Animal's People

Nisha is a Hindu girl “not yet twenty” (33) who Animal meets while begging for money outside a restaurant in Khaufpur. From the start, Animal appreciates that Nisha “took me exactly as I was” (22), seeming never “to notice that I was crippled, nor pretend I wasn’t” (22). Nisha, a student at a women’s college, is Zafar’s girlfriend, and like most people in the city, she reveres Zafar almost as a saint for his having given up his life to serve the poor. As Zafar is a Muslim, she is especially moved by stories of Muslims and Hindus overcoming barriers to be together. Of a younger generation who believes “there’s been no sign of justice” (34), she sometimes clashes with her father, Somraj, who doesn’t agree with her participating in marches and insists the Kampani will not escape justice even if it takes a long time.

Nisha treats Animal with kindness, tending to his needs and including him in their affairs; according to Zafar, “[s]he has a real soft spot” for him (301). Though Nisha is not like the glamorous, heavily made-up movie stars to whom Animal usually is attracted, Animal soon falls in love with her, an experience that teaches him that love “is different and more difficult” and “has nothing to do with sex” (46). Nisha also teaches Animal that love makes people do things they normally wouldn’t—in his case, love inspires him to have hope, something he detests because it inevitably leads to disappointment.

Nisha frequently wrestles with her conscience in regard to Elli. Though she resents Elli for the way her father looks at her, when Somraj becomes ill in the middle of the night, Nisha puts aside her dislike and begs her to come tend to him. As the two women sit by his bedside that night, Nisha apologizes for having misjudged her. Similarly, when her father and Elli become engaged, Nisha tells Animal she does not want to share her father, whom she has had to herself for all these years. She admits she feels selfish for having these feelings.

When Zafar is dying during the hunger strike, Nisha tells Animal she is “not heroic enough to fight other people’s causes” (285) and that she is “caught in it because I was born here” (285). She does not believe the battle with the Kampani will ever end and desires to leave Khaufpur. Believing the hunger strike will mean nothing to the Kampani, she goes so far as to slip drops of water into Zafar’s mouth as he is sleeping, infuriating him. She refuses to stay with him during the hunger strike, insisting she will not watch him die.

Nisha’s strong will and more pragmatic approach to seeking justice sometimes sets her at odds with Zafar; though she worships him as a saint, she is unafraid to express her disagreement when she believes his decisions to be incorrect or dangerous. Nisha’s admission of guilt over her dislike for Elli and her desire to stop fighting for justice in Khaufpur show her to be more than simply Zafar’s girlfriend and Animal’s love interest. Though young, she is strong, imperfect but willing to accept and own her flaws.

A known and respected activist, and Nisha’s boyfriend, Zafar is a Muslim man in his thirties who frequently spends time at Somraj and Nisha’s house. Zafar has “given up everything in his life” (67) to help fight for victims of “that night”; he also tends to the poor, ensuring that money is raised for people who are suffering and righting injustices perpetrated by the government. As a result, he is revered as a saint in Khaufpur.

Animal meets Zafar during his first visit to Nisha’s house. Zafar at first resists calling him “Animal,” believing he is a human being who deserves respect, but after Animal insists, he relents. Hearing about how Animal performed scams throughout Khaufpur, Zafar does not judge him but rather enlists his help dispensing justice in the city. Zafar disapproves of swearing and frequently shields Nisha from hearing foul language or discussions with sexual content.

Though he does not know it, Zafar is the object of Animal’s resentment. An attractive, well-respected man, he is, to Animal, an infallible rival for Nisha’s love. Zafar’s saintliness often annoys Animal, who wonders how Zafar became “so fucking wise” (66). Zafar always is ready with a philosophical quip or a fair, well-reasoned answer, and his evident perfection torments Animal, who disagrees with him in order to provoke him. Animal also believes that Zafar cannot be a saint because “saints and angels don’t feel lust” (27). Zafar entrusts Animal with great responsibility, such as delivering large sums of money to the poor. He attends every protest and is beaten at the Chief Minister’s house—even while dying in his hunger strike, he stands outside the courthouse to question the American lawyers.

Though Zafar is Muslim, he professes to disapprove of religion in general, believing in the goodness of humanity above all else and that we make our own heaven on Earth. Toward the end of the novel, during his hunger strike, however, he confesses to Animal that he does not necessarily disbelieve in God; rather, he refuses to worship God because when you “[l]ook at the world’s misery […] you have to believe that something very malevolent is at work here. I can’t honor this vile thing” (297). He believes Farouq has an easier time of the hunger strike because “Farouq has the Upstairs One” (308).

Despite remaining, on the surface, positive about the people’s ability to overcome injustice, readers sometimes catch glimpses of his cynicism. Though he believes in the goodness of humanity, he also recognizes that the “power of nothing” can grow “out of control” (310) and advises that if the people resort to violence, they will be seen as “terrorists” (282). When Animal attempts to draw similarities between music and promises, which represent Somraj’s and Elli’s two different worlds, Zafar insists comparing music and promises is like comparing “a vulture and a potato” (248), while Animal believes the two can be reconciled.

