How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #7
Monica exhales. "They will thank us," she says. "They will thank us and honor us when we go home." (122.UnderstandingMonica.10)
There are other moments where this happens, but this is an example of a time when we have a hard time differentiating between innocence and self-deception-to-survive.
Quote #8
I wince.
But Monica laughs bitterly.
I don't understand."I thought you said they would honor you and thank you," I say.
She snorts. (130.TheLivingDead.7-9)
Consider the change in Monica throughout the story that culminates in this point. She's the thirsty vine girl, earning enough money to send home to her family for luxurious goods (glasses, an operation), but her community and family ultimately reject her when she returns to them. So when does she lose her innocence—at Happiness House or when she is thrown out of her village? What makes you think this?
Quote #9
She spits. "You stupid hill girl," she says. "You actually believe what she's told you?"
I do. I have to believe. (156.AWarning.10-11)
A question that pops up again and again throughout the novel is the connection between naïveté and innocence. Is Lakshmi naïve here, or is her innocence and belief more of a choice? That is, can she choose to regain her innocence, and how exactly might that happen?