Ah, dreams—everyone has at least one, which is why posters with kittens and inspirational quotes exist in the first place. In Homeless Bird, Koly's no exception to the everyone-has-a-dream rule. Heck, she'd daydream about her future all day long if she could. The only problem? Mrs. Mehta is always close by, ready to scold her for not keeping up with her work. Ugh. Koly holds out hope for the day when she doesn't have to listen to Mrs. Mehta anymore, though, and instead can do her own thing. And eventually, she turns this dream into reality.
Questions About Dreams, Hopes, and Plans
- Are dreams, hopes, and plans different in the novel? How so? When does Koly's escape and fantasy life become less of a dream or more of a plan?
- What is the difference between Chandra and Koly's dreams? Why are they both always dreaming about what's to come?
- How do Koly's hopes and dreams change over the course of the novel? What does she wish for in the beginning, middle, and end?
Chew on This
Koly isn't afraid to dream big, and the novel shows us that her mindset pays off in the long run.
In this book, dreams come true for everyone, not just hard workers—so the correlation between dreams and reality actually has nothing to do with hard work. It just sort of happens.