Review of the novel: Two VirginsKamala MarkandayaBy: Erick Granda-Ocampo1. Title: Two Virgins - The title is a representation of the purity and honesty that a woman should have. Also the two protagonists who stick together side by side.2. Author: Kamala Markandaya (1924-2004) Cultural Fiction Writer - Written from the perspective of several different lifestyles in India and the daily struggles that accompany life in India. Born and raised in a small town, Chimakuti, India. Where she learned Hindu traditions and culture. The novels show the lives of women while living in India, as well as the effects of changing social class on a person. Two Virgins (1955) is the sequel to his first book and has received several recognitions for his work.3. Major Events: No village name, but in a small rural village with mud houses. Shavani is an eleven-year-old bride, who at first could not have children after her first daughter. Go to a white healer for help. , then gives birth to three healthy sons, later her daughter had the same problem, but her husband does not wait and leaves her. Soon, foreign workers come to build a building then leave, only to return months later to build several more and provide work. to the men of the village. The village soon turns into a noisy town, which upsets Shavani. Soon both sons leave for work, leaving Shavani with Ravi and their daughter. The girl becomes pregnant while trying to earn money through prostitution. Ravi becomes very ill and Shavani gets a job that helps support her family, but after receiving her paycheck, she finds Ravi face down in the mud.4. (a) Main Characters: Shavani - Shavani is the protagonist and narrator; we watch her mature from a nervous eleven year old bride to...... middle of paper ...... she was a curse, instead of a blessing.9. Literary Merit and Opinion: The literary merit of this play rests in part on its historical significance. The novel demonstrated both altruism and caring worldviews. this is one of the first examples of Shavani's "concern for others." Any reader would find the language and plot challenging at times, but the depiction of care, judgment, and hardship will always apply to the world, regardless of time or place. At first I struggled with the language and plot, but as problems and difficulties emerged, so did my interest in the book. The ending was very shocking. Shavani's daughter turns out to be pregnant after becoming a prostitute, then she is forced to live with her parents in shame and disappointment.10. Markandaya Kamala. Two virgins. New York: Penguin Group, 1956