The Story of My Experiments with Truth · Chapter
How I Began Life explained
Gandhi returns to India after studying in England, facing caste opposition and family expectations.
What happens
Gandhi returns to India after studying in England, facing caste opposition and family expectations. He attempts to establish a legal practice in Rajkot and Bombay, but struggles with financial pressures, personal relationships, and his own shortcomings. He reflects on his efforts at reform, including diet, education, and Europeanization, while grappling with the realities of his profession.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Personal Relationships
Gandhi's devotion to his brother, his strained marriage with Kasturbai, and his efforts to educate children reflect the complexities of family bonds and personal reform.
Education and Self-Improvement
Gandhi attempts to teach his wife, children, and even his cook, while also pursuing his own legal education and dietary experiments.
Characters to notice
- Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Returns to India, faces caste excommunication, attempts legal practice, and reflects on personal reforms and relationships.
- Kasturbai Gandhi
Gandhi's wife, with whom he has strained relations; he tries to teach her but his jealousy and lust hinder their relationship.
- Kaba Gandhi
Gandhi's elder brother, who had high hopes for him and managed household expenses, but whose generosity led to financial strain.
Key passages
“The storm in my caste over my foreign voyage was still brewing. It had divided the caste into two camps, one of which immediately readmitted me, while the other was bent on keeping me out.”
Gandhi's caste was split over his travel abroad; one faction welcomed him back, while the other refused to readmit him.
Highlights the social conflict Gandhi faced upon returning from England.
“I found the barrister’s profession a bad job—much show and little knowledge. I felt a crushing sense of my responsibility.”
Gandhi realized that being a barrister involved more appearance than substance, and he felt overwhelmed by the weight of his duties.
Reflects Gandhi's disillusionment with the legal profession and his sense of inadequacy.