May Price Character Analysis

May is Mrs. Price's daughter. She's an infant when Tridib and his family are in London in 1939, and she's at least ten years older than her younger brother, Nick. May is an oboist and plays in an orchestra professionally throughout her adult life, though later in life, she also works for "worthy causes" that provide housing and disaster relief in third-world countries. When she's 19, she and Tridib begin a correspondence that lasts for four years and culminates in a visit to India. At this point, May isn't sure if she loves Tridib or not, and she remains unsure even throughout the visit. While she's in India, she and Tridib see the tourist sights and spend time together, often accompanied by the narrator, who is eleven at the time. Near the end of her visit, she accompanies Tridib and Tha'mma to Dhaka and visits Tha'mma's ancestral home. When a riot breaks out May gets out of the car, believing that as an Englishwoman, the mob won't hurt her. Though she's correct, Tridib dies when he gets out of the car to protect her and his great-uncle Jethamoshai. May lives the rest of her life wondering if she killed Tridib, though she eventually comes to belief that Tridib sacrificed himself for her. Presumably because of what she saw in India and because of her guilt, she sleeps on the floor and fasts one day per week. When she reconnects with the narrator in the 1980s, she shares with him her youthful uncertainties about whether or not she loved Tridib and her fears that she killed him. Though he assaults her, she later invites him to have sex after sharing her version of what happened during the riot.