The Mistress Of Spices

The Paradise

Encarta World English Dictionary defines Paradise as “a place or state of perfect happiness: a place, situation, or condition in which somebody finds perfect happiness”. In 1997, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni wrote “the Mistress of Spices”, a novel based around Tilo, a very mysterious shop keeper, who fells in love with Raven, an ordinary American. The author uses Tilo and Raven to show how in three separate stages of their lives their definition of paradise changed. It is the evolution through these stages that the author proves that Tilo and Raven ultimately reach their personal paradise.

The three stages that Tilo and Raven went through were very different. In the first stage as Tilo was born, “the midwife cried out at the veiny purple cowl over my face, and the fortune-teller in the rainfly-filled evening shook his head sorrowfully at my father” (page 8). The author goes on to explain “They named me Nayan Tara, Star of the Eye but my parents’ face were heavy with fallen hope at another girlchild, and this one colored like mud.” (page 8).

Shortly there after, Tilo and her family realized that she possessed special powers. “I cured the daughter of a potentate, foretold the death of a tyrant, drew patterns on the ground to keep the good winds blowing for merchant sailors” (page 9). The knowledge of these special powers grew from village to village, bestowing luxuries on Tilo and her family.

Tilo defined her first paradise in her special powers until her powers did not offer any defense against the pirates who wanted her fortune. This was evident when she yelled as they took her away, “Mother, I never thought it would be like this...Father, sisters, forgive me, I who had been Nayan Tara, who had wanted your love but only won your fear. Forgive me , my village, I who in boredom and disappointment did this to you” (page 19).

The first stage for Raven was quite different from that of Tilo. Raven came from a typical American family. This father was “a quiet man, big and slow moving. The kind that when you’re with them you feel yourself slowing down too, calmness covering you like a cool blanket, even your heartbeat.” (page 162) The first memory of his mother was “always cleaning, with angry kind of energy.” (page 163)

Raven thought his paradise was realized until he discovered “that there was a place inside of my mother that she kept away from everyone, even me, whom she loved more than anyone. As the storyline progressed Raven’s paradise was redefined when his mother would not let him learn his heritage from his great-grandfather. Raven discloses “that was the first time; that I really hated my mother.” (page 219)

Tilo’s the second stage began when she wanted to become the Mistress of Spices. This journey required Tilo to answer several questions “Are you ready to give up you’re your young bodies, to take on age and ugliness and unending service? Ready never to step out of the places where you are set down, store or school or healing house? Are you ready never to love any but he spices again?” (page 42) It was at this time Tilo answered the questions correctly and was rewarded with the name Tilottamo.

Tilo’s life was filled with the singing of the spices. She was rewarded with the ability of heal her customers with the powers of the spices. This paradise was redefined when she meet the American, Raven.

Raven’s second stage began with the passing of his great-grandfather. This event was marked by an unspoken vow between him and his mother to never be revealed to anyone. Raven remarked “After that day, I became a different person. My world was like a bag turned upside down, with all the certainties shaken out of it.” (page 223) The relationship between