Point of View

The story is written in first person from the limited perspective of Koly. Koly seems brutally honest. For example, she admits when she is being uncooperative on purpose just to anger her mother-in-law, Mrs. Mehta. This makes the perspective more reliable than it would have been if Koly seemed to always put herself in the best light. The fact that the story is written from a limited perspective means the reader is unable to tell what’s happening in the lives and minds of others. For example, Koly notes that Mrs. Mehta has a “sly” look when they are preparing for their trip to Delhi. In fact, the older woman has already made plans to abandon Koly in Vrindavan. The reader gets the benefit of the foreshadowing through Koly’s observation that Mrs. Mehta seems to be plotting something, but the reader doesn’t learn...