Plot+(2)

__**Plot (2)**__


 * Crisis** - //A turning point in the story that has a powerful effect (positive or negative) on the main character. The crisis usually leads to the climax of the story.//

In Heat and Dust, the crisis is clearly when Olivia reveals that she is pregnant (141). Her pregnancy acts as a turning point in the story, that not only has a strong effect on her, but also on Douglas. Olivia realizes that she is not sure if the father is Douglas or the Nawab, as she had an affair with the Nawab at the shrine of Baba Firdau in an act of lust and infidelity. Her reaction to her pregnancy humiliates Douglas, a husband of traditional British values who disapproves of her time spent with the Nawab, and causes an uproar within the British community in India. These series of events represent a sharp increase in action, which later acts as a build-up to the climax of the story.


 * Climax -** //Is the result of the crisis (mentioned above), and represents the turning point in action. It is usually the point of greatest intensity of the story, and is the high point of the story for the reader.//

The crisis of Heat and Dust, where Olivia discovers she is pregnant (141), leads to the climax of Olivia deciding to get an abortion. She reaches out to the Begum for help -"Ask your friend the Begum" (162), not only representing a turning point in action, but also a major point where Olivia's change in character is most apparent. Even after the abortion, instead of returning to Douglas, she returns to the palace and seeks the Nawab's help.

Although later, the narrator similarly becomes pregnant - "Maji has informed me that I am pregnant" (137), this is not as climatic as Olivia's pregnancy. The narrator's story acts as a parallel between the two worlds, and often her story follows a similar series of events as Olivia. In addition, as her pregnancy follows Olivia's, the action seems less intense and does not serve as a high point. The narrator's story is simply one of following Olivia, while Olivia's story serves as a story in itself. Furthermore, the narrator's reaction to the pregnancy is very different from Olivia's, which also makes the action not as much of a turning point. Olivia feels as is she is faced with a dilemma, while the narrator laughs off Maji's suggestion of an abortion.


 * Falling Action -** //The events following the climax, which bring the story to an end.//

Following Olivia returning to the palace, the Nawab buys and maintains a house for her in a village in the Himalayas. This represents the end of their relationship, as he later never mentions her again and is buried in his own problems. The narrator, who is also pregnant, decides not to get an abortion and moves to the same village that Olivia lived during the duration of her life.


 * Resolution/Denonuement/ -** //The resolution rounds out and concludes the action and often acts as a solution (or an ending) to the problem.//

The story ends with Douglas re-marrying, but not having the affection towards his new wife as he had towards Olivia. After the break in her relationship with the Nawab, Olivia spends the rest of her life in the small village in the Himalayas alone, and dies in the 1950s, when she is cremated against traditional British values. The Nawab, who dies shortly after Olivia, is plagued by his own problems, namely financial issues and eventually loses the good looks that contributed in alluring Olivia in the first place. The narrator lives in isolation in the same village as Olivia, and has her child on her own.

Overall, the resolution of the story provides a grim ending to the story. Most of the characters spend their lives unhappy, and choose to accept their situations. The lasting effect of the Olivia's story is the scandal that follows her name after her death.