How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Title.Paragraph)
Quote #1
If he turns to you in the night, you must give yourself to him, in the hopes that you will bear him a son. (11.EverythingINeedtoKnow.6.)
We begin to understand a little about how sexuality functions in a somewhat unfamiliar society. When Lakshmi is married, she doesn't really have the option of turning down her husband if she doesn't wants to have sex. So sex, even in Lakshmi's home, is tied up with obligation, function (bearing children), and power.
Quote #2
He fumbles with his pants, forces my legs apart, and I can feel him pushing himself between my thighs. I gasp for air and kick and squirm. (69.OldMan.16)
Lakshmi's first encounter with sex is nonconsensual and full of terror. She fights it—and ultimately frees herself. How might this first experience with sex color her opinion of it forever?
Quote #3
I know this noise from somewhere.
I work very hard to make it out.Finally, I identify it.
It is the muffled sound of sobbing.Habib rolls off me.
Then I understand: I was the person crying. (80.LuckytoBewithHabib.11-13)
Drugged with whatever Mumtaz put in the lassi (the yogurt drink), Lakshmi is aware of what is happening, but she is powerless to do anything about it. Think about her reaction to her rape. What does it say about Habib that he doesn't seem to care about her sobbing? What does it say about Mumtaz that she chooses to drug Lakshmi?