Our narrator and the young Indian girl living in the small English village of Tollington who finds it difficult to balance who she is inside. She wants to rebel and be independent but finds that the expectations cast upon her and her culture are hard to fight back against. 

However, she finds this opportunity to revolt in Anita. She finds herself swept up in the allure of misdeeds but also stays true to her love for her family. She faces the woes of racism when she grows up and becomes more aware of Tollington’s prejudice. 

She eventually escapes her hamlet life when she passes her examination for grammar school and lands in a more diverse neighbourhood, and comes to realise that she has full control over her life and who she is. She leaves Anita after realising she is pulling her down and frees herself fully.