Fasting, Feasting

Chapter 7 begins a sequence of chapters chronicling problematic arranged marriages. Uma is presented to Mr. Syal at a dinner, a man who ignores her and ends up asking for Aruna instead. Aruna is beautiful, intelligent and deeply attractive to men while Uma is homely, simple and socially awkward. While the family receives several offers for Aruna, they are determined to keep with tradition and marry their eldest daughter, Uma, first. So desperate are they to marry Uma, they hastily arrange a marriage with a merchant family, the Goyals, who live in a modern suburb and blatantly reveal that they need the hefty dowry to finance home construction on a large piece of land they have recently purchased. In spite of this admission, Mama convinces them to go on with the arrangement, which ends in disaster. The father of Uma’s fiancée ignores their invitations and finally, when they do show up at his home, they are coldly received, with Mr. Goyal expressing that his son has decided to postpone the engagement to focus on his education. When Mama asks for the dowry money back, Mr. Goyal reveals that he has spent it to build the house—just as he said he would.