How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"I have heard they pay children fifty rupees a week," he says, "to break stones at the roadside."
He lifts the trunk, his skinny arms straining at the weight, and I wonder how long those little arms will last breaking stones. (133.AWordTooSmall.8-9)
Harish also has hopes and plans for his future, hopes that Lakshmi recognizes as potentially out of reach. Do you think Harish recognizes Lakshmi's hopes similarly?
Quote #8
"Are you being kept here against your will?"
My will? This is something I lost long ago, I want to tell him.I want to pummel this pink-skinned man with my fists. (137.AStrangeCustomer.12-14)
In what ways is it true that Lakshmi has lost her will, and in what ways has she retained it? In other words, how has she persevered?
Quote #9
He seems about to say something more, but I turn my back, all the while thinking about his tea, about how good it would taste, how the cup would warm my hands my throat, my whole being. (142.TheStreetBoy.8)
Lakshmi refuses to spend any of her money on extravagances because she is saving up to free herself from her debt to Mumtaz. Think of the self-discipline it must take to say no to something she wants so much and how this discipline serves Lakshmi throughout her captivity.