How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Liar," Rahel said. "Liar and pretender. I did see you. You were a Communist and had a shirt and a flag. And you ignored me."
"Aiyyo kashtam," Velutha said. "Would I do that? You tell me would Velutha ever do that? It must've been my Long-lost Twin brother." (8.99-100)
Velutha's long-lost twin brother Urumban is sort of Clark Kent to Velutha's Superman. Urumban becomes Velutha's alter-ego. He can attribute actions to him that are too dangerous for Velutha to admit to having done himself.
Quote #8
"Where's Estha Mon?" Velutha said, with an Ambassador (disguised as a Stick Insect disguised as an Airport Fairy) hanging down his back with her legs wrapped around his waist, blindfolding him with her sticky little hands. "I haven't seen him." (9.114)
Here we see several different identities that Rahel takes on as a child. She's supposed to act as an Ambassador of India to Sophie Mol. In Estha's eyes she is a skinny Stick Insect, and she takes on the identity of Airport Fairy when the family goes to Cochin to pick up Margaret and Sophie.
Quote #9
Littleangels were beach-colored and wore bell-bottoms.
Littledemons were mudbrown in Airport-Fairy frocks with forehead bumps that might turn into horns. With Fountains in Love-in-Tokyos. And backwards-reading habits. (9.127-128)
Once more, we get an unflattering comparison between Sophie and Rahel here. Time and again, Rahel seems to find that Sophie Mol is everything she is not. Here we see how the family's awe over Sophie Mol diminishes Rahel's sense of self-worth.