Zafar, though exhibiting subtle signs of cynicism, takes an idealistic approach to activism that sometimes inspires and sometimes frustrates Animal and others. When Zafar’s request that the Kampani be required to come to court is finally granted, Zafar tells the people they have a long way to go but that they are destined to win because they have “the power of nothing,” or “nothing to lose” (54). Though Animal at first is inspired by this message, as the novel progresses, Zafar demonstrates that his ideas are not always pragmatic. Animal does not agree with Zafar’s assessment that even if justice is not served to the Kampani, “in their hearts they themselves know” (283) that they are “bloodstained” and “wicked” (283). When Elli opens her clinic, Zafar, without evidence, believes she is working for the Kampani; as a result, he requests the people boycott the clinic. As time goes on, the suffering people grow more and more frustrated that they are forbidden to seek the free help they so desperately need. Later, however, Zafar does humble himself and apologizes.

Perhaps the greatest demonstration of Zafar’s idealism is his hunger strike. His insistence on going through with the strike infuriates Nisha, who does not believe it will have any effect on the Kampani other than to amuse them. The hunger strike is the epitome of Zafar’s activism in that it is dramatic and powerful, and that it is moving to the people without actually having a great impact on the Kampani itself. It is, arguably, counterproductive; indeed, Nisha argues, “You can’t fight if you’re dead” (293), and Animal notes, “It’s his strength that’s killing him” (297). Interestingly, Animal suspects Zafar agrees with Nisha that the hunger strike will be futile but that he is tired of fighting and is looking for an honorable way to stop.

On his deathbed, Zafar affectionately insists that Animal is in fact a human even though he pretends to be an animal. He shows himself to be human by swearing, joking with Animal, expressing regret for being too serious, and forgiving Animal for poisoning him. His letting his guard down, explaining his admiration for Animal and his regret about his own life, inspires feelings of solidarity and respect in Animal, feelings that are solidified at the end of the novel, when Zafar saves Animal from his eight days alone in the forest. He, Farouq, and Animal cry together as they return to Khaufpur, and Animal can finally be happy for him and Nisha.

Somraj, Nisha’s father, used to be a famous singer until his lungs were injured in the industrial accident. Ever since, he refuses to listen to recordings of himself singing and suffers from recurring nightmares about that night. His wife and baby son also were killed that night. Animal notices that Somraj hardly ever smiles, and he finds him “frightening” (32) at first. Somraj meets Zafar through his poison-relief organization. At the end of the novel, Somraj is beaten at the factory protest when he intervenes in Inspector Fatlu’s attack on Animal.

When Animal and Nisha read about Khaufpuri online, Animal learns that Somraj used to be famous for “sing[ing] the stuff he saw” (97); for instance, during the monsoon, he “matches his Miya ki Malhar to the wildness of the sea” (97). He begins to endear himself to Animal when one day he asks Animal what he hears outside; when Animal says he hears only a frog, Somraj explains how a frog’s croaking is a musical note and how “if you listen carefully you can hear the same notes in many other things which you wouldn’t expect” (49). From that point on, Animal notices that Somraj hears music in unexpected places: when carpenters arrive to fix Elli’s clinic, “Somraj came out of his house to listen to the music of their saws and drills” (68). Somraj asks Animal not to talk about their discussion of frogs. When he discovers that Animal has told Elli, Animal stays away for two weeks for fear of his wrath. However, rather than scold or hit him, Somraj jokes with him, even surprising Animal by smiling at him.

Somraj disapproves of Zafar’s boycott. When confronted by Elli, he does not defend himself; rather, he signs her petition requesting him to call off the boycott and offers her tea during her protest, even taking the picket sign from her to allow her to drink. He invites her to the celebratory picnic after the hearing and talks privately with her about her life as they sit in her apartment. Though the people are suspicious of her, as Somraj is “a man to be respected” (197), they treat her with kindness when he brings her to the picnic.

To Somraj, music is not only a love but a philosophy. His misunderstanding with Elli over music—he thinks she is drowning out his music with her piano, and she thinks he is drowning her out—represents the early lack of reconciliation between two “different worlds”: Somraj tells Elli, “Yours is made of promises, mine of music. I wonder if the two are as far apart as they seem” (204). Somraj tells Elli that he does not “distinguish the sounds” (216) of what appears to be a cacophony. Rather, “I try to hear it all together, all at once” (216), for “[w]hen songs clash, as you called it, sometimes out of that comes a new music, something completely fresh” (216). Similarly, he tells Animal that “[t]he notes of the scale are all really one note, which is sa” (249) and that singers present that single note “bent and twisted by this world and what’s in it” (249)—in other words, by their own experiences of “grief or love or longing” (249). Somraj’s belief in a common center of all things in music, and his ultimate reconciliation with Elli over music, reflects his thoughtful integrity and foreshadows his achievement of new love at the end of the novel.

