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3. Smart
As a mother, Rukmani wants her children to have a good knowledge in reading and writing. At home, Rukmani practices reading and writing when she
has free time. Besides, her father teaches her about it when she is child. “As for
my children, it is for them that I practice writing and reading, so that I can teach them when the time is ripe.” p. 17
Rukmani wants her children to have better future. She does not want her children to get difficulties when the time and situation become worse. She also
says that she will teach her children and practice harder than ever lest her fingers should lose their skill.
Another event also shows that Rukmani is a smart woman. It happens when Nathan sees Rukmani practicing writing. He expresses his wife
’s characteristic on it. He is really proud of having a smart wife like Rukmani.
Nathan used to come and sit beside me when I was writing. The first time he came to see what I was up to, he sat in silence with his brows drawn
together and meeting; and when he came back his face was clear. “It is well,” he said, stroking my hair. “You are clever, Ruku, as I have
said before. p. 17
Based on Nathan’s opinion, Rukmani is a clever woman and wife for her children. Nathan sees Rukmani as a clever woman since they live together. When she is
child, Rukmani is taught by her father to read and write. She also hopes that she will teach them too the same as what her father does to herself.
For a long time, Rukmani’s village has no rainfall and many crops fail. There are no vegetables, vines, and rice that can be harvested. There is no
reaping time and Rukmani cannot sell anything to Old Granny to buy food and PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
31 grain for her family. She does not want her husband and all of her six children to
get hungry. As a smart mother, for long time before, she has keep some of food for preparation if the condition gets worse.
At last no option but to draw upon my secret hoard: a small stock of rice, ten ollocks in all, shielded from every temptation to sell or barter, kept
even when the need to ………………….. Then I divided it into several equal portion, each of the portion as little as would suffice for one day, so
that for nearly a month we would not starve. p. 84
It can be seen that she is a smart mother for her family. She prepares well to avoid starvation for her husband and her children. She can avoid the temptation to sell
the food stock. She is also smart in dividing and measuring the food into several same portions, so that she and her family do not get hungry for a month.
4. Brave
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