Women's Hardships Motif
Nepal is no different from most other countries of the world - life there is more difficult for women than it is for men. However, because life in general in Nepal and its surrounding nations is exponentially more difficult than it is elsewhere, there is a relative shift downwards in the quality of life for the women there as well. The central character in The Cleft has a cleft palate which results in significant facial disfigurement. In the west, she would be able to minimize this in some way, with surgery or with other less invasive work, but in Nepal, she is destined to remain disfigured and as a result largely ostracized by her peers. This is why she wants to escape to the West, because she realizes that is her only hope of a life worth living.
No Land Is Her Land also demonstrates this hardship, and explains that it is not just in Nepal where this occurs but in nations surrounding it as well. The girl in the story is a refugee, having fled Nepal for Bhutan and finding out that life in Bhutan is exactly the same for her as it was in her native country. She realizes that she will need to head to the western world in order for this to change. Life for women in the region is much more difficult than life for men and this is reflected in the difficulties experienced by the women in these two stories.
Empire Motif
Many of the problems that the characters in the stories experience stem from interference by the British Empire. This is particularly obvious in the title story in the collection, The Gurkha's Daughter, because most of the things in his life that give the father the most cause for complaint stem from the fact that he was a Gurkha and therefore fought for the British Empire during their military campaigns. He feels that this has been of huge detriment to his life and also that the British did not adequately take care of their Nepalese soldiers. This is a reflection on the Empire-building that the Nepalese people feel has been of detriment to their country because it did not adequately assist them in building up their own country.
Cleft Palate Symbol
The servant girl in The Cleft is unable to get married because of her facial disfigurement. It is a symbol of her being trapped in her existing place in the Nepalese society and also a symbol of her being confined to servitude whilst she is still disfigured.
The West Symbol
Each of the characters in the stories in the collection dreams of going West. The Western world is a symbol of freedom, and in their minds has become an almost magical place where their lives will change in an instant. It has almost Oz-like qualities in that the characters believe that it has the magical ability to change everything. The West is a symbol of freedom and possibility to each of the characters in the stories.
Sacrifice Symbol
There is a ritual sacrifice depicted in the story titled Mixed Blessing as part of a Hindu festival going on in Darjeeling. This sacrifice is a symbol to the Hindu gods of the devotion of the people and of their willingness to sacrifice in their own life so that they may do their gods' will.
