The story’s plot centers around a game of hide-and-seek on a hot summer day in India as a group of children seeks the freedom of the outdoors as an escape from the oppressive <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Symbols & Motifs" href="https://www.supersummary.com/games-at-twilight/symbols-and-motifs/#599045">heat</a> inside their house. The children’s play, described by the narrator as “the business of the children’s day” (Paragraph 7), is deceptively serious, serving as an imaginary terrain in which they act out their ambitions and resentments, try on gender roles, and seek to discover who they are in preparation for entering the mysterious adult world they see all around them. The text highlights <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Themes" href="https://www.supersummary.com/games-at-twilight/themes/#599043">Familial Roles and Relationships</a> within the traditional family structure of India, with extended family living together (or nearby). <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Character" href="https://www.supersummary.com/games-at-twilight/major-character-analysis/#599035">The mother</a> is the primary caregiver within the home, there are multiple children, and the father is mentioned (though not seen) as the adult who provides the financial support for the family. There are other adults mentioned—as well as cousins—by <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Character" href="https://www.supersummary.com/games-at-twilight/major-character-analysis/#599034">Ravi</a>, who emerges as the story’s <a data-internal-link data-link-type="Literary Device" href="https://www.supersummary.com/protagonist/">protagonist</a>. Ravi’s family appears to have a comfortable life economically, as they employ a driver and a gardener and have a generous lawn and garden where the children can spread out and play.

Analysis: “Games at Twilight”

Relationships

Brothers & Sisters

Life & Time

Childhood & Youth

Coming-of-Age Journeys

Family

Literary Area of Study

Indian Literature

Mortality & Death

Emotions & Behavior

Pride & Shame

Anita Desai

Adult

Short Story

Fiction

Guide

Study Guide

title

content

Overview

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Games at Twilight Summary

Background

Games at Twilight Background

Story Analysis

Games at Twilight Story Analysis

character

Character Analysis

Games at Twilight Character Analysis

theme

Themes

Games at Twilight Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Games at Twilight Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Games at Twilight Literary Devices

quote

chapter

citation

Important Quotes

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Games At Twilight Important Quotes with Page Numbers

primaryCharacter

Essay Topics

Games at Twilight Essay Topics

Games at Twilight

Story Analysis

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