Mammy:
“She [Laila] would never leave her mark on Mammy’s heart the way her brothers had, because Mammy’s heart was like a pallid beach where Laila’s footprints would forever wash away beneath waves of sorrow that swelled and crashed, swelled and crashed” (144).
Although once as ethusiastic and caring as Babi, Mammy lapses into depression and decays after the death of her two sons in the war, neglecting the daughter she has remaining. She becomes a living martyr; her sole goal is to see the revolution finished so her sons' sacrifices will not be wasted. Rejecting her husband and Laila, she becomes vegetative and indifferent to her surroundings. Laila longs for affection but realizes that “her future was no match for her brothers’ past. They had overshadowed her in life. They would obliterate her in death” (144). Unlike Nana who fought for Mariam and loved her, Mammy is indifferent to Laila’s existence and future. Like Nana after Mariam deserts her, Mammy has lost the will to live after the death of her sons—except, instead of commiting suicide, she lives as an empty shell. When Mammy finally awakens and permits her family to flee the country, it is too late. Laila’s experience heightens her love and protection of her own children years later, determined to be there for them “even if it kills me” (315).
Babi:
“When he was teaching, Babi transformed…..Laila pictured him as he must have been once, erasing his blackboard with graceful swipes, looking over a student’s shoulder, fatherly and attentive” (177).
Babi provides the support and love Laila lacks from her mother and Mariam always longed for from Jalil. Babi is a scholar and determined that his daughter is taught to value and exert her rights. Teaching Laila that “society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated” (103), Babi seeks to reshape their country and redefine women’s place in it. He has a strong conviction in his daughter’s future and that of his country, believing they are intertwined. Although Mammy is often overbearing, he remains loyal to her even as she declines and he feels “like you’re all I have, Laila” (150). Laila recognizes the dynamics between her parents and says, Mammy “didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of his life looking right back at her” (151). Babi’s beliefs and actions allow Laila to rise against her husband’s abuse instead of being crushed by it like Mariam.
Although once as ethusiastic and caring as Babi, Mammy lapses into depression and decays after the death of her two sons in the war, neglecting the daughter she has remaining. She becomes a living martyr; her sole goal is to see the revolution finished so her sons' sacrifices will not be wasted. Rejecting her husband and Laila, she becomes vegetative and indifferent to her surroundings. Laila longs for affection but realizes that “her future was no match for her brothers’ past. They had overshadowed her in life. They would obliterate her in death” (144). Unlike Nana who fought for Mariam and loved her, Mammy is indifferent to Laila’s existence and future. Like Nana after Mariam deserts her, Mammy has lost the will to live after the death of her sons—except, instead of commiting suicide, she lives as an empty shell. When Mammy finally awakens and permits her family to flee the country, it is too late. Laila’s experience heightens her love and protection of her own children years later, determined to be there for them “even if it kills me” (315).
Babi:
“When he was teaching, Babi transformed…..Laila pictured him as he must have been once, erasing his blackboard with graceful swipes, looking over a student’s shoulder, fatherly and attentive” (177).
Babi provides the support and love Laila lacks from her mother and Mariam always longed for from Jalil. Babi is a scholar and determined that his daughter is taught to value and exert her rights. Teaching Laila that “society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated” (103), Babi seeks to reshape their country and redefine women’s place in it. He has a strong conviction in his daughter’s future and that of his country, believing they are intertwined. Although Mammy is often overbearing, he remains loyal to her even as she declines and he feels “like you’re all I have, Laila” (150). Laila recognizes the dynamics between her parents and says, Mammy “didn’t understand that if she looked into a mirror, she would find the one unfailing conviction of his life looking right back at her” (151). Babi’s beliefs and actions allow Laila to rise against her husband’s abuse instead of being crushed by it like Mariam.