“It occurred to him now that people are defined much more by their association with death than by what they do in life.”
A large portion of the narrative handles grief after the occurrence of a tragedy; therefore, it illustrates how grief impacts lives. The statement encompasses this notion in that grief takes a big part in one’s life being losing a child, partner or parentS consequently defining their lives. In this scenario, the narrative follows mostly parents who have lost their children, which is one loss that significantly affects individuals. Vikas is heavily affected and falls into depression, furthermore tries to seek closure but does not seem to attain it. Moreover, his wife Deepa is equally depressed and cannot get over the loss of her boys even having an affair eventually damaging her marriage.
“He said that the two worst classes of human beings are doctors and lawyers. Lawyers because they prolong fights and doctors because they cure the symptoms, not the cause.”
The novels handle the poor state of the justice system in India broadly through the court cases in the aftermath of the attack. The assertion expresses the corrupt and poor state of facilities that are essential to the general public but are rather poorly executed. In terms of the justice system, the people are astounded by the fraudulent manner in which the law enforcers handle the situation. The bureaucracy in law enforcement is utilized to cover up corrupt dealings. Thus the lawyers elongate the process to benefit further from the proceedings while allowing for injustice.
“There was a long silence before the screams started, as if, even in pain, people watched each other first to see how to act.”
The statement denotes the moment after the Delhi attack takes place and the ensuing reactions from the victims. The author refers to how humanity has abandoned individual instincts for collective consciousness that dictates our actions. Structures in society have been molded to nurture a sense of community by having common identifiers; unfortunately, this also translates to our emotions. Therefore, emotional reactions are very dependent on how people view us or perceive us.
