Previous
Terms
In Hindu culture, the Brahmin castes are traditionally associated with priesthood and teaching. For that reason, Brahmins are members of the highest varna (social class), though Lakshmi herself does not experience this status, as she is considered to be a “fallen Brahmin.” Other Brahmins in the novel are Radha (and the whole Shastri family), as well as Mrs. Sharma and her daughter Sheela; the various pandits that Lakshmi hires are also members of the Brahmin varna.
Get the entire The Henna Artist LitChart as a printable PDF.
Brahmin Term Timeline in The Henna Artist
The timeline below shows where the term Brahmin appears in The Henna Artist. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...the Great. Lakshmi explains that she and Parvati are from the highest castes—Lakshmi is a Brahmin, and Parvati is a Kshatriya (the warrior caste). However, because Lakshmi touches people’s feet, she...
(full context)
...Singh is an architect, so the marriage makes perfect business sense. But Sheela is a Brahmin—meaning that she is a different caste from Ravi. Though Lakshmi thinks Sheela is entitled and...
(full context)
Chapter 3
...of. To patch things up with Mrs. Iyengar, therefore, Lakshmi will have to hire a Brahmin pandit (priest) to purify the hearth. This will cost 40 rupees, and Lakshmi frets about...
(full context)
Chapter 7
...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...
(full context)
Chapter 14
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...
(full context)
