Question

discussing the theme of Coleridge's sonnet "Work without Hope" and how it might relate to the themes developed Nectar in a Sieve

Answer 1

The novel Nectar in a Sieve takes its name from the last two lines of a sonnet by Coleridge. The lines state that:

"Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve,

And Hope without an object cannot live."

This implies that the author has no hope about himself or his life, and because of this, he cannot find a purpose for his work. In the novel Rukmani's family work tirelessly, but they very rarely get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Instead, they live a miserable existence constantly threatened by poverty and starvation. Just like in the poem, we could argue that their work has no object, and that they have no hope, as no matter how much they work, their struggle does not seem to end.

Answer 2

The theme for Coleridge's sonnet is exactly what the title says. This is especially portrayed is the last two lines of the poem which says

"WORK WITHOUT HOPE draws nectar in a sieve,
And HOPE without an OBJECT cannot live."

Drawing nectar from a sieve, in itself, is a lost hope. No matter how you work for it, you cannot get nectar out of it. Without hope,then there is no success. This is relevant to Coleridge's personal life wherein he experienced a lot of failures in his life.