But in the second it takes to cross the small hut, something shifts in Bhima’s heart, so that the milky, maternal feeling from a moment ago is replaced by that hard, merciless feeling of rage that has lived within her since several weeks ago.
-- Narrator (chapter 1)

Importance: Bhima has mixed feelings toward Maya after learning of her pregnancy. She loves her granddaughter as though she were her own child. Seeing the girl sleeping in the hut reminds her that she is still so young and innocent. Yet, seeing Maya’s pregnant belly angers her and contradicts her innocence. Her pregnancy angers Bhima because she knows it will cost Maya a chance at a better future.

This is what Sera appreciates most about Bhima—this unspoken language, this intimacy that has developed between them over the years.
-- Narrator (chapter 2)

Importance: Despite their relationship as mistress and servant, Bhima and Sera are extremely close. They have been...