How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"My daughter, Sophie," Chacko said, and laughed a small, nervous laugh that was worried, in case Margaret Kochamma said "ex-daughter." But she didn't. (6.82)
Chacko hasn't seen his daughter since she was a tiny baby. He's still her biological father, of course – nothing's going to change that – but it's pretty clear he's not her "dad," as Sophie will later tell the twins. This moment shows us that Chacko is uneasy and uncertain of his role in Sophie Mol's life.
Quote #8
Ammu turned back to Estha and Rahel and her eyes were blurred jewels.
"Everybody says that children need a Baba. And I say no. Not my children. D'you know why?"
Two heads nodded.
"Why. Tell me," Ammu said.
And not together, but almost, Esthappen and Rahel said:
"Because you're our Ammu and our Baba and you love us Double."
"More than Double," Ammu said. "So remember what I told you. People's feelings are precious. And when you disobey me in Public, everybody gets the wrong impression." (6.172-178)
Rahel is not the only one who is constantly reminded that others see their family as nontraditional. We can see here that Ammu has a difficult line to walk between being tough on her kids, so they can appear to be as good as the next family, and expressing the love she feels for them.
Quote #9
The day that Chacko prevented Pappachi from beating her (and Pappachi had murdered his chair instead), Mammachi packed her wifely luggage and committed it to Chacko's care. From then onwards he became the repository of all her womanly feelings. Her Man. Her only Love. (8.21)
It's OK if you feel a little weird reading this. The narrator is showing us an example of an extremely fine line between familial and romantic love. It seems that Rahel and Estha sleeping together isn't the only moment with overtones of incest in this book; Mammachi's feelings toward Chacko appear to border the romantic, too.