How we cite our quotes: (Abbreviated Title.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Shoba had thrown him a surprise birthday party last May. One hundred and twenty people had crammed into the house—all the friends and the friends of friends they now systematically avoided…
Since September their only guest had been Shoba's mother. (ATM 23-24)
It's not surprising that Shoba and Shukumar avoid most of their friends after their baby dies. The story's definitely a far cry from the way the community is featured in "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar," although Bibi retreats, too, after her trauma.
Quote #2
The supermarket did not carry mustard oil, doctors did not make house calls, neighbors never dropped by without an invitation, and of these things, every so often, my parents complained. In search of compatriots, they used to trail their fingers, at the start of each new semester, through the columns of the university directory, circling surnames familiar to their part of the world. It was in this manner that they discovered Mr. Pirzada, and phoned him, and invited him to our home. (WMPCTD 3)
This shows the lengths some immigrants might go to in order to recreate a sense of "home" and community. Like searching randomly through a phonebook for foreign names that sound familiar. Clearly, this is way before Facebook, but even today, it's not unusual for immigrant groups to cluster in particular neighborhoods in cities and establish shops where you can buy familiar foods and other items. Think Chinatown, "Little Italy," etc.
Quote #3
Most of all, the residents liked that Boori Ma, who slept each night behind the collapsible gate, stood guard between them and the outside world. (ARD 12)
Just a reminder that the residents once liked Boori Ma because she was useful to the community. What's ironic is that she eventually becomes of those that they felt they needed to be guarded from. The lines around this community were very clearly drawn, even within what was probably a pretty homogeneous neighborhood.