Powder Puff (Symbol)
The powder puff is more than just a cosmetics applicator for Judge Patel. In England, Judge Patel's skin tone makes him a target for discrimination. In his isolation, Jemu grows disgusted by his skin and attempts to lighten it with powder. Even when he returns to India, he lightens his skin as he learned to associate everything Indian with shame, ridicule, and social isolation. When Nimi steals Jemu's powder puff, he panics and becomes enraged because her presence is a constant reminder that he will always be inferior in the eyes of the British.
Animals (Motif)
Animals frequently appear in the book as both companions and vermin. The presence of rats and snakes in homes, such as Biju's apartment in the Gandhi Cafe, the cook's hut, Gyan's family home, and Cho Oyu, indicate suffering and squalor.
Cows are sacred creatures in Hinduism and play a symbolic role in the text. Upon his arrival in Liverpool, Jemu is shocked that even the "boxy" British cows are different from the "loopy" cows in India. Biju starts to establish his own identity in New York after serving steaks to Indian businessmen. Morally disgusted, he refuses to work at restaurants that serve beef, which leads him to work at the Gandhi Cafe and ultimately return home to Kalimpong.
Mutt, Judge Patel's dog, is the only being he truly loves. Though Judge Patel is cold and cruel to every human in his life—even his granddaughter, and especially his wife—he dotes on Mutt. Though he cannot afford to send Sai to a regular school, he orders custom-made coats for Mutt. He does not permit the cook to eat meat but ensures Mutt eats meat daily. Judge Patel prioritizes his respectable appearance and does not even speak to his neighbors until Mutt disappears.
Kukri (Symbol)
The kukri, a famed fighting knife used by the Gorkha, takes on a more sinister role in the text. Initially, the protesters are primarily farmers who use their kukris as scythes. As they walk through the streets brandishing their weapons, the kukri symbolizes that the GNLF is a grassroots movement organized by economically disadvantaged people. However, at the end of the protest, the GNLF use their kukris to draw their own blood and paint a poster, indicating their willingness to use violence to achieve justice. Over time the GNLF movement devolves into a terrorist organization and the kukri is used to intimidate and subjugate others.
Food (Motif)
Food is used throughout the text to convey the acceptance or rejection of culture and a sense of belonging. Judge Patel and the nuns at Sai's convent school insist that Indian food is inferior to British food and therefore, shameful. Though Judge Patel struggles to digest British cuisine, and imported food is expensive and inaccessible, he refuses to partake in any Indian food. When Judge Patel first boards the ship to England, his bunkmate smells the food Jemu's mother lovingly packed for him. This interaction humiliates Jemu, and he throws the food into the ocean, symbolically rejecting his family of origin.
Biju works at a variety of restaurants preparing many different types of cuisine. The cook believes that if Biju cooks American food, he will have a higher social status in America because the Judge and other powerful people reject Indian food.
When Sai first arrives at Cho Oyu, the cook prepares a lavish and creative feast of food fashioned to look like different objects. This meal is an expression of welcome and acceptance, and Sai consequently spends most of her time with the cook as he prepares meals.
Film and Performance (Motif)
The text frequently compares characters' behaviors to actors performing in a film. For example, the cook pleads for his life during the robbery, following a "script" and crying on command like an actor. The robbers, similarly, base their swaggering personas on action heroes they admire, like Rambo and Jackie Chan.
Biju, the cook, and Sai's idea of America is shaped by what they see in films. The three imagine New York as a glamorous, ubiquitously wealthy city that accepts and celebrates people of all backgrounds. Biju meets other immigrants who repeat the sentiment that American movies misled them into believing America is a land of opportunity.
Additionally, Bollywood films are referenced to indicate belonging. Biju first begins to trust Saeed Saeed when he references Bollywood films and dances. As Gyan begins to resent Sai, he takes her exhaustion after watching a Bollywood film as evidence that she is not truly Indian.
