“We found a good match for you! Your groom values the fact that you are from a good family, a priest’s daughter.”
The quote shows how the Kerala community arranges marriages for women and young girls without consent. Mariamma is a twelve-year-old girl who is forced to marry a forty-year-old man she has never met. Mariamma's uncle, Molay, is arranging for her to get married. Molay convinces Mariamma that the groom is a nice person. However, Mariamma cannot say anything because she must obey what her uncle says.
"She was pleading as if her daughter had protested. Her words had trailed off, her eyes darting around nervously."
Mothers have little control in a patriarchal society because they must follow all instructions of men. In this case, Mariamma is forcefully getting married at a younger age, and the mother is helpless. Mariamma's mother knows that if she tries to protest, she will be kicked out of her house and possibly be disciplined by the elders. Mariamma’s mother fears Molay because he has taken her husband's position. Consequently, Mariamma's mother must follow all instructions regarding her daughter's marriage.
