Chapter 2: “To Have and to Hold” – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
In 1900, a twelve-year-old girl from a Saint Thomas Christian family travels by boat through the canals and lotus-covered lakes of Travancore to her wedding. She is accompanied by her mother and uncle. The journey takes half a day, taking her far from home. At a church founded by Saint Thomas, the groom’s party arrives late, consisting only of his sister Thankamma. The groom, a forty-year-old widower, initially flees upon seeing his bride, exclaiming, “But this is just a child!” Thankamma persuades him to return, arguing that the girl needs Parambil as much as Parambil needs her, and that she can care for his young son JoJo. The groom agrees, and the ceremony proceeds. The bride notices his rough, callused feet and his intense gaze. He ties the gold minnu around her neck. After the service, the bride parts from her mother and is carried by Thankamma onto a boat. The chapter then provides background on the geography of Kerala, its history of spice trade, and the arrival of Saint Thomas. It ends with a framing device: an older woman (the bride, now a grandmother) is asked by her granddaughter for a story about their ancestors. The grandmother reflects on memory and the difficulty of separating truth from myth, especially concerning the house she moved into—a house full of mysteries.
Key Events
- The bride journeys through canals, lotus carpets, and a wide lake to reach the church.
- The groom arrives late; his sister Thankamma is the only relative present.
- The groom sees the bride and tries to leave, objecting to her age.
- Thankamma catches him near a burden stone and convinces him to return.
- The wedding is completed; the groom ties the minnu around the bride’s neck.
- The bride parts from her mother at the jetty and leaves with Thankamma.
- The narrator provides a historical and geographical overview of Kerala and Saint Thomas Christianity.
- A future scene shows the grandmother (the same bride) telling her granddaughter that memories are woven from gossamer threads and that a good story reconciles families.
Character Development
- The Young Bride (later the Grandmother): She is observant and sensitive, noting every detail of the journey and the ceremony. She trembles with fear but finds inner peace through a line from Psalms. Her character arc spans from a frightened child to a wise elder who controls the family narrative.
- Thankamma: A pragmatic, loving older sister. She uses humor and logic to persuade her brother and shows immediate affection for the bride. Her loyalty to family is evident.
- The Groom (unnamed widower): He is initially presented as impulsive and resistant, but also capable of being swayed by his sister. His callused feet and intense gaze suggest a hardworking, determined man. His objection to the bride’s age reveals a hidden conscientiousness.
- The Bride’s Mother: A silent, worried presence who reluctantly supports the tradition.
- The Achen (Priest): Impatient and annoyed by the disruption, he rushes through the ceremony.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Water as Connection: The bride’s journey by canoe, the description of Kerala’s backwaters as a circulatory system, and the statement “all water is connected” emphasize water as a unifying force that enables travel, trade, and family bonds.
- The Lotus: The bride picks a lotus from murky water, a symbol of beauty emerging from ugliness, prefiguring her own difficult but potentially fruitful marriage.
- Age and Marriage: The twelve-year-old bride and forty-year-old groom highlight the era’s child marriages. The groom’s initial refusal suggests a critique of the practice, even as the marriage proceeds.
- Memory and Storytelling: The grandmother’s closing reflection on memory as “gossamer threads” and the idea that a good story reconciles families sets up the novel’s structure: a tale told across generations, with secrets that can either tear apart or bind.
- Saint Thomas Christianity: The chapter grounds the family in a specific religious tradition, with references to the apostle’s arrival and the seven and a half churches.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter establishes the central marriage around which the novel’s first part revolves. It introduces key symbols (water, lotus, burden stone, minnu) and the narrative frame of a grandmother recounting family history. The chapter also provides essential historical context for Kerala’s geography, spice trade, and Saint Thomas Christian community. By showing the wedding from the bride’s perspective and later from the grandmother’s, Verghese immediately signals that the story is about how the past is remembered and reshaped.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does the groom initially leave the church, and what convinces him to return?
The groom leaves because he sees his bride is just a child, and he feels he cannot marry her. His sister Thankamma follows him, arguing that the girl would be shamed if abandoned, that she can care for his son JoJo, and that he needs her as much as she needs Parambil. Thankamma’s emotional appeal, combined with her promise to stay at Parambil for two or three weeks, persuades him to return.
2. How does the author use the motif of water to develop the setting and the bride’s emotional state?
Water is described as a vast circulatory system that connects all parts of Kerala. The bride’s journey by boat through canals, lotus carpets, and lakes mirrors her passage from childhood to marriage. The lotus she picks from murky water becomes a symbol of her own uncertain future—something beautiful emerging from an unfamiliar environment. Water represents both the freedom of travel and the inescapable currents of tradition.
3. What is the significance of the grandmother’s closing comments about memory and story?
The grandmother asserts that memories are fragile and must be “darned with myth and fable.” She says a good story goes beyond what God does: it reconciles families and unburdens secrets. This frames the entire novel as a deliberate act of storytelling, where the grandmother (the young bride) holds the power to shape family history. It hints that the narrative may contain both truth and invention, and that secrets will play a central role.