Notes

1. She is happy with her family (excluding her stepfather) but she is not happy with her home. Because she dreams of having a tin roof, which cannot happen as long as she cannot work and her stepfather remains gambling off money. Her mother is burdened but grateful and happy, the stepfather is happy but still inconvenienced by his "one arm".
2. Culture mandates that women must endure and suffer for a man. Live to please him and only him.
3. Her life is full with always changing expectations, usually getting more difficult. Lakshmi has to go to the city because her stepfather lost all of the money is demanding her to go be a maid.
4. Lakshmi is wondering what is in store for her next after seeing lots of others doing their "jobs" all next to each other
5. No, I do not think Ama knew of what Lakshmi would really be doing, but I do think her stepfather intended it to be this way.
6. yes, it is somewhat obvious that the auntie and uncle do not have good intentions for the girl. I think Lakshmi did not suspect it because she is innocent to a heavy degree and sees the good in all people just as she was taught to do by Ama.
7. She wonders where she is going and where Auntie is. Cars, trucks, fans, radios and the people's clothing fascinates her. Her innocence shows that she knows absolutely nothing of what is going on and what is going to happen. Which makes it even easier to use her.
8. Mumtaz cuts off Lakshmi's hair so anyone would know to bring her back there if she were to run. She brutally beats her and makes fun of her thinking that she would be able to leave. Mumtaz punishes the girls by brutally beating them everywhere possible, starves them, does not give them water.
9. They accept their lives there, knowing that the city life is not much better, and pretend.
10. It represents that she is still there to only please a man. But now she has to please more than just one man, and that it is not needed to keep herself modest any longer.
11. She sadly realizes she is already buried alive in debt and won't be able to leave anytime soon.
12. Some girls are very open to the idea of being with men, others just have to pretend. They go along with it just in fear of being beaten or killed. Lakshmi learns you just have to pretend.
13. Because they are told the Americans will convince them to leave, but when they do they just watch as the girls run away naked.
14. I think it undoes her because no male has been kind to her in the time she has been at the house, and it shows her there is still kindness. Other women watch each others children, help them get "protection" from disease and help them not get depressed in the situation.
15. Despair looks like the lacking of any good options. Like Pushpa either selling her daughter into prostitution or her family being on the streets. Lakshmi just keeps remembering her family at home and that makes her a tad less depressed. It has destroyed Pushpa, and Monica after she returned home.
16. Monica's father beat her with his cane, and the entire family wouldn't let her into the village saying she would bring even more disgrace, they even told her daughter that she had died. I think Lakshmi's mother will be much more caring and will be so ashamed that her daughter had to go through the torture she did. However, I feel the stepfather will think she is a disgrace if she doesn't bring back more money. Because the mother has a much more caring personality whereas the stepfather is all about money and is the one who did this to her.
17. The most disturbing part was when Lakshmi was with the first man, Habib. That short, but detailed part of the vignette followed my train of thought for the entire book. I don't think I can really help now. But if anyone ever saw things that were suspicious that suggested trafficking, it should be reported.


Part II:
Lakshmi: main character, who is sold into sex slavery
Ama: Lakshmi’s mother, who feeds into Lakshmi's innocence
Stepfather: One who sells Lakshmi into prostitution
Gita: Was Laksmi’s best friend. She also fed into Lakshmi's innocence making it easier to believe what was originally happening was normal
Tali: Lakshmi’s goat.
Bajai Sita: first person to sell off Lakshmi after the stepfather
Auntie Bimla: Takes Lakshmi on the first part of the journey, introduces her to Uncle Husband
Uncle Husband: Sells Lakshmi to Mumtaz at the prostitution house
Mumtaz: owner of the house, makes it impossible for Lakshmi to leave
Shahanna: Lakshmi's first friend at the house
Pushpa: Gets kicked out of the house for her illness, Harish is her son
Shilpa: Mumtaz's spy, is voluntarily doing her "job"
Anita: Friend of Lakshmi, gives her the idea that Americans are all bad
Harish: teaches Lakshmi Hindi and English
Tea Boy: Shows Lakshmi kindness, also gives Shilpa her alcohol
Monica: Highest earning at the house, gives Lakshmi hope and envy. Until she returns after being told she was a disgrace by her family.
American Customer #1: Gives Lakshmi the idea of escaping, gives her a card.
American Customer #2: Shows Lakshmi that Anita may be right, sleeps with Lakshmi too.
American Customer #3: Ends up saving Lakshmi and having Mumtaz arrested.