Character Clues

Character Analysis

Clothing

Clothing plays a surprisingly large role in characterizing Gandhi. First, there are his efforts to become an English gentleman, in large part by buying and wearing "a chimney-pot hat" and "an evening suit" and getting from his brother a "double watch-chain of gold" (1.15.5).

Snazzy, eh?

But, he comes to see that he'll never be an English gentleman and gives up some of his efforts. In South Africa, he maintains "the European standard" to some extent, aiming for "influence" over the community (3.1.3).

Ultimately, he launches the Khadi movement, aiming to bring economic independence to Indians by producing cotton for clothing themselves (5.39.2).

Sex and Love

Who can deny that Gandhi's celibacy—giving up sex—says a lot about him? He takes the brahmacharya vow not to have sex with his wife or anyone else (and we assume that means no masturbation, too). This certainly demonstrates the fierce discipline in Gandhi's character: he's someone who makes self-restraint a top priority in his life.

Thoughts and Opinions

It might surprise some readers that we don't get all that much characterization of Gandhi by way of action in this book. That's because he doesn't talk much about his famous political deeds.

Instead, we hear a lot about his thoughts and opinions on various matters. For example, we learn in great detail why he disagrees with Christianity (2.15.7). The overall effect of this tool of characterization is that we come to see that for Gandhi, your thoughts and opinions can be just as important as your actions. Indeed, he says he seeks "complete mastery over thought" (4.25.11).