Broken Column
The metaphor of a broken column has been employed for Laila. She is left alone by her family. Her mother died when she was in her childhood and her father looked after her for a few years. He also passed away while she was going to school and her grandfather, who was her guardian after her parents, also died before his teenage. She suffered the loneliness and missed her family. Her uncle did not console her, and he escalated the brokenness inside her by imposing restrictions on her. He did not allow her to live life according to her own terms. Laila actually broke after the death of her husband whom she loved more than anyone. He was murdered during the partition of sub-continent just after their marriage. The broken column is also a metaphor for history, which has been ignored and forgotten by the people. The author has tried to shed light on this broken column through this novel.
Sunlight
Ameer has been metaphorically described as sunlight for Laila. Laila suffered through loneliness, brutality, unnecessary restrictions and the death of her closed ones. While she was living under the supervision of her uncle, she felt suffocated because of his conservative attitude in the disguise of liberal thoughts. Ameer served the purpose of sunlight in her life because his love freed her from the chains in which his uncle had entangled him. After meeting Ameer, she felt like everything has become beautiful and she started seeing him in everything. She says, ‘The whole city was richer because he was in it, and every street, and turn of a road held the possibility of his appearance.’
Book
Laila has been compared with a book when she talks about the rights of her servant, Nandi. Her cousin Zahra talks against Nandi and says that she is immoral, and she should not be allowed to live in the house. Laila says that she does not care about anyone and she is ashamed of her uncle. Zahra says, “Do you know what is wrong with you, Laila? All those books you read. You just talk like a book now, with no sense of reality.” Zahra criticizes Laila because of her views and taunts her that she is living in a world of fantasy just because Laila talks in favor of a servant girl.
