“Although it is dawn, inside Bhima’s heart it is dusk.”

The novel opens with a metaphor using periods of the day to convey Bhima’s despair, contrasted against her bright and sunny surroundings. The story ends with a reversal of this metaphor to reflect Bhima’s growth and journey.

“This is what Sera appreciates most about Bhima—this unspoken language, this intimacy that has developed between them over the years. […] Truth be told, she does not want […] the shadow of Maya’s unfortunate circumstances to fall over the happiness of Dinaz’s pregnancy.”

This passage reflects the paradoxical nature of Sera and Bhima’s relationship—they are the closest of confidants to each other, and yet an undeniable gulf exists between them, the least of which is their employer-employee relationship. Sera’s internal feelings toward Bhima cannot remain consistent, at once pitying her friend and worrying about her own daughter’s joy being overshadowed by the very real exploitation of a poor working-class girl. 

“Sometimes she can’t figure Serabai out. One the one hand, it makes her flush with pride when Serabai calls her ‘my Bhima’ and talks about her proprietarily. On the other hand, she always seems to be doing things that undercut Bhima’s interests.”

Bhima feels a flash of irritation at Sera’s refusal of Viraf’s offer to buy a dishwasher for the house. Bhima’s reflection here is an accurate portrayal of Sera’s attitude toward Bhima—the affection that Sera showers on Bhima stems less from a place of human relationship and more from a sense of ownership she feels over Bhima. Their relationship is truly “proprietary”; Bhima carries out a specific set of tasks in Sera’s household, and Sera cannot always see her as a human being beyond this.