74 pages 2 hours read

Gregory David Roberts

Shantaram

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2003

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Part 3, Chapters 21-25Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 3, Chapter 21 Summary

In the morning, the bathing water is full of worms. After they wash, the guards make them squat for an hour. After being hit four times, Lin challenges an overseer named Big Rahul. Rahul backs down, afraid.

They see Hassaan’s driver, Raheem, tied up as the guards play tug of war with ropes tied to his wrists. They hold him over a stone block, and a guard jumps onto his arms, breaking them both. Mahesh says this was punishment for hitting an overseer. Rahul hits Lin with a stick.

Mahesh shows him how to find and kill the lice that hide in their clothes and bedding. In week two, he meets two men who are near their release. He gives them a note for Khan. That afternoon, Rahul displays their beaten bodies, adds six months to their sentences, and says it is punishment for helping Lin.

One day, Rahul hits Lin as he tries to write a short story. Lin takes his stick, kicks him in the face, and beats him. Lin fights the other guards and then punches his own face, daring them to do worse. He says he will tear out someone’s eye and eat it.

They fetch 10 prisoners from Lin’s room and beat them as he watches.