How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"…as soon as you've worked off the twenty thousand rupees I paid for you."
"But—" I have seen her record book, with its entry of 10,000 rupees. I know this 20,000 price is a lie.
Somehow, of all the things that have been done to me, this—this outrage—is the worst. (90.Changes.8-10)
Why is this lie worse than anything else? And if Lakshmi didn't have the education she has, if she didn't—or couldn't—realize the lie that Mumtaz is telling, would she be as outraged?
Quote #5
Then Shahanna teaches me city subtraction […]
She also warns me: Mumtaz will bury you alive if she sees your little book of igures.
I do the calculations.
And realize I am already buried alive. (98.Mathematics.5, 7-9)
It's clear that Lakshmi's ability to do math and read is a danger to her. But here we find that it's not just dangerous because of Mumtaz, it's dangerous because of what Lakshmi realizes about the possibility of freedom. How might this knowledge affect her attitude toward her reality at Happiness House?
Quote #6
While the other girls are downstairs watching the TV, I take his brightly colored storybook and make it mine.
I do not understand the words inside, and the pictures are queer and otherworldly.
But at least for a few minutes, I pretend I am in school with Gita and my soft, moonfaced teacher, and I am the number one girl in class again. (102.StealingfromtheDavidBeckhamBoy.7-8)
Why might Lakshmi want to pretend with Harish's book? In other words, what are her memories of education and her experience with education giving Lakshmi in Happiness House?