Behind The Beautiful Forevers Character Analysis

Behind the Beautiful Forevers, written by Katherine Boo, is about residents of Annawadi, a slum in Mumbai, India. These slums of Mumbai force kids to grow up faster than anywhere else on the planet. Forcing kids to work as soon as they can walk, and press them into tough situations. The book details the lives of the female slumlord, Asha, and her daughter Manju. Asha is part of the corrupt system of government, and wants her daughter to be just like her when she grows up. Manju is a very sweet teenage girl with a lot on her plate. She teaches children out of the family’s hut in her free time, and will be the first Annawadian girl to go to college. In Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Manju is depicted as a rebellious teenager with high moral

In the beginning of the book Manju returns home from college, then must clean, educate her students, and cook for the family, a quite congested schedule. She didn’t need to teach the other children, but Manju wanted to prove her morality to her mother. Boo writes, “Manju’s desire to be good was also a rebellion” (62). The word “desire” clearly describes Manju’s need to prove she is a better person than her mother. “Rebellion” is also used by Boo to address that Manju is like a lot of other teenagers wanting to prove their parent wrong. Boo writes about school ran from the hut as “Manju’s instrument for demonstrating her decency” and “a commitment [Asha] found annoying” (62). The word “instrument” is significant because it explains how the school is a tool for Manju’s work, which is revolt. “Commitment” also describes how invested Manju is toward her ultimate goal of being opposite to Asha. Manju’s rebellious teenage nature is captured by her dismissal of

In the beginning of the book Manju wants to make her mom mad, like most teenagers across the world. She wants to prove her mother wrong and do everything her way. She aspires to be the best person possible, someone who is a role model for many in her slum, but it’s too hard. Jobs that are for good people don’t pay much in Mumbai. She finally must accept working for and with her mother, something younger Manju would hate. When she opens the door for the room full of money, she must also close the door to her hut, and her honest teaching career. The door to which her students used to enter. In Mumbai and across the world, money is the kryptonite for the