Marion tells us that visceral pain is “tough to characterize, poorly localized, but painful all the same” (87). After Sister dies, Hema observes Thomas, who “stood bent as if he’d been gutted,” and thinks “That [...] is visceral pain” (125). What does Hema mean by this?

Discuss St. Teresa’s importance to the novel. What does she represent to the various characters, and how does this inform the meaning of the novel?

After Ghosh tells Marion the story of Abu Kassem’s slippers, Marion considers this idea throughout his life. What does the story of Abu Kassem mean to Marion, and how does it contribute to the novel’s themes?