Father- It is the pride of every father for his sons to follow in his footsteps. Baba, though he was a beautiful baby, never had the mental capacity to be like his father or like anyone for that matter. Raja was taken with the idea of being like his neighbor and mentor Hyder Ali. He studied the Urdu language and not the Hindu language and he wanted to apply for the Jamia Millia college even in the dangerous political times of the day. Raja spent most of his time with Hyder Ali and dreamed of being a poet instead of taking after his father's real estate business. "'Specialize in Islamic studies? What are you talking about, you dunce?'"(pg.51)
Bim- Bim is a complex figure in the poem. When Tara got married away to Bakul and Raja went off to be with Hyder Ali and marry Benazir, Bim was left alone to take care of Baba and Mira-masi. Bim always had dreams of going to college and having a college degree in history but all of her dreams were pushed aside since she was left to take care of the household. Bim felt betrayed since her siblings left her behind with so much responsibility when it was Bim who took care of Raja when he had tuberculosis. Bim also had feelings of rejection when she attended the lunch with Dr. Biswas and his mother. His mother expecting someone better mannered, sociable and attractive made little effort to get to know Bim. Moreover, the real hurt came from the letter that was written by Raja to Bim. He notified Bim that Raja is now her landlord and wrote that he would not charge more for the rent. Bim perceived that letter as Raja being arrogant. From the letter, Bim developed great bitterness and anger towards Raja. Bim felt that Raja was showing off all his money and was acting superior to her. Additionally, Bim felt she had lost the brother she was so close to as a child, she felt that Tara now filled the void with Raja that she once filled.
Raja- Raja was a confident and driven man and there were very little things that bothered him. Although, there were times when Raja was vulnerable and naive. For example, when aunt Mira warned him about going over by Hyder Ali. Raja felt like if Mira- masi was implying that he wasn't good enough to be affiliated with Hyder Ali. “When she did not, he went off with a disgusted look."(pg.49) Another hurtful event in Raja's life was the years when Bim refused to talk to her. She wasn't apart of his marriage of the raising his children.
Tara- Growing up, Bim and Raja were very close. This left Tara to grow up really guarded and scared. Tara felt rejected by her siblings especially when they talked about being heroism. Tara felt inferior to Raja whenever he spoke of poetry and his studies. Tara also felt less than Bim who was a over achiever in school and her teachers were also stating how Tara may be more like Baba and not like Bim. There was also the incident with Bim cutting off most of Tara's hair when Tara said she wanted curly hair. Bim say how vulnerable Tara was being and acted on the opportunity. Additionally, when Tara ran for help and left Bim to be stung by swarming bees. Bim understood but when they returned home, Raja didn't waste any time condemning Tara for not staying back and helping. Also, before Tara was married she spent a lot of time with the Misras sisters. Tara sneaked into their garden when they were taking a family picture. Tara was wearing saggy and old clothes and the Misras girls were fitted in silk. According to the tone and diction of the story, it implied that the Misras girls were very meclisious in their behavior.
Baba- Baba always seemed to be in his own little world. Behind his pleasant face, Baba seemed to be very at peace with himself. However there was one climatic moment where Baba’s was shaken. In Bim’s rage about Raja’s letter, Bim went into Baba’s room and threatened to send him to Raja home and sell the family’s share of the firm to Sharma. Bim had not intended to let her frustration on Baba and consequently, Baba’s expression spoke volumes. ‘, but he seemed to draw back from her , as far as he could, and his mouth was drawn awry as if he had been slapped, hard.’ However, later that afternoon Bim apologetically brought Baba tea and was pleasantly surprised that from the moment Baba saw her, he smiled as if the incident never happened.
Aunt Mira- Aunt Mira was married at a very young age. And even then was she introduced to hurt and pain. She lost her husband after only one week of marriage. According to Hindu tradition, aunt Mira was blamed for the sudden death of her husband, she wore white and was emotional disgraced. Aunt Mira worked for her in laws as a maid and later on as the children’s care taker. Tragically, aunt Mira could never have children of her own to her. Because of hard times in mira-masi’s life, it led to the painful death caused by grief and alcohol.
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