There are many different levels of privilege described in this book. What are some of them and how do they affect the characters' behavior?

There are many different levels of privilege described in this book. What are some of them and how do they affect the characters' behavior?

Is there anything more inhumane than male privilege? Add a little money, and women and minorities might just as well jump off the earth. How religion, and it seems most religions, follow the assumption that men are the most crucial part of life. They don't give birth, they don't raise the children, they don't have the same sense of community that women do, nor do they care for anything more than themselves. What a mystery!

Money, gender, religion all play parts in the privilege. I agree that gender seems to play the biggest part, but in at least some ways that ranks less than religion and money. And even among the women, there was ranking - Meena's mother-in-law was more important than Meena was.

There are many levels of privilege but dominant one is gender--males are the ones with most privilege. Add in money and religion and those three creates ones place in the community. But one can loose their place by marrying out of class or religion such as Meena who did not have the money qualification but the religious one which she lost by her marriage.

One level of privilege that did not occur to me until I started thinking of my response to this question is nationality. The fact that Smita and Shannon were Americans afforded them a level of respect, especially when they went to Meena's village to speak with her brothers and village leader. At one point, Mohan threatened Govind with the wrath of the Americans should Smita be harmed. I don't think that Govind could even find America on a map, yet he did back down. How baffling that an American in India is afforded more protection than an Indian in India.

Tired Bookreader hinted at the power of women- -as mothers and drivers of community. What if women banded together instead of using the little bit of privilege and power we might have over another woman to our own advantage? Ammi, for example, as matriarch in the family and a Muslim, chose to berate Meena and cause more suffering rather than relate to her as another woman.

America, the Western world, is privileged vs India, an Eastern country. Mohan said "I hate this inferiority complex many of my people have.....everything about the West is best." (p.29) It affects Nandini who has made "Herculean efforts" to learn English and work for a Western newspaper. She feels the liberation that comes from the opportunity.(p.35) When Smita saw Meena's disfigured face, she was thinking with hatred about the class, caste, and religious bigotries of India and realized that "her distaste for these customs was itself a sign of privilege." (p.91) The privilege of male dominance in India significantly affected Meena who was abused, hated and killed as though she were "no better than a worm." It affected Smita at every turn traveling with Mohan. Just one perspective of this question in a bit different context.

I had an "aha" moment when I read acstrine's comment about being an American as one form of privilege in the book. I remember while reading the part of the book that is highlighted and wondering how much longer being an "American" will be seen in such a positive and enviable light. With our school and other mass shootings, average public education, limited child and healthcare for all, political and racial turmoil, and woman's rights being taken away, how much longer will we be seen as privileged? Many years ago when I traveled outside of the US I always felt proud to say I was from the US. Not so much now.

So it may appear that I have gone off-track, but one of the wonderful attributes of this book was that it was written in such a way that not only were you able to learn about another culture, (I was aware of the caste system in India, but not the extent to which people went to maintain it), but also reflect on your own circumstances and/or or think about how you may have responded in Meena's, Smita', or Mohan's "shoes". I also couldn't help thinking about the current situation in Iran over the death of the young woman for violating the Hijab law, and the bravery of the women protesters. It made think a lot about Meena.

There are so many levels of privilege in this book. Although gender is the most dominant, two others include education and speaking ability. We often make quick assumptions about people based on the way they speak, their accent, grammar, vocabulary and articulateness. When Smita and Mohan first visit the home of Meena's brothers, they answer the door in a rude, gruff manner but are quickly subdued and submissive when Mohan addressed them in an aggressive, haughty tone which clearly denoted both his education and command of language. The hospital staff allowed visitation privileges to Mohan that were denied to others because of his clear, forceful speech.

Smita's freedom to work, to travel, to choose a friend/lover appears as a given at the beginning of the novel. By the end, we realize what she has suffered and lost. The author, on her web site, gives us insight into how her story came about. While her family is Parsi, her father had seen the abuse to others first hand. Thrity also references Ellen Barry's work, documenting the abuse of women.
Meena has no privilege, but rather the antithesis of it. It's her "family" honor that her brothers use to destroy her.

1) Mohan's privilege as a Hindu man from a wealthy family. 2) Smita's privilege as an American citizen. 3) Hindus' privilege as the majority religion, which trumps even the advantages of Smita's father's education.

I felt Gender and Religion played the major parts of privilege when it came to Meenas story. The Men in her family persecuted Meena and her husband because of his faith and her willingness as a women to defy the them. Smita and the other journalist were privileged in their wealth and freedom from the Indian cultural restrictions.