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Chapter 3
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
The next day, Radha and Lakshmi wake up early, despite their hectic night. Since Radha does not start school for several months, Lakshmi plans to bring her to appointments. She shows Radha how to ground henna, and to Lakshmi’s surprise, Radha is skilled, even suggesting lemon juice to make the paste darker.
Radha’s henna-paste skills come from her time with Munchi, just as Lakshmi’s drawing expertise comes from the same place. On a symbolic level, the sisters’ henna talent shows that they share history, yet have gained very different, complementary ways of interpreting that shared past.
Themes
Lakshmi’s first client is Kanta, a 26-year-old woman descended from a long line of literary heroes. More than anything, Kanta wants to have a baby, though she has struggled to do so. Because of this, and because of their closeness in age, Kanta treats Lakshmi as an equal. She is bubbly as soon as she comes to the door, waving her servant Baju away and commenting on how much Radha and Lakshmi look alike.
Like their mutual past with Munchi, Lakshmi and Radha’s similar appearance is another sign that these sisters have more in common than even they realize. Kanta’s desire for fertility reflects both her own personal needs and a larger societal pressure placed on women to have babies (also seen in Lakshmi’s relationship with Hari).
Themes
Lakshmi explains that Radha is her sister, but she gives a fake backstory for why Radha has come to Jaipur. Meanwhile, Radha takes in her surroundings: the British colonial where Kanta lives, the absence of gods and goddess paintings on the walls, Kanta’s modern dress and haircut. Lakshmi notes that Kanta had spent time in England for her graduate studies.
By listing these facts about Kanta, Lakshmi is showing how Westernized her friend has become. At the same time, despite Kanta’s aesthetic and education, she still feels attached to many Indian cultural norms, particularly around childbirth.
Themes
Radha also sees a picture of Kanta’s husband, Manu, with his boss, the maharaja of Jaipur (the handsome, well-educated Manu is the Director of Facilities for the palace). Before she can take in more, though, Kanta’s saas runs in, harping on Lakshmi to help Kanta conceive a baby boy. Kanta and Manu met while studying at Cambridge and forged a love marriage. Kanta’s saas disapproved, and now she guilts Kanta about the absence of grandchildren.
Most marriages between upper-class Indians at this time were arranged, often for economic reasons (just as Lakshmi is arranging the union between Sheela Sharma and Ravi Singh). By marrying for love, then, Kanta revealed herself to be both a romantic and a rebel, traits that she will later (accidentally) pass to Radha.
Themes
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Kanta is on the verge of tears, but Lakshmi calms her down by assuring her that in this time without a baby, she and Manu have gotten to know each other better. Lakshmi teases Kanta to make her laugh, then lays her down so that she can begin her henna—which will be on Kanta’s belly, for fertility. While Lakshmi paints, Kanta asks Radha to choose a book and read to her: the selection includes “Jane Eyre. Bhagavad Gita. Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” Lakshmi is reminded of their father’s collection of books, both Indian and English.
Though Lakshmi struggles to show tenderness to her own sister, she is warm and comforting to her clients—a contrast necessitated by Lakshmi’s economic circumstances, and one that Radha quickly picks up on. The varied books in Kanta’s library reflect the mix of Indian and British cultural influences that all of these women have grown up with, a syncretism that is reflected in the way they approach both business and romance.
Themes
Radha begins reading Jane Eyre aloud, and Lakshmi gets deeper into her design, which shows babies sleeping, crying, and playing. The novel makes Lakshmi think about loneliness—Kanta must be isolated in this small city, with these more traditional women. Lakshmi finishes, and Kanta gets up, praising both the henna design and Radha’s strong reading skills.
Jaipur is barely the 10th biggest city in India, and its population is only a fraction of cities like Mumbai and Delhi. Though it feels cosmopolitan to Lakshmi (and especially to wide-eyed Radha), Jaipur would feel less globalized to a seasoned traveler like Kanta.
Themes
Kanta wants to take Radha to see the new Marilyn Monroe movie, and though it makes Lakshmi uneasy—Western movies can be so scandalous—she agrees. Lakshmi is proud that her sister is charming, but she also worries about Radha’s beauty and her curiosity. These thoughts feel “too Victorian,” so Lakshmi resolves to be less fretful.
This tension between Indian tradition and more licentious Western popular culture is a constant sticking point for seemingly all of the women in Lakshmi’s age group—like Kanta, Lakshmi wants to embrace newfound freedoms, but also like Kanta, she cannot shake the moderating, more traditional voice in her head.
