Chapter 2, pages 20-30 Summary and Analysis

Firdaus has the feeling of being born a second time as she enters her uncle's house and sees herself in the mirror for the first time, but she dislikes her image and develops a deep hatred for the mirror. She enjoys school and tends to her uncle's house afterward. During the cold winter nights, she curls into his arms for warmth, and she wants to tell him that she loves him, but is unable.

When Firdaus is awarded her primary school certificate, her uncle gives her a wristwatch and takes her to the theater where she sees a woman dancing with naked thighs and another woman kissing a man on the lips. Her uncle tells her these are sins, but a strange thing happens to Firdaus; somewhere in her body, an old pleasure, or a new pleasure...