Homeless Bird

Koly’s mother and father, Maa and Baap, serve the same function in the story and can therefore be analyzed together. Neither undergoes a transformation during the story. They effectively cut ties with Koly when she marries at the end of Chapter 1, and their subsequent presence in the novel is through Koly’s memories. Despite being static characters, Maa and Baap are complex. They demonstrate ambivalence toward the tradition of arranged marriage but go along with it. They have positive qualities: Maa is selfless and artistic; Baap is clever and kind. Nevertheless, they force their 13-year-old daughter into an arranged marriage without knowing whether she’ll be treated well. This paradox shows how much power social norms can have over individuals and families. Thematically, Maa and Baap’s role in the story is to demonstrate, through their interactions with Koly, The Impacts of Cultural Traditions on Women’s Rights and Identities.

Baap works as a scribe in the market. His work is what first inspired Koly’s desire to read and write. According to Koly, Maa often eats little at mealtimes so that the rest of the family can have more. The reason for her selflessness—the family’s poverty—is also the reason she and Baap want Koly to marry. This exposes the difficult choices many parents must make to meet their families’ needs. At Koly’s wedding, Baap cries because his daughter “is dressed like a woman, but she is only a child” (18). Nevertheless, he insists that they go through with the wedding despite their misgivings. Maa doesn’t oppose the marriage either, though she makes sacrifices to do what she thinks is best for Koly. She believes that having a good dowry and entering into an auspicious marriage offers a woman the best chance of security and prosperity. She gives Koly her prized earrings and sells her other valuables, even the family cow, to give Koly a dowry. Maa considers school a waste for girls, who she thinks should instead focus on cooking and cleaning. Her beliefs about education and gender roles reinforce sexism and gender disparities. She supports Koly and her future in other ways, however. She loves Koly and exhibits pride in her daughter. In addition, she teaches Koly the family tradition of embroidery, which eventually enables Koly to have a career. Ultimately, while Maa and Baap are sad about Koly marrying so young, they accept and reinforce the institution of arranged marriage.

Throughout the novel, Koly refers to her husband Hari’s mother by the traditional nickname for one’s mother-in-law, never revealing her actual name. The way that Sass treats Koly characterizes Sass as mean, cruel, and even abusive. She maintains this meanness until the end of their relationship, when she abandons Koly in an unknown city and washes her hands of the daughter-in-law she considers a burden (although she found Koly’s widow’s pension checks useful). Although her character is static, she exhibits some complexity. She shows compassion toward her own children, crying when Hari suffers and making considerable sacrifices to try to save him. Like Koly’s parents, Sass seems conflicted by her son’s arranged marriage. When Sass and Sassur don’t introduce Koly as Hari’s wife, Koly wonders if they’re “ashamed to admit […] that they had married so young and so sick a son to get money” (45). Sass’s desperation to keep her son alive indicates that her choices weren’t motivated by an inherently evil nature.

Grief over her son’s death leads Sass to become even more bitter and hateful. She treats Koly like a burden and unfairly blames her for Hari’s death. This solidifies Sass as the story’s antagonist. Her verbal abuse and act of abandonment make Koly feel unloved and unwanted but ultimately propel her toward independence and belonging.

Koly’s father-in-law, Sassur, contrasts with Sass in his relationship with Koly. He’s kind and becomes something of an ally to Koly. However, Sassur is unreliable as a source of support. He tells Koly that she’ll be like a daughter to him and Sass but does nothing to ensure that Sass treats her well. This demonstrates how rigid gender norms can impact family dynamics. Household management is seen as the woman’s domain. Sassur defers to Sass in matters of home and family, allowing her to treat Koly abusively and even steal her pension. On the other hand, Sassur teaches Koly to read and write, which empowers her. The ability to read and write gives Koly access to knowledge that is often withheld from women—through taboos against women learning to read—as a way to keep them subordinate and maintain social gender hierarchies.

Sassur is like Koly in many ways. He loves reading, especially Tagore’s poetry. Koly notes, “The only time my sassur seemed to come alive was when he had a book in his hand” (74). He likewise becomes a subject of Sass’s bullying: “Sassur suffered from more than the students’ tricks. When he was home, Sass was always complaining about how poor they were and how others were better off. I think Sassur was as miserable as I was” (74). However, Sassur responds to this and other hardships he faces after Hari’s death differently than Koly. He gives up hope and then dies, quietly and unexpectedly. His unhappiness and death exemplify what could happen to Koly if she doesn’t fight for her dignity and the autonomy she craves.