Themes
Back in the tonga, Lakshmi explains Kanta’s issues with fertility to Radha. Radha got her first period two months ago, but she has little understanding of sex and pregnancy. Lakshmi worries about Radha’s naivete, even as Radha has picked up on another important thread: Manu’s investment in the Sheela Sharma-Ravi Singh marriage, for business reasons of his own.
Radha’s lack of knowledge about sex shows how little the women of Ajar were taught to take control of—or even understand—their own bodies. Lakshmi’s relationship with Manu demonstrates just how skilled a businesswoman she is, earning the trust and dependence of many of her wealthiest clients by knitting them all together.
Themes
Malik comes up to the tonga, and Lakshmi is shocked to see that he is bleeding from one ear. Apparently, Naraya (Lakshmi’s builder) had hit Malik when he’d seen that he only had 200 rupees, saying that “you’re putting a cumin seed in a camel’s mouth.” Lakshmi feels terrible that Malik has been hurt because of her mistake, but she does not know how she will possibly raise the necessary money.
A cumin seed (a popular ingredient in Indian cooking) is less than a centimeter long. Naraya’s proverb thus accuses Lakshmi of giving him only a tiny percentage of what she owes. Unfortunately, Malik is punished for Lakshmi’s actions instead of Lakshmi herself, reflecting just how much family (or family-adjacent) relationships force people into responsibility for each other.
Themes
Today, the practical, low-key Mrs. Sharma (Sheela’s mother) has hired Lakshmi to make a mandala, or a courtyard mural. Mrs. Sharma is wearing a simple sari, a tribute to Gandhi-ji, even as everyone around her bustles to prepare for tonight’s party. Though traditionally, the women of the house would make the mandala, Mrs. Sharma wants Lakshmi’s design expertise—Sheela is performing, and everyone hopes it will be perfect.
Unlike her daughter Sheela, Mrs. Sharma is practical and down-to-earth, two of the qualities Lakshmi most admires (and identifies with). Gandhi, the leader of India’s independence movement, was assassinated in 1948, so Mrs. Sharma’s sari is a tribute both to Gandhi’s legacy and a way of mourning his untimely death.
Themes
Radha helps distribute the grains and seeds that will make up the mandala, but she is cut short when she sees Sheela, looking dazzling in her new dress. Sheela announces that tonight is only practice; in a month, there will be a party at Parvati’s house, where she will perform for everyone, including the maharaja. Lakshmi realizes that this means Parvati is taking her match idea seriously, as she is auditioning Sheela for a life schmoozing with royals.
Sheela’s appearance shows the link between wealth and beauty: Sheela is stunning, but part of that beauty stems from the fact that she can afford fancy clothes and expert henna appointments. Parvati’s plan for the maharaja (king) suggests that at the top of all of Jaipur’s social hierarchy is the royal family—only if the Singh-Sharma marriage can impress him can it move forward.
Themes
Sheela turns her nose up at Malik’s presence, and despite Lakshmi’s protestations, she gets her mother to send Malik away. Malik is angry about this, but he leaves. Radha is not so easily soothed, though, and she gathers rocks to throw at Sheela. Lakshmi stops her just in time, though Sheela senses something is off. “We could so easily be replaced,” Lakshmi reflects, “but Sheela would always be the princess of this kingdom.” Unlike Malik, Radha does not understand the “nuances of class and caste.”
In this vital passage, Sheela treats Malik like something sub-human; the way she dismisses him recalls Parvati’s treatment of Lala’s niece. Lakshmi knows that despite any social mobility her henna skills have given her, the hierarchies of caste and class will “always” remain in place. The fact that Radha does not understand this means that she underestimates the danger women like Sheela and Parvati pose to her livelihood, a danger that will only grow.
Themes
Lakshmi’s back aches once she finishes the mandala, but she is proud of her work. She goes into the kitchen to see if the cooks and servants have any gossip about the Sharma-Singh marriage. The Sharmas’ cook is famous for her Bengali specialties, and she and Lakshmi commiserate about all the demands the people of Jaipur make on those with special talents. From the cook, Lakshmi learns that the Sharmas are considering several boys as a match for Sheela—she and Parvati will have to be smart.
Lakshmi’s relationship with the Sharmas’ cook recalls her time with Lala. In both cases, the servant women simultaneously thrill to their wealthy surroundings and resent the inequality that made such wealth possible. Also as with Lala, the Sharmas’ cook is a valuable source of information and support for Lakshmi as they navigate their bosses’ rarified worlds.
Themes
