Without a Sword Gandhi, one of the world’s greatest figures, has already
become a legend. In this book Jeanette Eaton shows him as a human being. While
still a young man, Gandhi adopted the austere way of living that was until the
day he died. He did not want comforts and luxuries when so many of his
countrymen lived in terrible poverty. He ate only the most frugal diet and in
his later years wore a peasant’s costume. But he himself was anything but
austere. Laughter was to him life’s most healing gift, even when it was
directed against himself. When young Indian children become a certain age and
their body is mature enough they are allowed to get married. Gandhi was
described very short and skinny with his dark eyes. He had noticed everything in
his path and along the way. It was very hard for the people in the village to do
anything near early dawn because only oil lamps gave off light. Gandhi had a
younger brother. Before Gandhi had gone to high school he had been used to
putting the jasmine wreaths on the images of Shiva and Krishna and Radha. Now
every day that he has gone to school he snatch’s his breakfast and leaves.
Everyday before he enters the temple him and his brother slip their slippers of
before they enter the temple. In this way the day began in a small town in
western India. Although it was many years ago, the majority of Indian people
live in much the same way now. The climate is so warm that as much work as
possible is done in the early hours. Therefore many schools open soon after
daybreak and, like shops and offices, close in the heat of the day. Gandhi, like
any other Indian boys took being married, and going to school for granted
because education was very hard for people to learn and to get a good job to not
work on the fields day and night. Gandhi was very happy for that he was married
to Kasturbai (his wife) because she had changed his life in both work wise and
study wise. Whenever Kasturbai is along she goes to Gandhi’s mother for advice
how to live her life and how she can improve her marriage with Gandhi. The
family would have meetings ever night to discuss how work, and school was. When
Gandhi became the main leader of his land everybody came to him for advice and
leadership to fight many laws. Gandhi was fighting to reduce the taxes on the
families and for men to earn an equal amount as people in America. Gandhi
intended to form an ambulance corps for service in the British army. This was
the announcement that so stunned his followers. He made it in a speech to the
natal Indian congress soon after the outbreak of war. Two sentences explained
his attitude. “Our one hope of freedom as a people” he said “is through
development within the British Empire. Therefore we must help defend it”. Some
listeners were convinced by his argument. Others were willing to follow him
blindly. Soon eight hundred indentured workers and three hundred free Indians
were serving under the British flag in camps and hospitals. When Japan conquered
Burma and threatened India on the hand and china on the other, inaction became
intolerable. Even Gandhi began to feel that his pacifism might stand in the way
of India’s future position among the nation’s fighting for freedom. Gandhi
lived happy and comfortable with his wife and 2 kids. My opinion of the book is
that is was exciting in most parts. It covered the details of Gandhi’s life
and how he lived it with his family.