Behind the Beautiful Forevers chapters 4-5
Chapter 4 quotes:
“As every slumdweller knew, there were three main ways out of poverty: finding an
entrepreneurial niche, as the Husains had found in garbage; politics and corruption, in
which Asha placed her hopes; and education” (62).
“She (Meena) was a Dalit (once termed untouchable); Manju belonged to the Kunbi
farming caste, a backward caste but higher. Like most young Annawadians, the girls
considered the caste obsession of their elders to be an irrelevant artifact. Manju and
Meena had become friends because they both loved to dance, and stayed friends because
they could keep each other’s secrets” (66).
Comment on the following chapter 5 themes and character conflicts (external and
internal):
1. Fatima’s birth defect, upbringing, and self-hate: the cycle of abuse
2. Poverty and euthanasia: economic and moral dilemmas
3. Muslim fellowship and feuding in Annawadi:
4. Karam’s dream of a better life in Vasai versus the reality of his tuberculosis:
5. Zehrunisa’s somewhat mixed feelings about the Muslim tradition of purdah: