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Chapter 6
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
After tossing and turning all night, wondering what supplies to bring to the maharani’s, Lakshmi and Malik set off. Jaipur is packed this morning, but Lakshmi still spots Hari with a poor, sick-looking nautch girl. She wonders what he is doing with this girl, but she tries to keep her mind on the task at hand. First, though, she has to drop off Radha at Kanta’s, even though her little sister is still moody and sad from the night before.
The mysterious encounter between Hari and this nautch girl (sex worker) recalls the strange scene Radha witnessed back in Ajar: is Hari helping or hurting this woman? Radha’s continued frustration with her sister shows how deeply Lakshmi’s lack of communication has wounded this relationship.
Themes
The maharani’s palace is relatively simple compared to the maharaja’s quarters, though it is still impressive. Malik gives Lakshmi an encouraging wink as they carry in all their various tiffins, loaded with supplies. A guard brings them to do the elder maharani, Indira. To get an audience with the younger maharani, Latika, Lakshmi will first have to impress her mother-in-law.
Even at the highest levels of class and caste, women (like the maharani) still lack much of the luxury and freedom that their male counterparts do. Lakshmi’s tiffins (a type of box that originated from British colonial tea times) are yet another way that the British Raj (colonial government) continues to shape life post-Independence.
Themes
On the way to Indira, Lakshmi takes in the Persian carpets, topiary elephants, and French chaises. She feels guilty that Radha is not there to see all of this, but she notices that Malik is taking every last detail in, ready to share with his friend. At last, Lakshmi arrives in the sitting room, and Indira greets her. Lakshmi goes to kneel, but Indira waves her away and goes back to playing cards.
Malik and Radha are not related by blood, but he is able to give her the support and attention that Lakshmi sometimes struggles to provide. Also worth noting: just as Parvati made Lakshmi wait, Indira makes Lakshmi watch her play cards as a way of asserting power and status.
Themes
Across the room, a parakeet chirps. Indira explains that she named the bird Madho Singh, after her late husband (the former maharaja). The bird never met his namesake, as the maharaja has been dead for 33 years, and the bird is only 15 years old. The bird cries out “namaste! Bonjour! Welcome,” and Lakshmi realizes Malik has stepped into the room, against her instructions.
Madho Singh II was the real maharaja of Jaipur from 1880-1922, though Indira is not a character based in historical fact. The parrot’s expansive vocabulary once again associates Western language—“bonjour” and “welcome”—with high caste (in this case, Rajput royalty).
Themes
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Indira is not bothered, however. Instead, she invites Malik in and asks his age, and he tells her that he would “prefer to be eight,” which charms her. She then sends Malik off to the kitchen with the bird, instructing him to demand sweets from her chef. Lakshmi is embarrassed until Indira explains that she resents the chef, who always cooks according to her late husband’s tastes, so this is her way of getting even. “Like my ladies,” Lakshmi thinks, “the maharanis had devised their own rules of gamesmanship.”
Indira’s “rules of gamesmanship” are much like the tricks and loopholes Lakshmi finds with her clients. Indira’s petty revenge mirrors Lakshmi’s use of Samir to manipulate Parvati; in both cases, these little “games” allow for flexibility in a society that is otherwise intensely structured along gender and economic lines.
Themes
The maharani explains that though Parvati is her blood relative, Samir is the one she feels close to—she finds him “irresistible.” Indira knows that Lakshmi gives Samir hair oil, which he, in turn, gives to her, and she is hopeful that Lakshmi has many such talents. Indira inspects Lakshmi’s head, concluding that it is “well-shaped,” and the two women are served tea.
Indira is perceptive: though she does not state it outright, she has picked up on Lakshmi’s closeness with Samir (and perhaps even her attraction to him). As with Parvati, Lakshmi is treated simultaneously as a servant and as someone to be served: she has to wait for Indira, but then she is served tea alongside her.
Themes
Surprisingly, Indira is forthcoming about her anger at her dead husband. Long ago, his astrologer had suggested that his son might try to overthrow him. So, Madho Singh never gave her a baby. Instead, he adopted another Rajput boy to become his heir—and now, this young man has done the same thing, sending his blood son away and hoping to adopt instead.
This story is based in historical truth: the real Madho Singh did adopt an heir, following what was then a relatively common practice. This anxiety around succession adds another level to the already complex question of what different family members owe to each other.
Themes
Lakshmi now understands Latika’s pain: her child is only eight, but he has been sent away to England. “The citizens of Jaipur may think we maharanis have power,” Indira states, “but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.” Lakshmi sees that Indira, too, is hurting, even if she is not catatonic like Latika. Indira wants to know how quickly Latika will be healed, and Lakshmi tells her it will take time to assess.
In this vital passage, Indira articulates an intersectional view of power: though she is elevated by the class system, she is trapped—and incredibly isolated—by gender norms. Though Indira and Latika are not related, they share grief over their lost (or never-born) children, further demonstrating that family is created by shared history as much as by blood.
Themes
Lakshmi thinks back to the hardest times in her life—when she had no food as a child, and when Hari beat her. In all of those times, painting and artistic detail provided an escape. Now, as Lakshmi approaches the maharani Latika, she pays attention to the detailed stonework (made by artists from Persia, Egypt, Africa, and Turkey) to calm herself. In the corner, she notices a guru sitting cross-legged. Latika herself is sitting in the center of the room dressed in white, the traditional garb of widows.
