Zainab Character Analysis

Anjum’s informally adopted daughter, Zainab was abandoned on the steps of a mosque as a baby and taken in by the Khwabgah. Anjum adores raising a child, although at first, she is not very skilled at it. As a young child, Zainab is subjected to hearing terrifying stories of Anjum’s misadventures and experiences of oppression, which make the toddler Zainab scared and unhappy. Zainab’s stubbornness earns her the nickname “Bandicoot,” and, predictably, she throws a fit when a traumatized Anjum tries to dress her as a boy to protect her from violence. After the conflict this choice causes in the Khwabgah, Anjum leaves, and Zainab is raised mostly by Saeeda, another Hijra living in the Khwabgah with whom Zainab is close. As an adult, Zainab reestablishes a relationship with Anjum, and even marries Anjum’s close friend and business partner, Saddam Hussain. Zainab’s strongest personal trait is her ferocious love for animals: as a child, she tries to save animals destined for slaughter on the streets from their butchers, and her pet goat (a gift from Anjum) survives a record six Eid’s without being slaughtered for the religious feast. As an adult, her love for animals continues, and she brings many a foster animal to live at Jannat Guest House and Funeral Services, where she eventually moves in.