Elli is an American doctor who buys the building across the street from Somraj’s house and, with her own money, opens up a free clinic to help those suffering from the effects of “that night.” Animal’s first impression of her is that “she carries herself like someone who knows what she’s about” (67). He is struck by the fact “that her blue jeans are so tight you can see everything” (67). Animal is strongly attracted to her; the voices in his head torment him constantly about her, suggesting she could be the first person he has sex with. When he visits her, he must scold them into silence.

Because Zafar believes her to be working for the Kampani, the people boycott her clinic. Animal, who has been visiting her frequently and who hears her complaining about the people’s squalor to a government doctor, believes these suspicions to be unfounded and vehemently defends her to Zafar. When Somraj questions why she is there, Elli offers an explanation that summarizes her character succinctly: “In this world there are two kinds of people, whose who help others, and those who don’t. Me, I’m the first kind” (158).

When she tours the poor parts of the city with Animal, Elli refuses to hide her identity and knocks on doors asking to help people who are sick. She is puzzled by the people’s refusal to visit her at the clinic and is horrified by Animal’s living conditions. Her inability to understand why the people cling to Zafar and refuse free care inspires Animal to explain to her the differences between her life and theirs. Elli is frequently frustrated by how hard it is for her to help the people: she breaks into tears while visiting the factory and expresses her determination to Zahreel Khan, who only aggravates her further with his lackadaisical attitude toward the people’s suffering. Elli refuses to give up, for example going to the courthouse for the hearing, despite the people’s wariness of her.

Elli makes important sacrifices to help the Khaufpuris and is staunch despite the obstacles. Unsatisfied with her life in America, she left her career and divorced her husband, Frank, who works for the Kampani. She goes to see him at the hotel to convince him to delay the deal; when she realizes the lawyers have broken their promise, she sneaks into the hotel to release the factory’s toxic air into the room, forcing them to flee and making the deal impossible. When Aliya is sick and refuses to go to the hospital, Elli brings her to her own home and gives her medicine so she can heal. She tries to convince Zafar not to perform the hunger strike, explaining in vivid detail what will happen to his body. Elli arrives in Khaufpur full of optimism and enthusiasm, which are dampened when she witnesses the people’s resistance and the government’s lack of transparency. She is well meaning, attempting at first to wear traditional clothing; however, she fails to realize how little she understands of the people. Elli’s words give the novel its title and perhaps encapsulate Elli’s presence in Khaufpur: puzzled by the people’s willingness to tolerate such living conditions, she shouts, “HEY, ANIMAL’S PEOPLE! I DON’T FUCKING UNDERSTAND YOU!” (183). Elli persists despite her disillusionment, even after her marriage to Frank is revealed and the people burn her clinic. After bringing Somraj and Nisha to America to meet her family, she returns to the clinic to continue her practice, having finally convinced the Khaufpuris of her trustworthiness.

Ma Franci, or Mère Ambrosine, is a French nun living in Khaufpur who on the night of the industrial accident lost not only her ability to speak English and Hindi but also her ability to recognize them as languages. As a result, she believes anyone not speaking French is babbling incoherently. Ma, according to Animal, “came from France more than forty years ago to spread the word about Isa miyañ and do good works” (37); she has “a head full of angels and a tongue sourer than a lick of tamarind” (38). The other nuns in her convent believe her to have gone mad and try to encourage her to go back to France, where she will be well cared for. Ma refuses, believing her calling to be helping the people of Khaufpur. She believes “that night” was the beginning of “the Apokalis,” or the Apocalypse, and that “her place was with its suffering people” (37).

Animal’s first memory of Ma Franci is her crying over his bed and comforting him as he suffered with a twisted back. Throughout his life, she takes him to the doctor when he hears his voices. In return, Animal now cares for her when she is sick, going into debt with grocers to procure adequate food for her. He says there are “[f]ew people in the world I love, [and] this old lady is one of them” (142); she frequently calls him her “son” or her “son Animal,” a gesture he appreciates and that makes him feel that she’s the closest to a mother he’s ever had. When a priest arrives to take her to a French convent, Animal thinks of “what a wound it will leave in my life, sky rent apart, light falling so bright you can hardly look, great sheet of light lying on an ocean” (142). His concerns are moot, however: Ma outsmarts the priest, disguising herself in a burqa, slipping out of her house through the back, and escaping to the house of her best friend, Huriya.

Ma believes “that night” and the 9/11 attacks are evidence that the Apocalypse is coming. She imagines scorpions will grow to the size of horses and that they will kill people “who’ve done evil to others” (62); she mistakes the sound of the train for “an angel in a sooty robe blowing the last trump” (65). Animal indulges her in her rants, noting “every day she is getting madder” (295). The night of the factory riot, Animal begs her not to leave the house, but Ma laughs “a horrible old woman’s laugh that sucks and gurgles from lack of teeth” (328) and argues that “[t]his is my night, it’s the night for which I’ve waited so many years” (328). When the factory burns, Ma goes out into the night to help people, telling Animal they will meet again in Paradise. Animal later learns she passed away that night. She and Huriya, who went with her, are seen as “heroines” and “saints” (363). Animal imagines Ma sitting with him as he speaks into the tapes and decides whether to have surgery on his back.