(Pages 50-75) Response

I am very impressed by Manju’s character. Her personality seems to be of a person who is determined and knows what it is she wants for her life. Manju’s actions portrayed in the story illustrate that she is a hard worker and an ambitious being despite her harsh surroundings. I feel that the reason as to why I was so impressed by her character was because her ambition is unexpected in the type of environment she lives in. One would think that the mentality of the majority of slum dwellers would be much more minimal in a way when referring to their future desires in life. What stuck out to me the most was the separation Manju creates apart from her mother Asha. Throughout the story, one sees that Manju is not interested in money like her mother; she wants to fulfill her desires without risking her morality as a person. She sees that her mother is corrupt when it comes to her actions, yet Manju wants no part in her mother’s plans. Another line that truly captured Manju’s personality was when she mentioned that she did not want to get stuck with a husband whom was not okay with her working. She is very independent unlike many women from in her society.

Manju slightly reminds me of my mother and myself. My mom and I are exactly the same, yet mildly different when it comes to expressing who we are. For the most part, we are both like Manju when it comes to the independent part; both of us give lots of importance to being independent and ambitious in our goals. Another character trait of my mom that reminds me a lot of Manju is how busy she always is. Manju is constantly doing things around the household while still attempting to further her education. This is something that my mom has done all her life; she has been able to maintain the home stable as she continues to develop her education in various fields and keep her business going.  Manju is a person who is not very confrontational which is nothing like my mother and me. We usually tend to face problems directly without much hesitation— this is the one thing that completely shows how different we are from Manju’s quiet and obedient personality.