Koly’s husband through an arranged marriage, Hari is about the same age as Koly, 13, though his parents say he’s 16 to make him seem like a more appealing prospect. Koly’s first impressions of Hari on their wedding day characterize him: “He was thin and pale and very frightened-looking” (19). His hands are hot and sweaty with fever; his voice is faint and marred further by frequent coughing. He knows he’s terminally sick and has given up hope.

Hari’s character is flat and static. He’s spoiled and childish, throwing things and breaking them when he doesn’t get his way. He convinces his parents to let Koly go to Varanasi, which seems like a kind act until he reveals that he only wants her there for his benefit and amusement. As he nears his death, he seemingly fades from existence. Koly notes: “All of Hari’s sullenness and temper were gone, and without them Hari seemed to be disappearing” (45). After his death, he influences the story only in how his death affects his family. Hari’s function in the novel is to bring Koly into an adverse situation, first through their marriage and again when his death makes her a widow.

Hari’s sister and Koly’s sister-in-law, Chandra, is kind to Koly, becoming a friend and ally. Upon their first meeting Chandra, Koly describes her as “very beautiful, with golden-brown skin and sad, pleading eyes” and “plump, with a soft round face and body” (14). Koly thinks her own looks, with her unruly hair and owl eyes, compare poorly to Chandra’s beauty. This early comparison hints at Chandra’s role in the story. Her character is static and fairly flat, but she serves as a foil to Koly. She contrasts with Koly in her preferential treatment from Sass and her views on reading, marriage, and independence.

When Hari dies, his baap says that Koly will be like a daughter to him and her sass. However, Sass treats Koly very differently from Chandra, more like a servant than a daughter. Chandra gets more to eat, is assigned fewer and easier chores, and receives affection. Chandra’s privilege helps Koly realize that she isn’t loved there and must eventually go somewhere else. Chandra’s dowry consists of money her parents stole from Koly’s widow’s pension. Koly doesn’t blame Chandra for taking it but notes, “I knew I would not have done the same to her” (83). Chandra’s selfishness emphasizes Koly’s integrity. When Koly offers to teach Chandra to read, Chandra says she doesn’t need to read because her parents are looking for a husband for her. In addition, she also tells Koly that she can’t run away because she’d have no one to take care of her. Chandra’s apathy toward reading and independence elucidates one way that gender disparities are reinforced and highlights Koly’s passionate desire to educate herself and obtain independence.

A young man whom Koly meets in Vrindavan, Raji helps her survive and then gain independence. When Koly meets him, she observes kindness on his face. This kindness is a central aspect of Raji’s character. He helps Koly meet her needs and increase her autonomy rather than trying to control her as others have done. Raji’s primary functions in the story center on his relationship with Koly and his influence on her character arc. When she’s at her lowest—homeless, penniless, and completely helpless in Vrindavan—Raji takes her to Maa Kamala’s. This event completely turns things around for Koly and sparks her transformation from helplessness to independence. She later remarks, “I tried not to think what would have happened to me if I had not found Raji. No one was more fortunate than I” (142). Raji becomes a friend and confidante to Koly, and he’s a much-improved replacement for the allies she lost in Chandra and Sassur.

Raji plans to save up the money he earns as a rickshaw driver in the city and then return to his village and farm his land. Among his motivations is a desire to marry a wife of his choosing, one he cares for and can relate to. He tells Koly, “I don’t want to marry a handful of rupees. […] I want to talk to my wife. I can talk to you” (195-96). Raji’s dismissal of arranged marriage aligns with Koly’s views and values. Like her, he cares less for wealth than companionship, as evident when he says that “water and food and a roof over our heads” are all they need (196). Thematically, their marriage plans underscore Defining “Home” in Terms of Love and Belonging. Raji doesn’t insist that Koly marry him right away or ask her to give up her job and friends. He even builds a room just for her embroidery. Raji respects Koly’s needs as a multifaceted individual and proves to her that their home together will be one where she feels love and a sense of belonging.