Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Chapter 12 Summary & Analysis

The section opens with advice from Zehrunisa not to think about terrible lives. The chapter then skips ahead to late September 2008. Asha has become slumlord of Annawadi, promoted by Corporator Subhash Sawant for helping delay the trial for his faked caste documents. However, this success has come at the cost of alienating her family. Manju is disgusted with the way that Asha uses extra-marital affairs to gain control.

Fatima’s death still haunts the women of Annawadi as the deaths of Kalu and Sanjay haunt the boys. Fatima has become a symbol of everything the Annawadians dislike about their lives, especially oppressive marriages. Two women follow Fatima’s example by setting themselves on fire. Meena and Manju even discuss suicide methods one night. Manju is ashamed of her mother’s dishonorable behavior, while Meena just wants an escape from her abusive family. Meena hopes to cope with their problems by talking them out, but Manju prefers to keep her troubles compartmentalized so she can focus on studying for her college graduation.

Manju lives and breathes her college studying, which helps to block out the painful experience of being rejected by Vijay. Yet it is hard to forget romantic issues, as late September is the season of the flirtatious Navrati festival where female divinity is celebrated and girls are allowed to dance freely. Asha pours her energy into planning this year’s festival, knowing how much it means to the girls and seeing that the Annawadians need a release after the tension of the recent global recession.

The political response to hardship in India usually involves throwing a grand party on festival days. This year’s Navrati festival will have extra DJs and lights, a fact welcomed by Meena who is dreading her imminent move to a rural village where she has been promised as a bride. Meena dreams of being one of the modern, powerful women she sees on television, but her life is completely controlled by her family. Even worse, moving to a village will be like moving back in time, to an India that still believes in the caste system. As a Dalit, the lowest caste, Meena will be seen as contaminated.

A week before Navrati, Meena and Manju meet at the public toilet to discuss Fatima’s “way out” of their worries about arranged marriages. They don’t want their beautiful skin to be spoiled by burning, so they agree that poison is a better option. Meena becomes superstitious that Fatima’s ghost is listening and the two girls go home after their few moments of freedom.

The women furiously clean the streets of Annawadi the day before Navrati. Manju rushes about trying to finish her housework so that she will have time to study and work on festival preparations. She ignores Meena waving from her house. When Manju finally finishes all her work, she goes to visit Meena. Meena looks pale and sick and refuses to talk to Manju. Meena opens her hand to show an empty tube of rat poison. Manju realizes that Meena has swallowed the whole thing and she runs to get Meena’s mother.

Meena’s mother is inside making dinner when Manju tells her about Meena eating rat poison. Meena’s mother insists that Meena is faking it, throwing a tantrum because she was beaten three times today for various small offenses, such as sitting outside the house. Manju goes back outside, afraid to alert anyone else for fear of ruining Meena’s reputation. Desperate, Manju calls Asha from a pay phone and tells her what Meena has done. Asha tells Manju to force Meena to swallow tobacco so that she will vomit, but Manju cannot buy tobacco without tarnishing her own reputation.

Manju sees some women pass by Meena’s house. She quietly tells them that Meena has poisoned herself. The women ask Meena what happened and Meena explains that she had to do this because it is the one choice about her life that she gets to make. The women force Meena to swallow a bar of laundry soap and Meena throws up violently. Meena says she feels better and goes inside to sleep. Manju goes home to wash and prepare for Navrati. That night, the first night of Navrati, Meena’s brothers beat her for eating rat poison.

Meena is admitted to Cooper Hospital and dies on the sixth day of Navrati. The women of Annawadi cluck that she was simply bored of her world, while Meena’s family blames Manju’s influence. Manju mourns her friend staring at the letters “Meena” that someone had carved in the cement outside the toilet and wishing that her friend had left more of a mark in the world.