Honor

Smita accuses lawyer Anjali of taking advantage of Meena, but a similar accusation could be made against her journalism. Do you think Meena has been taken advantage of, or are her relationships with Anjali and Smita examples of female solidarity?

Because of the incident in her past, Smita has cut herself off from her Indian identity. Explore her journey of recovering this identity from the waiter in the café identifying her as the entire country of America (54) to realizing in the end that Mumbai is home (320).

How does Thirty Umrigar’s Parsi identity make her an ideal person to explore the novel’s Hindu/Muslim conflict? How does Smita’s identity make her an ideal protagonist to explore this conflict?

Why do you think Umrigar reveals Smita’s trauma late in the novel? How does Mohan react to this reveal, and why? What does Smita herself get out of this reveal and his reaction?

Do you find Smita and Mohan’s love story realistic and/or sustainable? What does their story symbolize in the context of India’s future?

What is Shannon’s role in the novel? Is she a foil to Smita?

Abdul dreams of a “new, modern India” and rejects the “old, timeless India” represented by men like Rupal (160). In this regard, who most represents new India between Smita and Mohan?

Before apologizing to the mob of men who attacked Meena, Smita thinks of her father and finally understands what it means to love someone enough to sacrifice one’s pride. In this moment, who is she sacrificing for? What compels her to ultimately stay in India?