CHAPTER 64

Summary

• Chapter 64 revolves around the study and dissection of a cadaver named Henrietta by six students, showing their growing familiarity and comfort with the process.
• Mariamma, one of the students, carves their group number on a piece of Henietta's skin, and they all feel possessive and emotionally connected with the cadaver.
• Throughout this period, Mariamma is exchanging letters with her friend Lenin, who is studying at a seminary and is having doubts about his faith and purpose.
• Dissecting Henrietta takes several weeks, with Mariamma expressing the overwhelming amount of knowledge she needs to acquire. At the end of the period, Mariamma describes Henrietta’s dissected state as a tiger’s kill.
• At one point, a monkey breaks into their room causing havoc, leading to the onset of the Indo-Simian Campaign by their class president Chinnah, to control the monkey problem in their hostel.
• Before their finals, Mariamma has a dream about a joint in the body called the “ginglymoarthrodial” joint, leading her to research it. This ends up becoming a joke among her classmates.
• In the final exam, the questions are not as expected and cause some distress among the students. Mariamma also participates in a prize exam, and feels she did well.
• Chinnah declares he's failed his exam and blames family interference and failed bribery attempts on his poor performance.
• The external examiner, Dr. Brijee Sarkar, sexually harasses Mariamma during her oral exam by asking her to reach into his pocket and grab his penis. Terrified, she does as told but ends up squeezing him out of fear and anger - causing him to fall over and harm himself.
• Chinnah comes to her rescue, despite being hit by Mariamma because he’s a man.