Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Chapter 17 Summary & Analysis

In mid-May, the election results come in. The status-quo is mostly maintained and the previous prime minister is returned to office. All hopes of real change for the poor in India are postponed. Plans to demolish Annawadi begin as the Beautiful Forever wall is taken down and construction begins on the edges of the slum. Children flock to the construction sites, finding plenty of recyclables churned up by the bulldozers. As rumors of what this land will become fly—a school, a hospital, a taxi stand, and a runway are all considered—Annawadians are glad that they can at least make some profit off of this change.

A few weeks later, reporters come to Annawadi for a story on the public outcry over Robert Pires’ recent business efforts to pass off horses as zebras for children’s parties. Animal rights activists lament the poor state in which these animals are kept, though Annawadians had often been jealous of the relative luxury these horses had enjoyed. No attention is given to the still uninvestigated deaths of Kalu and Sanjay, and the slum boys accept that the lives of horses mean more to prosperous Mumbai than the lives of the poor who Mumbai would like to pretend do not exist.

Still, activist activity in Annawadi inspires the Annawadians to begin making noise about the human rights issues that have been present for so long here. Abdul has elaborate fantasies of reforming the police station. Yet the Annawadians do not band together in their efforts to improve Annawadi, each pouring energy into individual causes and fighting ferociously among each other for which cause should receive attention.

In June of 2009, the rains begin again and the new judge hears more witnesses in the case against Kehkashan and Karam. Kehkashan gives up on caring about the verdict, since she is too consumed with the day-to-day state of her family as they try to get enough to eat. With the collapse of their garbage trading business, Abdul has taken jobs transporting other people’s trash to the recyclers and another one of the younger Husain brothers drops out of school to work temp jobs with Mirchi.

Finally, at the end of July, the prosecutor and defense make closing arguments for the Husain case. After teasing Kehkashan for her burqa and Karam for his job “in plastics,” the judge pronounces them not guilty. All that is left of this miserable business is Abdul’s case in juvenile courts. The hearing is postponed again and again until 2009 is almost over.

Zehrunisa pays a Sufi mystic to see if Fatima’s ghost is responsible for dragging out Abdul’s case. The Sufi takes Zehrunisa’s money, assuring her that the trouble is now gone. Yet another year passes with no movement on Abdul’s trial. At the end of 2010, Abdul decides he is destined to live his entire life suspended between innocent and guilty. He gives up on his discipleship of The Master and allows himself to become “dirty water” in Annawadi, giving in to unethical choices to make sure his family has food.

Karam sadly gives up on the dream of Vasai, giving long impassioned speeches on how the Husain family missed out on their future. Abdul pays no attention to this, focusing on his work transporting recyclables around Mumbai. On his various routes, he sometimes dreams of never returning to Annawadi, but he always comes back in the end.

One morning, Abdul runs in to Sunil, who asks for money to get something to eat. Sunil has gone back to scavenging rather than thieving as the police are getting stricter again. The young boy has almost given up on trying to plan his future, simply taking each day as it comes. Abdul thinks that he will probably never see Sunil again after Annawadi is demolished, but he wishes the younger boy luck finding trash this day.