:
 Left Family, wandering, joy in simplicity
 Peaceful, don’t feel the need to force others to believe
 Respected by public
Main Differences:
 Attachment (to people)—Jain nuns are not supposed to and Mataji feels guilty for
having a best friend.
 Jains believe good deeds will serve them well later in life; bauls live in the present
but trust in a heaven
o Spirituality/ difference between benefits of good deeds


Categories:
 Nonviolence
 Simplicity/ wandering
 Spirituality
 Attachment