Jamila Character Analysis

Jamila is Anwar and Jeeta's daughter. She's a few years older than Karim and infinitely more mature. She and Karim have sex fairly regularly as teens, though Karim notes that it was never a truly romantic relationship. As a teen, a white librarian named Miss Cutmore took Jamila on and introduced her to French novels. After Miss Cutmore moved away, Jamila took it upon herself to continue her education, while accusing Miss Cutmore of "colonizing" her. Karim notes that Jamila is far too strong-willed to be colonized by anyone. Jamila's interests are varied, and she immerses herself in the writings of Angela Davis, Simone de Beauvoir, and black writers from America. When Anwar goes on a hunger strike to bully Jamila into entering an arranged marriage, Jamila eventually gives in. Karim reasons that Jamila does so in order to rebel against rebellion itself. When Changez, her new husband, arrives from India, Jamila quickly puts him in his place. She refuses to have sex or share a bed with him, and makes him sleep on a camp bed in their living room while she sleeps and continues her studies in the bedroom. She becomes very politically active and attends anti-fascist rallies. As Karim climbs the social ladder through his theatre involvement, Jamila cautions him against allowing the rich to infiltrate his mind. When she decides to move to a communal house, Changez insists on following her. There, she has a baby with Simon. Changez parents the baby as though she's his own, and Karim notices that Jamila and Changez seem to truly respect each other at this point in their lives.