Tara
Bim's younger sister. Tara was the third child in the family, and as the children were
growing up, Tara was the most quiet and reserved of the children, next to Baba. She
felt left out of the alliance that seemed to exist between her two older siblings, and
never seemed able to live up to the expectations of her friends and family that had
been set by Bim. As a child, Tara was also easily hurt, especially by Bim, who was
sometimes cruel to her. She felt left out when her older siblings excluded her, and
whenever she was troubled, she clung to Aunt Mira for comfort. In school, Tara was
constantly in the shadow of her sister. When Bim was left in charge of the household
after the death of their parents, and when Aunt Mira and Raja fell ill, Tara reacted by
running away. She spent as little time at home as possible, and never seemed to make
an effort to help her sister through these difficult times. Instead, Tara longed to escape
from the home; she hated school and had no intention of attending college, so when
the opportunity of an early marriage presented itself, she happily accepted it.
Tara felt special when Bakul showed interest in her, since he was older and came from
a more social and wealthier family than she did. Tara seems to take comfort in her
husband's polished ways and, although he tends to speak down to her, she doesn't
seem visibly upset with their arrangement, having realized her dream of becoming a
mother. Although she feels restrained at times by her life with Bakul, admitting to
herself that she has fooled him into believing she is someone she is not, she accepts it.
Tara did insist that Bakul ask Bim's permission to marry her before they proceeded
with their plans, showing how she looked up to her sister, valued her opinion and
needed her approval. Tara left the family home early to marry Bakul and realized her
dream of becoming a mother. In her adult life, she returns home every couple of years
to visit Bim and Baba. Having returned home now to visit her sister, Tara brings with
her some guilt from two main events in their past. The first of these happened when
they were children: Bim was attacked by a swarm of bees and Tara was unable to help.
Characters
TaraBim's younger sister. Tara was the third child in the family, and as the children were
growing up, Tara was the most quiet and reserved of the children, next to Baba. She
felt left out of the alliance that seemed to exist between her two older siblings, and
never seemed able to live up to the expectations of her friends and family that had
been set by Bim. As a child, Tara was also easily hurt, especially by Bim, who was
sometimes cruel to her. She felt left out when her older siblings excluded her, and
whenever she was troubled, she clung to Aunt Mira for comfort. In school, Tara was
constantly in the shadow of her sister. When Bim was left in charge of the household
after the death of their parents, and when Aunt Mira and Raja fell ill, Tara reacted by
running away. She spent as little time at home as possible, and never seemed to make
an effort to help her sister through these difficult times. Instead, Tara longed to escape
from the home; she hated school and had no intention of attending college, so when
the opportunity of an early marriage presented itself, she happily accepted it.
Tara felt special when Bakul showed interest in her, since he was older and came from
a more social and wealthier family than she did. Tara seems to take comfort in her
husband's polished ways and, although he tends to speak down to her, she doesn't
seem visibly upset with their arrangement, having realized her dream of becoming a
mother. Although she feels restrained at times by her life with Bakul, admitting to
herself that she has fooled him into believing she is someone she is not, she accepts it.
Tara did insist that Bakul ask Bim's permission to marry her before they proceeded
with their plans, showing how she looked up to her sister, valued her opinion and
needed her approval. Tara left the family home early to marry Bakul and realized her
dream of becoming a mother. In her adult life, she returns home every couple of years
to visit Bim and Baba. Having returned home now to visit her sister, Tara brings with
her some guilt from two main events in their past. The first of these happened when
they were children: Bim was attacked by a swarm of bees and Tara was unable to help.