Summary

“The Fourth Morning” Balram begins his discussion and analysis of democracy with a story of an election that took place in The Darkness while he was still living and working in Laxmangarh. It was an election in which a political leader he refers to as The Great Socialist, known to be corrupt and devious, was being challenged by The Four Landlords, a quartet of wealthy landowners including The Stork and The Wild Boar. Balram describes the people talking about the election as “eunuchs discussing the Kama Sutra” – that is, until The Great Socialist and The Four Landlords strike some kind of deal, giving The Great Socialist the election. Balram then describes how one man was determined to vote despite the deal (i.e. the predetermined outcome), and how he was beaten to death by the police, who had been joined by Vijay, an ambitious...