Chapter

Quote (Evidence)

Commentary (Your
understanding of the text)

An Accidental Kindness

Harish had taught me how to

say thank you in his language,
but it seemed a paltry word for
my debt to this man. (176)

I felt like when the stranger just

held her and hugged her, she
kinda took back a glimmer of
hope and light back inside of
her. Up until this rare
occurrence, she was very
depressed. Little things like this
light a fire inside of her to keep
going.

A Gift

How odd it is that I am undone

by the simple kindness of a
small boy with a yellow pencil.
(183)

This reminds me of the DQ: Is

education a right or a privilege.
In Lakshmis case, education is a
privilege only for rich boys in
her world. Something as
insignificant as a pencil for us, is
everything to Lakshmi because
to get an education, just to learn
in general can change the whole
outlook of someones life. It
gives people hope. It gives
Lakshmi hope that she will get
out of the Happiness House
someday because Harish is
teaching her another language
and with her little education, she
does calculations in her ledger
daily.

Something For The David

Beckham Boy

He spreads his arms wide, like

a bird in flight, and calls back a
quick thank you over his
shoulder. (184)

With this simile, not only does

the author compare Harishs
spread out arms to a bird, but
theres also a deeper meaning
within it. Many birds and the act
of flying symbolizes freedom
and hope. I think for Lakshmi,
Harish is the only normal thing
in her life, her hope and she
relies on him indirectly to help
her keep going and staying as
positive as she can.

When Monica Left

That afternoon, the cook put a

sad song on the music machine.
And we who remain at
Happiness House listened all the
way through to the end, too
unhappy for tears. (186)

I am not sure what the literary

term or strategy the author uses
here is called, but it contradicts
what the simple meaning would
be. The cook puts on a sad song,
and everyone is too unhappy for
tears. When people are sad, its
thought that they cry. Yet here
they are too unhappy to cry. Its
kinda a play on words in a way.

An Old Woman

My name is Lakshmi, I tell her.

I am from Nepal. I am thirteen

This quote is Lakshmis most

prized possession: her name, her

years old. (192)

birthplace and her age. These are

three things that have not been
taken away from her and never
will be. Its her identity who she
is. Throughout the book she says
to herself because she doesnt
want to forget who she is. She
doesnt want to lose herself.

A Secret

There is a moment, between the

light and the dark, when the
smell of frying onions blows in
through the windows. All over
the city, the cooking hour has
begun. This is the saddest smell
in the world because it means
that here at Mumtazs house the
men will start to arrive. (207)

Here the author uses something

pleasant: the smell of the
cooking hour all over the city
when everyone eats and
socializes with each other. Its a
happy time of the day, but in
the Happiness House its the
complete opposite.

A Recalculation

Let me do the calculations for

you, she says. She pretends to be
adding and subtracting. Yes, she
says. Its as I thought. You have
at least five more years here
with me. (226)

Mumtaz reminds me of an evil

modern stepmother like in
Cinderella, except there are
actually people like her in the
world who manage and run these
brothels with underaged girl sex
slaves. It makes me wonder why
she and many others chose/have
this job. How did they get to this
point?

Any Man, Every Man

I will be with them all. Any

man, every man. I will become
Monica. I will do whatever it
takes to get out of here. (227)

This reminds me of one of the

stages of Im not sure if its
depression or something else:
anger. Shes already passed the
stage of resentment,
sadness/moping and now shes
angry. She doesnt care
anymore. She will do anything
to get out and be free.

Monster

But I wonder. If the crying of a

young girl is the same to me as
the bleating of the horns in the
street below, what have I
become. (231)

This is both a simile and a

metaphor. Its an evident
comparison between the sobs of
a young girl in the Happiness
House to the horns beeping in
the street with the use of as.
But its also comparing the
normality of both these
completely unrelated things. For
Lakshmi, these are daily things
she experiences.

The Words That Harish Taught

Me

Something inside me breaks

open, and I run down the steps. I
see Mumtaz , her fat mango face
purple with rage, her arms
pinned behind her back by two
policemen. She lunges in my
direction and spits But the
policemen hold her back. (263)

I like the fact the author uses the

words breaks open because
when you think of something
breaking open, you think of
freedom and being free. Shes
finally going to be free.