Class Division
Captain Brent is an English officer serving in India in the twilight of the once-mighty British Empire. The U.K. was occupying India as an invading force and for all intents and purposes were in complete control of a people they actually knew little about and cared for even less. “He was definitely one of the more intimidating British officers, ordering everyone around regardless of their caste, acting like all Indians were Untouchable.” The Indian caste system of class division put the untouchables on the lowest spectrum. The simile here find offense only in that Captain Brent did not respect the caste system because he did not understand how it worked. The greater offense that it existed at all be touched upon later.
Unfair System
The Hindu caste system that places the untouchables at the bottom of respectability has its justifications, of course. It is a matter of public health and safety, not mere discrimination. Even young children recognize the stark divide among caste members: “Anjali’s mouth suddenly went as dry as the desert. What was Ma doing? Untouchables weren’t allowed to enter temples in their town, for fear that they would pollute them with their presence.” This is a story of revolution. Shailaja, Anjali’s mother, is taking a stand in this move that makes her daughter’s saliva run dry. It is a deliberately provocation act of subversion that requires great fortitude.
Colonialism
Anjali gets herself and her mother into trouble with Captain Brent for doing something that is almost a guarantee of getting yourself in trouble with a figure of authority. After Captain Brent dismisses the entire native population of the country his nation is occupying as “pests,” Anjali has had enough. “We’re not the ones invading someone else’s home like a cockroach.” The cockroach analogy in this simile is brutally appropriate. Roaches make your home feel unclean and engender feelings of paranoia that they are everywhere and will never be exterminated.
Talking About Metaphors
The subject of the power of metaphorical language actually comes up at one point: “Your Gandhi is wrong. Calling us children of God is talking down to us. It’s insulting. And it solves nothing. It’s just a word!...Changing what you call someone doesn’t fix the problems behind the name.” Mohan, an untouchable, is speaking explicitly about his situation, so it is best to believe him. He is wrong on a larger scale, however. Changing the name of something has proven to be an especially effective means of rebranding.
Poetry
For the most part, the author avoids overly poetic similes. One particular example stands out because of the context: “Anjali’s nerves fluttered like a fragile plumeria flower in the rain.” The young girl’s anxiety is stimulated by the fear of being seen pushing a wagon of waste like an untouchable. And Mohan, the untouchable, is pushing it so that she will not have to be embarrassed. The juxtaposition of the content of the wagon and the delicate beauty of the flower is a commentary on Mohan and Anjali that is unpleasant to make but impossible to avoid.
