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Lala
Lala’s niece was a servant girl in the Singh household until Ravi Singh impregnated her, leading to her dismissal. Her father Naraya arranges for her to marry another man, but Naraya keeps the pregnancy a secret—so when the new husband finds out, he kicks Lala’s niece out of his house. With no other options, Lala’s niece kills herself by setting herself on fire. Symbolically, Lala’s niece acts as a mirror to Radha (another lower-class girl whom Ravi impregnates and abandons), and her story also demonstrates brutal double standards women had to contend with.
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Lala’s Niece Character Timeline in The Henna Artist
The timeline below shows where the character Lala’s Niece appears in The Henna Artist. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...servant and nanny, greets her. The two are old friends, so Lakshmi asks about Lala’s niece, who has recently come to work for the Singhs. But at the mention of her...
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...the Indo-Soviet league. Once Parvati has finished, she summons Lala and is displeased when Lala’s niece greets her instead. The young servant girl is terrified, and she looks to Lakshmi for...
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...hurries in shortly after. Parvati is angry, insisting that Lala should already have sent her niece away. Lala begs Parvati to change her mind, but Parvati stands firm. Lakshmi distracts herself...
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Chapter 6
...After the shows, Lakshmi asks the cooks about Lala—and learns that neither she nor her niece are still employed by the Singhs.
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Chapter 13
...walks, Lakshmi wonders if Hari works with these women, and she thinks she glimpses Lala’s niece. Finally, she arrives in the European district, where wealthy expats live. Lakshmi knocks on a...
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...had trouble with servant girls before.” Lakshmi begins to understand why both Lala and her niece were dismissed.
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Chapter 20
...Parvati’s old servant. Lala explains that her brother is Naraya, and that Ravi impregnated her niece, Naraya’s daughter. When the daughter’s new husband learned of her pregnancy, he had locked her...
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