This is the first time Lakshmi has articulated how much her henna means to her personally, aside from its economic benefits: it allows her strength and salvation in moments of pain, the same strength she now hopes to give to Latika. The fact that Latika presents herself as a widow is a subtle act of protest—her dress is something she can control, so she uses her outfits to display her pain and anger, effectively suggesting her husband is dead to her.
Themes
The room is dark, so it takes Lakshmi extra time to get her supplies set up. As she goes to work on Latika’s hands, she notices how sad she looks—though she is beautiful, her tragic eyes and lack of adornment makes it hard to see. Lakshmi flashes back to a time in Ajar when she and her saas had tended to a wounded bird. After a while, Latika’s muscles and bones begin to soften, and Lakshmi decides she has had enough for one session.
As in many critical moments, Lakshmi’s saas provides inspiration as Lakshmi tries to heal wounds both physical and emotional. Here and elsewhere, Lakshmi—and the novel—both understand that mental struggles often have physical expressions, and that bodily treatments can help with internal injuries.
Themes
When Lakshmi returns to Indira, she sees the elder maharani hard at work on her plants, which she refers to as her “babies.” Indira offers Lakshmi a gin and tonic (“the British left us some lovely things”), and she proudly shows her all of her plants, many of which are gifts from other rulers. As Indira talks, she makes bawdy jokes, and Lakshmi laughs.
Indira’s bawdy jokes are one way she tries to break free from the repressive order of her life; her love of her plants, which she uses to replace the “babies” she never had, is another. Since caste was a tool of British rule, it follows that those at the top of the caste system—the maharanis and maharajas—would continue to have the most attachment to British “lovely things.”
Themes
Lakshmi updates Indira on her progress and suggests that she should come back every day for two or three weeks to work on the same, elaborate henna for Latika. The maharani agrees and tells Lakshmi that she will get 500 rupees for each session—that is, if the sessions continue to work. Lakshmi leaves the palace, sweating.
500 rupees per day is a massive amount, roughly the equivalent of 2,500 dollars in U.S. currency. Though this money is negligible to Indira, it has the potential to transform Lakshmi’s whole life; no wonder she is sweating.
Themes
Outside the palace, Lakshmi and Malik debrief. Lakshmi feels relieved, and Malik is proud of his “Auntie-Boss.” Malik tells Lakshmi that the bird ate most of the sweets, while he brokered a deal with the chef to get cheaper cooking products—in exchange, the chef has agreed to cook food for Malik, Lakshmi, and Radha every night.
It is becoming increasingly clear that those who thrive in this hierarchical society are those like Malik, Indira, and Lakshmi, people who can forge fast intimacies and make secret deals. Malik’s term “Auntie-Boss” both reflects a common Indian term of respect and the playful way Malik crosses the line between professional and familial relationships.
Themes
The news that Lakshmi is working for the palace spreads quickly, through an extensive network of family members and servants. Soon enough, she is booked for every special occasion. As she does her henna, her new clients pester her for gossip about the palace. Lakshmi is relieved that the older Mrs. Patel, one of her favorite clients, does not seem to care about this news and just treats her as usual.
Lakshmi used Parvati and Samir to social-climb up to the palace, and now, other ladies around the city hope to use Lakshmi to better their own reputations. As with Mrs. Sharma, Lakshmi always gravitates towards the most practical, least status-obsessed women among her clients.
Themes
Malik also has to learn what details he can share. For example, he can tell Rajput families about the paintings of hunts, but not Brahmins (because they are vegetarian). For her part, Radha barely speaks to Lakshmi at all, preferring to spend time reading with Kanta. Lakshmi is frustrated that Radha doesn’t respect her authority to “set the rules,” but she figures that soon enough, Radha will learn to accept her fate. After all, Lakshmi couldn’t get out of her marriage to Hari.
Malik works well with Lakshmi because—unlike Radha—he understands the nuances of navigating the caste system. Indeed, Lakshmi believes so deeply in following “rules” that she extends this mindset even to her family, wanting order most in the kind of messy intimacies that least allow for it.
Themes
At her next appointment with Mrs. Sharma, Lakshmi brings up the marriage. Mrs. Sharma says that she is excited about it, but that Sheela does not want to live with the Singhs—even though for most Indian families, it is non-negotiable that the bride lives with her husband’s family. Lakshmi understands that part of her role as matchmaker is to find a solution that satisfies both families.
As always, Sheela is entitled and unreasonable—and as always, it forces Lakshmi to get even more creative about honoring social norms even as she deviates from them.
Themes
A week later, Radha learns that Kanta is pregnant, much to her happiness (and to the delight of Kanta’s saas). Kanta now is too nauseous to read, which makes Radha more essential than ever. Radha is reading Daisy Miller, and Kanta is taking her to movies like Some Like It Hot and Mr. And Mrs. 55. Lakshmi tells herself that letting Radha spend so much time with Kanta is a good thing, even though she has doubts.
Lakshmi’s henna (and the secret treats she slips her clients) are no doubt responsible for this newfound fertility, in the same way that she helped Parvati conceive years ago. The Western novels and movies Kanta introduces Radha to are all romances: in Some Like it Hot, Marilyn Monroe uses her sexual appeal to find an adoring, sweet man, while Daisy Miller follows a flirtatious girl who goes through many suitors before finally choosing passion over respectability. Radha’s love of these Western romances foreshadows the way she will later romanticize her own early sexual encounters.
Themes
