Challenging Destiny

Amisha and Jaya both grapple with issues of destiny in the novel, which is major theme of the work, although their destinies are as different as their struggles. Amisha’s destiny or fate is one of tradition and family; she appears destined to have to abide by the cultural norms that have come before. She cannot freely engage in her ability to write because it is taboo. By contrast, Jaya, who lives over half a century later, has a thriving career as a blogger and reporter. Jaya is plagued by a biological destiny of sorts: her inability to give birth. By contrast, Amisha is very fertile and Ravi even notes, “other women in the village complained about how long it took them to get pregnant (…) for Amisha it had always come easy” (76). It can be said that each one has what the other lacks; Amisha...