CANE IS BITTER

Lía Antepazo Vidal

Ana Carballeda Blanco
Mariña Castro Fontao
Celia Castro Vázquez
Main points

The author Plot, structure and Point of view and Characters Theme Irony and symbols
conflict setting
Samuel Selvon
● 20 May 1923 - 16 April 1994

● Born in the South of Trinidad

● Inmigrant parents

● Grew up in sugar plantations

Author’s writing

● Best known for his novels such as: ● Other notable works include the collection
➢ The Lonenly Londoners of stories such as:
➢ Moses Ascending ➢ Turn again Tiger
➢ A Brighter Sun ➢ Ways of Sunlight
WAYS OF SUNLIGHT
● Short story collection
● Formed by 19 short stories including Cane is
Bitter
● The author writes in Creole language
● Book divided into two parts:
I. Part one: Countryside
II. Part two: London
The island of Trinidad
● British colony since the 18th century.
● Between 1838 and 1917, around 145,000 Indians immigrated to Trinidad.
● The island gained its independence in 1962.
PLOT AND STRUCTURE
Exposition

Introduction of the setting:

● February, crop season.

● Small village in the southern part of
Trinidad.
● Description of Ramlal and Rookmin:
the parents of the protagonist Romesh.
Inciting incident

● Romesh’ parents start to plan the marriage of his son without asking him.

Flashback or analepsis
● Confrontation.

"You are content to go hungry, to see your children run about naked, emaciated,
grow up dull and stupid, slaves to your own indifference.” (Page 54)
Rising action

● Focus on Romesh’ perspective.

● Foreshadowing:

“He had prepared for this,prepared for the land on which he had toiled as a child,
the thatched huts,the children running naked in the sun. He knew that these
things were things not easily forgotten which he had to forget.” (Page 55)
● Ramlal’s thoughts.

"That is the way life is [...]Education, school,chut! It was only work put a roti in
your belly, only work that brought money. The marriage would change Romesh.
And he felt pride in his heart as his son spat on the blade". (Page 58)
Climax

● Maximum tension. Intense conflict.

“Well now, you know that is our custom that a man shouldn’t go to pay visit to the
girl he getting married...”

“What! Romesh looked from face to face.” (Page 59)

● The revolution against his father and society begins.

Falling action

● Advancing towards the

resolution
● Romesh fights an internal
conflict
Resolution and dénoument
● Romesh finally mades up his mind.

“I am not going to stay, bap. [...]I will help with the crop, you shall get the bonus if
I have to work alone in the night. But I am not going to get married. I am going
away after the crop.” (Page 62)

● Women gossip about Doolsie’s failed marriage. She answers them:

"All-you too stupid! [...] You wouldn't say Romesh is the only boy in the village!
And too besides, I wasn't going to married him if he think he too great for me".
(Page 63)
THE CONFLICT

● Between individuals.
● Individual vs society.
● Individual vs himself.
 Between individuals
Romesh and his parents Rookmin and Ramlal

● Ramlal is a closed minded traditional man that ● Rookmin is less traditional than her husband
wants his son to follow his rules ● She saw the education of Romesh as
● Wants his son to work in the cane and get something useful
married

○ “You think he would remember we when ○ “Education is a good thing, Rookmin

he come a big man? And besides, by that said, without intonation. one day he
time you and me both dead” might become a lawyer or a doctor,
and all of we would live in a big house
● The conflict between Romish and his parents in the town, ad have servants to look
represented at the same time a conflict with the after we”
society that he was brought up in.

○ “ Romesh revolt against his parents

wishes, against tradition and custom”.
 Individual vs Society
Village vs city Women vs patriarchal society
● Clash of societies
“ Half her desires and emotions were
● The village is anchor in the past
never given a chance to live”
○ “ It seemed to him that if he had come
back after ten years, there would still be
the old table in the center…”

○ “ The children would waste away their

lives working with their parents. No
schooling, no education…”
 Individual vs himself
“ He wasn’t quite sure what he was
going to do. he kept telling himself that
he would go away and never return, but
bonds he had refused to think about
surrounded him”
Characters
● Romesh
● Ramlal
● Rookmin
● Doolsie
● Siblings
● Sampath and villagers
Romesh
● Protagonist
● Eldest son
● Literate: speaks normative English
● Aware of the condition in which his family lives

○ “Surely you, bap, and you, mai, the years must have taught you that you must make a
different life for your children, that you must free them from the ignorance and the wasting
away of their lives?”
○ “ There is only one solution, Romesh went on, we must educate the children, open up new
worlds in their minds, stretch the horizon of their thoughts…”
Ramlal
● Patriach
● Selfish, imposes his thoughts over everybody
● Traditional
● Spiteful towards Romesh
○ “ You have to do what we say, he said loudly. Ever since you in the city we notice how you
change. You forgetting custom and how we Indian people does live.”
Rookmin
● Mother
● Realises education is important
○ “ Education is good thing, Rookmin said, without intonation. One day he might become a lawyer
or a doctor.”
● Doesn’t express openly her feelings
○ “Rookmin looked like she was going to say something, but instead she shut her eyes tight”
● Both Rookmin and her husband are characterized through physical description.
○ “He was a big man, and in earlier days was reckoned handsome. But work in the fields had not
only turned his skin to a deep brown but changed his features”
○ “ Rookmin was frail but strong as most East Indian women. She was not beautiful, but it was
difficult to take any one feature of her face and say it was ugly”
Point of view
● Third person narrator
● Heterodiegetic
● Omniscient
○ “He was thinking about the last time his son Romesh had come home…”
○ “He felt pride in his heart as his son spat on the blade”
○ “Everyone was happy in Cross Crossing”
○ “She knew he had something in mind”
○ “And now and then shutting her eyes so the others wouldn’t see what she
was thinking.”
Setting
● Place

● Time

● Social context
Place
● Cross Crossing
● The hut
● The fields
● Imagery
○ Looks
○ Feelings
○ Smell
○ Sound
○ Touch
Time and social context

● Three days
● Set in the 60s

● Segregation
● Racism
● Patriarchy
● Marriage
Irony

Dramatic irony
Symbols
● Cane
● Slavery, primitive ways and tradition.

○ “But he saw how waves of wind

rippled over the seas of cane and he
wondered vaguely about big things
like happiness, and love and poetry,
and how they could fit into the poor
toiling lifes the villagers led.”
● Wind:
○ Change
○ Rumours

“As the wind whispered in the cane, it carried the news of Romesh’ revolt
against his parent’s wishes,against tradition and custom”.
● Sun:
○ Pass of time, timetables
○ Burns they cannot scape

“The wind rustled through the cane. Overhead, the sun burned like a
furnace.”
Themes

● Wanting to change and have a better life may suppose some sacrifices.

● Sometimes you must go against your family in order to achieve your own
happiness.

● The fact that something is considered a tradition doesn’t make it an absolute

truth.