Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Their table is joined by another couple wearing shalwar kameez, which the Major thinks look like pajamas or surgical scrubs. Frank Ferguson’s secretary, Sterling, is wearing the costume of the Bengal Lancers, a famous Anglo-Indian regiment. Ferguson appears wearing Lord Mountbatten’s viceroy uniform. Roger wears his grandfather Colonel Pettigrew’s uniform. The Major recalls that a younger Roger had objected to the idea of entering military service, asserting, “It’s a recipe for getting stuck in the same box as one’s father” (249).

The Major goes to the bar to fetch a fruit punch for Mrs. Ali and sees her dancing with Alec Shaw. Ferguson says that he invited Marjorie so that she could see the Major receive the family award. The Major gathers that Ferguson expects to buy the set of Churchills. The Major overhears Daisy and Alma Shaw saying that Grace should be worried about the Major’s interest in Mrs. Ali. Alma says she asked Alec to make sure that Mrs. Ali did not feel left out. The Major is outraged that they would gossip about him, and for a moment, he feels embarrassed that he brought Mrs. Ali and spurred such talk.

The Major invites Mrs. Ali to dance and overhears a club member reference George Tobin, a former member who was forced out of the club when he married a Black actress. At the time, the club pretended that it was an issue of privacy rather than a racist objection to an interracial union.

The dramatic scene begins with Roger playing the Colonel. The Major feels a small, nervous sense of pride. Amina plays the part of the Maharajah’s wife, whom Roger protects from attackers. One viewer says she has the goosebumps, and Mrs. Ali remarks that the British Empire can cause an allergic reaction. The Colonel is depicted as a brave defender, while those attacking her are depicted as murderous thugs. The Major is critical of Roger’s performance and his lack of understanding for military tactics, but he is moved by the scene in which Roger is presented with the shotguns.

While the audience claps and the dancers perform, the senior Mr. Rasool climbs the stage, shouting in Urdu. He switches to English and tells the audience, “You make a great insult to us […] You make a mock of a people’s suffering” (258). When others wonder what he means, Mrs. Ali explains that he might be upset at seeing the atrocities of Partition presented as a dinner show. Abdul Wahid appears in the group, emphasizing that the entertainment is an insult. A fight breaks out between the club members and the waiters who were part of the scene.

Mrs. Ali goes to support her friend, Mrs. Rasool, who explains that her father-in-law was six when his mother and sister were killed during Partition. Daisy accuses the older man of ruining everything. Abdul Wahid says Mrs. Rasool should not apologize when the elder Mr. Rasool is speaking the truth. Amina argues that she worked hard on the dance and is offended at it being called a mockery. Roger keeps insisting that his grandfather was a hero, even though Mrs. Ali points out that the scene celebrated the white British Colonel’s act of killing several Indian and Pakistani men.

Lord Dagenham decides to give the Major his tray without ceremony and then stage a picture including the Khans and Mrs. Ali. Mrs. Ali declines to be included for authenticity. Daisy rebukes her. Then, when Grace defends Mrs. Ali, Daisy rebukes Grace. The Major defends Grace and then belatedly realizes that he ought to be supporting Mrs. Ali. Mrs. Ali decides to leave with Abdul Wahid, and Roger insists that the Major stay for the award and picture with Dagenham. Mrs. Ali tells the Major that she plans to go live with her husband’s family and leave the shop to Abdul Wahid.

Mrs. Ali leaves the village. Christmas season arrives, and the Major feels that the festivities are hollow. He visits the shop, and Abdul Wahid treats him as no more than a customer. The Major talks with the Vicar, who suggests that Mrs. Ali is better off with her “people.” When the Major points out, “We could have been her people” (270), the Vicar cautions the Major about the difficulties with relationships that cross cultures and faiths.

The Major visits Grace, who invites him to tea, and he is grateful for the company of a sensible woman. He visits the shop again, and Amina expresses her unhappiness over becoming a shopkeeper. The Major senses that her family is trying to keep him out of Mrs. Ali’s life. He decides to buy a Christmas gift for Grace.

The Major visits Roger’s cottage on Christmas Eve and finds Sandy looking weary and upset. Roger has gone to a party at Lord Dagenham’s. Sandy begins to cry as she reveals that she is leaving Roger, and the Major is distressed that his son should have reduced this confident woman to tears. He feels again that he is being left behind while others go about their lives. The next day, on Christmas morning, he telephones Roger, who is despondent that Sandy left him. The Major calls Grace, who agrees to go with the Major to Roger’s cottage and help prepare the holiday meal. Roger says he doesn’t feel like eating and leaves to attend a bridge party with Gertrude. The Major scolds Roger, which has no effect, and tries to make amends with Grace.

The Major fears he is falling into a pattern with Grace and will soon be expected to make a declaration. Grace sees that the Major misses Mrs. Ali. When the Major attempts to propose to Grace, she refuses. She tells him that she hopes to have passion in her life, declaring, “I refuse to play the dried rose and accept that life must be tepid and sensible” (290). She says she will give him Mrs. Ali’s address.

The Major speaks with Roger and discovers that Roger is going up to Scotland in advance of the shooting party at the invitation of Gertrude, whom Roger hopes to woo. The Major asks about Sandy, and Roger reveals that Sandy terminated a pregnancy, which he refers to as a “mishap.” Roger tried to persuade Sandy that this was the responsible thing to do to preserve their careers. He doesn’t understand why Sandy grew upset with him, and the Major wonders where along the line “he had failed, or forgotten, to teach this boy compassion” (296). He tells Roger not to pursue Gertrude if he doesn’t care for her.

Roger dislikes the Major’s plans to see Mrs. Ali. Roger says the golf club members disapprove because she works in trade. The Major recalls the first time he met his wife, Nancy, and how she made him speechless; he now feels the same for Mrs. Ali. Roger is concerned about what will happen to the estate if the Major remarries and Mrs. Ali outlives him. The Major reflects that Nancy is gone and Bertie is gone, and he shouldn’t be wasting any more time. Roger asks to take the Churchills with him to Scotland, and the Major has a vision of Roger dropping a gun in the loch.