Maitreyi by Mircea Eliade The fascination of the Orient

 Maitreyi by Mircea Eliade

The fascination of the Orient

 

I found this story interesting on the second encounter.

It is not just an interesting love story between a European and an Indian girl, but also an opportunity to think about philosophy, communicating across cultures and the clash that sometimes replaces dialogue.

In the first place, the hero- Alain is accepted into the Indian family that somehow adopts this foreigner.

But at first sight, between him and Maitreyi there is a kind of coupe de foudre.

Things are complicated by the different views, and the Indian customs.

From what I know, even today they arrange marriages between new born girls and boys. Not on a huge scale, fortunately, but the fact that it still does is flabbergasting.

As the love story develops, we make inroads into Indian philosophy, customs and habits.

Mircea Eliade was a worldwide famous scholar, whose knowledge of the religions of the world gained him respect and is in evidence in this work.

Maitreyi, the heroine of the story has a mentor, who is very old: Tagore.

For quite some time, she had thought that she loves him, which is strange considering that she is only 16. We must consider though that in the past and on different latitudes that age was good enough to marry. Indeed, many married younger.

Maitreyi says she wished she was white, for in India, girls with lighter skin are preferred. Her sister, having a darker   complexion will have more trouble finding a suitor and her family has to put up more money for that.

Girls cannot just marry, but money has to be found.

And the system of caste had made it impossible for people from one class, or caste to marry into another.

Indeed, they used to have the untouchables, those who everyone shunned.

With progress, the law forbids this today, but old habits die hard, and in many areas the ancient customs are still in force.

Maitreyi falls so much in love that she will not respect the rules anymore. As a matter of fact, she acts like an Indian version of Juliet, taking her feelings to the highest point.

She gives herself to her lover, in spite of (or in part because of) the forbidden character of their relationship.

The head of the family is very crossed when he finds out that he had been betrayed, as he sees it.

This could be another aspect that this story and Romeo and Juliet have in common- the underground character of the love of the main personages.

Maitreyi leaves her room at night and gives herself to Alain.

Her younger sister learns about this and other shenanigans. She is also jealous, for she wants Alain to love her and:

-          I want Alain to kiss me and touch my breast, like he did with Maitreyi

This is a good story, and even if I had my reservations because I did not like it so much years ago when I first read it.

The most interesting part was the one where the author delves into philosophy, religion and the Oriental fascination which produced a lot of fake literature, but brought to the West so many, enlightening ideas and practices. Meditation would be just one.