How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The old husband's cheeks are flushed with pride now as he grabs the girl by the arm and leads her away. She is squirming and crying, dragging her feet in the dirt. (60.Disgraced.7)
Although Lakshmi most likely saw men exert power over women in physical ways, this image is striking because of the language—the husband "grabs" the girl and "leads" her. In each phrase, he retains control. Even though the girl is suffering—look at the words "crying" and "dragging"—he demonstrates pride in his control and her disgrace. This sight foreshadows Lakshmi's own experience with a shorn head.
Quote #5
I have grown to dread one sound more than any other: the rasping of the key in the lock, which means that Mumtaz has arrived with strap and her taunts.
And so I am in the corner of the locked-in room, my face to the wall, when the door opens. (76.ACupofTea.1-2)
Mumtaz, in contrast to the men of the novel, doesn't have social norms to help her maintain her power, so instead she uses violence and cruelty to instill fear in the girls she dominates at the brothel. What do Mumtaz's and Lakshmi's actions imply about Lakshmi's power in this situation, especially what Lakshmi thinks of her own power?
Quote #6
Mumtaz appears each day at dusk and forces a cup of lassi between my clenched jaws. (82.Twilight.2)
Even after Lakshmi has been raped, she struggles against the injustice of her situation—so Mumtaz drugs her every night. In one way, Mumtaz gets the upper hand in the power struggle. But why might it important that Lakshmi doesn't accept her fate without a struggle?