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Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Henna Artist, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Choice, Independence and Women’s Freedoms
Family and Responsibility
Societal Hierarchy vs. Unordered Intimacy
Care and Communication
Creativity vs. Possession
Summary
Analysis
It is late April, and Lakshmi has agreed to let Radha go to Shimla with Kanta. Samir has spoken to the elder maharani to broach the possibility of an adoption, but Lakshmi will have to work out the details. And Hari has signed the divorce papers, though Malik will not explain how he is ensuring that Hari will leave Lakshmi alone.
Shimla is a midsized city in the Himachal Pradesh state of India (the northeast part of the country, where the foothills of the Himalayas begin). Malik’s unwillingness to let Lakshmi in on the details of his plans are a form of protection, in much the same way that Lakshmi tries to spare Radha from the nastiest truths of her past.
Themes
Before her visit with the maharani, Malik pinches Lakshmi’s cheeks, hoping to make her look healthier than she feels. It has been a few weeks since Lakshmi has been at the palace. Nervously, she checks for her pocket watch, but she cannot find it anywhere. When she enters, the elder maharani is playing cards and scolding her bird, as per usual. Immediately, Indira jokes about her late husband embarrassing himself in front of the British.
The gold pocket watch Samir gave to Lakshmi fell out of Lakshmi’s pocket at Geeta’s house, during their sexual encounter; Lakshmi has not seen it since. The missing pocket watch is both symbolic—it represents the loss of Samir and Lakshmi’s closeness—and presents a threat to Lakshmi, as it is proof of their former intimacy.
Themes
As she snacks on pistachios, Indira congratulates Lakshmi on how quickly Latika healed. Some people wanted to send Latika to an Austrian doctor, but Indira is glad they did not have to air the “family’s dirty laundry.” A servant brings the chai, sweet and comforting, and Indira segues into the matter of adoption. At first, Indira thinks the baby is Lakshmi’s, but Lakshmi clarifies that her sister is the mother.
Even at the highest rungs of the caste system, Indira fears the ramifications of familial shame (in this case, Latika’s mental health struggles). Lakshmi’s knowledge of this “dirty laundry” is then leverage as she proposes the adoption plan.
Themes
Lakshmi makes the case for Radha’s baby: Ravi is Rajput, and Radha is Brahmin, plus the first in her class at Latika’s school. Indira expresses regret that the baby is not Lakshmi’s, but she agrees to the adoption—pending a paternity test. To formalize the exchange, the maharani has a servant bring forth the royal adoption papers. The long, detailed contract specifies that the baby has to be male, and that the birth mother will receive 30,000 rupees. Indira feels that Lakshmi’s attention to the contract shows distrust, but Lakshmi gracefully buys herself more time.
Again, the rules of caste govern every detail of life, both big and small. Despite Ravi’s bad actions, his Rajput status makes him a perfect candidate for the father of the future maharaja. It is also worth paying attention to the weight of the contract: in addition to being metaphorically responsible for Radha, Lakshmi is also legally bound to take her cues from her sister’s behavior.
Themes
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After a while, Lakshmi begins to sign the papers. Before the final signature, though, her hand freezes. Can she really give Radha’s baby, a whole person, away so casually? Latika and Indira would both resent this child, forced into their family and displacing their own sons (born or unborn). Moreover, this baby will never have motherly soothing or fatherly lullabies, as Lakshmi herself had received.
In this important moment, Lakshmi struggles to decide her sister’s future; after all, hasn’t she spent her entire life trying to let women make choices for themselves? This is also the first time Lakshmi takes seriously the need to keep family close, a pain perhaps heightened by Radha’s absence.
Themes
Still, Lakshmi ultimately knows that a life at the palace is better than the life of an orphan—so she writes her final signature. To seal the contract, Indira has a servant bring a bowl of red liquid, which she explains is liquid opium (“if it’s good enough for the maharajas,” Indira snarks, “it’s good enough for us”). Even Madho Singh, the bird, has a taste.
This snarky comment reveals two key truths. First, Indira strives to find equality with men like her late husband wherever she can, even if that is equality in vice (drug use). And second, this opium use again demonstrates the complex legacies of British rule, as the British introduced opium to India.
Themes
Just before Lakshmi leaves, Indira raises one other matter—a man named Hari Shastri, whose medical work is being financed by the palace. The chef convinced Indira to bankroll these efforts in exchange for seasoning her food correctly. Indira wonders if there is any relation between Hari and Lakshmi, as they share the same last name. Lakshmi insists there is not, and a long moment passes before Indira agrees.
Malik’s plan is now clear: he has used his ties to the palace chef to fund Hari’s healing efforts. Indira is a very smart woman, and the long pause suggests that she knows Hari and Lakshmi are related. By choosing not to call Lakshmi out on this connection, then, Indira gives Lakshmi the relief of not having to be responsible for every member of her family—just as Lakshmi has released Indira from worry over Latika.
Themes
