Dimensions: 4th Reading Assignment

A Bend in the River
Parts 9, 10
(Pages 140-167)

Part Nine:
     On the same evening of the party, while Salim is still excited from the mood of earlier in the evening, Indar begins to acknowledge his depression aloud. Salim narrates, "the moonlight that made me light-headed deepened his depression, and it was out of this depression that he began to speak." (Page 141) This section of the book was filled with Indar telling his personal story of how he came to be where he is now.

Part Ten:
     In the beginning of part ten we are told that Indar had started telling Salim his story on the night of Yvette's party (which we already knew) but that he had added to it at later times. Salim then outright admits that he is obsessed with Yvette. The reader already knew he was starting to develop strong feelings for her on the night he met her because of the context and foreshadowing. Then we find that Salim felt protective toward Indar, because of his stylishness, exagerations, and delusions. Salim felt sad that Indar would be leaving soon. Indar didn't want Salim to see him off. When the time did come for Indar to leave, he left without a big goodbye. Ferdinand also left the Domain, and Salim felt that the Domain was forever closed off to him.
     Salim then backtracks a little to talk about Ferdinand's leaving. He would be making a trip to the capital, which was important to him. He didn't want to make a big deal out of it; on page 158, Salim narrates, "The journey to the captial was important to Ferdinand; and because it was important, he wished to play it down." Unlike when Indar left, Salim was there to see Ferdinand off. Ferdinand would be travelling in a first-class cabin, which "suggested luxury."
     Ferdinand and Salim decided to explore one of the two "cabine de luxe." It turned out that Indar's plane that was supposed to leave the day before had been taken out of service by the President, so Indar would be on the steamer in one of these extra-special first-class cabins. Yvette was seeing him off, and for a moment Salim felt very jealous and anxious. When it was time for the steamer to leave, Salim stood with Yvette to watch it go. His thoughts changed; at first he had felt that he would be the one with the hard journey of his "little life" but now he felt Indar had the hard journey ahead of him since he had been sent away.