The Hope Chest Literary Elements

Novel

The novel is written in the context of the challenges the poor Pakistani women go through.

Third-person narrative

The tone is compassionate, and the mood is expectant.

The protagonists are Rani, Reshma, and Ruth.

The main conflict is when Reshma turns thirteen years old. Reshma is a poor woman, and the only way she can get financial support is through marriage. Therefore, she is married to a thirty-year-old man because she is desperate to get money.

The climax comes when the three women - Rina, Ruth, and Reshma - conclude that their decisions to do whatever they did were justifiable.

Patriarchal structures foreshadow the life of a poor Pakistani woman.

The middle-class lifestyle in Pakistan is understated. For instance, Rina is from a well to do family, but she is not happy because of her mental condition. Reshma lives in Rina's home as a gardener and gets married at thirteen but manages to live a fulfilling life.

The story alludes to the choices that poor women in Pakistan are forced to make to earn a living.

The author uses the imagery of wealthy living to show readers that happiness is not associated with richness. For instance, despite Reshma being a poor girl, she gets married early and lives happily. However, Rina, who comes from a well-off family, suffers throughout her life.

The main paradox is that Reshma is the happiest woman among the three females discussed in the text. Initially, Reshma is depicted as a poor girl whose mother is a gardener in a wealthy family. However, despite Rina and Ruth coming from privileged families, their lives are filled with shortcomings, and they do not enjoy their wealth. Reshma is happy in a poor state because she can meet her daily needs.

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Gender inequality is metonymy referring to the perception that women are weaker than men. Therefore, for a woman to survive in Pakistan, she must be married.

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