Sea of Poppies

As Deeti, Kabutri, and Kalua approach the Sudder Opium Factory, the narrator notes that “a miasma of lethargy seemed always to hang over the factory’s surroundings,” and that even the monkeys “never chattered or fought or stole from passers-by,” undoubtedly an effect of the opium in the water (89). The factory is heavily guarded and in many ways seems more like a fortress than a factory.

Deeti leaves Kabutri with Kalua and enters the factory, the inside of which makes her apprehensive. She passes first through a series of weighmen and accountants, then through another weigh-room for raw opium, where farmers bring the opium they’re required to sell. Following that, she passes through a pressing room, where “bare-bodied men, sunk waist-deep in tanks of opium, [tramped] round and round to soften the sludge […] When they could move no more, they sat on the edges of the tanks, stirring the dark ooze only with their feet. These seated men had more the look of ghouls than any living thing she had ever seen” (92-93). Following this room, she passes through a drying and packing room, where balls of opium are thrown to boys climbing the scaffolding to catch and order them; Deeti is amazed at their dexterity until she sees one drop a ball, for which he is beaten mercilessly by the overseers.

Finally, she is led into the assembly room where Hukam works. At first, she is chastised by the supervisors of the assembly room for allowing her husband to work there, but an English agent defends Hukam and tells Deeti he can have his job back whenever he is ready. However, Deeti knows that he’ll never work in the factory again.

The narrator shifts back here to Calcutta and the Burnham estate, which is considered to be the best among the sahibs’ estates because of its close proximity to and view of the river, which allows him to monitor the comings and goings of river travelers. As Jodu approaches, he realizes that the problem of finding Paulette is that each mansion is covered with workers who are not likely to be sympathetic toward Jodu, seeing him as possible competition for work. Through roundabout questioning, he ascertains that Paulette is indeed living at the Burnham estate; he notices her favorite tree planted down by the river and conjectures that she will be down early in the morning to care for it. He finds a hidden spot nearby to dock his boat and wait until morning.

At the Raskhali budgerow, dinner preparations are underway, though there is some difficulty due to the fact that Neel no longer entertains the way his father did. As a result, Neel is unable to eat prior to his guests’ arrival: due to his station, Neel is unable to share meals with “unclean beef-eaters,” so is required to eat separately, ahead of their arrival (104). Upon arrival, Zachary further makes the mistake of attempting to shake hands with Neel; this is stopped by Doughty, who informs Zachary that if he had touched Neel, Neel would have needed to go bathe and cleanse himself.

Dinner brings with it further unexpected issues, as their bearers are boatmen unaccustomed to the ceremonial issues. When one accidentally upends Zachary in trying to seat him, Neel is impressed to see Zachary take the incident in stride. This leads Neel to inquire about what he believes to be Zachary’s aristocratic roots, assuming him to be a descendent of Lord Baltimore. Zachary vehemently denies this, which only serves to reinforce the idea further in Neel’s mind.

Conversation turns to the Burnham company’s fortunes, as Neel is hoping that the situation in China has improved; however, he is instead informed that it has not, and that war is imminent. This leads to a discussion of China’s desire, or lack thereof, for opium; Neel had believed that China’s taste for opium had gone back millennia, and is surprised to discover that even just a few decades prior there was very little opium entering China, and that the sale of opium is frowned upon, rather than endorsed, by the Chinese government.

Doughty presents this as a victory, however, toasting to Burnham’s ability to hook China on opium; on the other hand, Neel is shocked to consider that England would go to war with China in order to force opium on it. Burnham believes, as he does with slavery, that war would instead be for the principle of free trade; he argues that modern medicine, for example, is only capable due to opium. Neel asks about the rates of addiction among the Chinese, to which Burnham replies that “there is as much addiction and intoxication in the gin shops of [London] as there is in the dens of Canton,” and that addiction is the result of man’s fallen nature rather than the substance itself (114).

The debate is interrupted by Elokeshi, Neel’s mistress, and her handmaidens. It is common on the Raskhali budgerow for the women and other family members to observe dinner from behind curtains. Elokeshi has begun to tell them about Doughty in Bengali, who hired her for sex when she was 15, making fun of his sexual proclivities. Doughty, however, can understand their Bengali and, drunk, grows irate; before he can do any damage, though, Zachary and Serang Ali subdue him and remove him from the premises.

With Zachary and Doughty gone, Burnham and Neel have a frank conversation about finances. Burnham reminds Neel of his offer to have Neel relinquish much of his family’s land in order to satisfy his debts; Neel responds that he is unable to do so, and instead requests more time to pay. When Neel affirms that this is his final word, Burnham replies that whatever happens next, Neel has only himself to blame.