1. Water by Deepa Mehta
Textual Analysis
‘Godswill she will be reborn a
man’

2. Chronology...
• Water- Set in 1938
• Earth- Set in 1947 (Partition)
• Fire- Contemporary India

3. The sanskrit...3 Laws of
the Widow
• Live life of self denial
• Burn on husband’s funeral pyre
• Marry youngest brother of deceased
• ‘Disguised as religion, it’s just about
money.’ (Narayan)

4. Clash of Cultures?
• The opening quote of the film- Deepa
Mehta as Canadian-Indian bringing feminist
agenda to Indian political representation
(widows living in an ‘ashram?’
• Discuss the knowledge claims for/against
this statement
• Consider context of 1938