The Bridge Home

Was running away a good or a bad thing for the sisters? By running away, the sisters avoided familial abuse but endured endure hunger, squalor, danger, sickness, and more. Were the sisters justified in running away? Should they have stayed? Frame your argument with examples in the story.

Are there young people in our nation who experience the kind of hardship, suffering, abuse, lack of opportunity, and hunger that the children without homes in this novel experience? How can someone discover the full extent of hardship children face in our nation?

In India, a caste system exists that dictates a person’s social status. Viji and Rukku’s mother came from a higher caste than her father, causing her mother’s family to reject her and the sisters. Does typical American society possess a class system like the Indian caste system? How do these systems operate? Support your response with passages from the story.

Praba, the daughter of the well-to-do family that buys Kutti, donates clothes to Viji and Rukku because the girls’ clothes are tattered. Yet, Viji feels so much pity for the girl who steals her money purse that she refuses to chase her. Are hardship and poverty a matter of degree? How does this idea transform the notion of poverty and scarcity? Looking at these interactions, what does it mean to be wealthy?

Venkatraman presents harsh, realistic descriptions of hardships, deprivation, and suffering in this novel. Why would the author describe all these difficult, painful events and circumstances in a book meant for children who are the same age as the main characters?

A wealthy woman thanks Viji and Rukku for being ragpickers, and she says they help keep the environment clean. Viji is surprised that anyone finds worthiness in what she and the other children do. How does this interaction change Viji’s outlook on her circumstances? What inequities are demonstrated in the woman’s gratitude?

Nations such as the United States have programs informally called “the social safety net” that provide care for children without homes; the goal of these programs is to avoid the hardship described in The Bridge Home. What evidence is there of a social safety net in the book?

In the final chapter, Viji writes to Rukku that her assumption was upside down. She thought she was taking care of Rukku while Rukku was providing for and guiding Viji. What are some examples of how Rukku guides Viji? Is Rukku a hero or a victim of the story? Why or why not? Provide support for your argument with evidence from the text.