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The Story of My Experiments with Truth Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary

Child Marriage

  • Gandhi now tells us about his child marriage. He's married at 13. Wait, what? Yes, seriously.
  • His parents choose his wife, and hers him. He says there are no moral arguments in favor of such young marriages, but that's the tradition.
  • The adults decide to marry Gandhi, one of his brothers, and a cousin of his all at the same time in order to save money on the celebration.
  • Gandhi's father is injured on the way to the wedding, but the teenager forgets grief in the excitement of the marriage.
  • He enjoys the celebration, having no idea that as an adult, he will criticize the institution of child marriage.
  • The newlyweds spend a nervous night together, which Gandhi doesn't describe. But, he tells us he right away assumes authority over her as her husband.