Animal’s People Discussion Questions

What might be the literary significance of the overgrown, abandoned factory? Why might Animal choose to live there, despite its obvious dangers?

Possible responses may include the following:

Animal’s return to the place that ruined his life is poetic. It is the building from which a chemical explosion and gas leak poisoned and killed his parents and thousands of others and led to the deformation of his body. It is because of this building that he became Animal. His choice to live there, then, despite its continued dangers, may be an act of power. There, he can live among the cobras and rabid dogs, secluded like the animal he pretends to be. It also allows him to show courage in the face of things that so affected his life; by making his home in its abandoned buildings, he accepts it for what it is, and things for how they are.

The physical description of the abandoned factory, now overgrown with small forests and filled with animals, is symbolic of the natural world regaining control, just as Animal, in his “natural” state, has regained control over his life. The grasses and weeds taking over the Kampani’s building may also parallel the weak Khaufpuri people rising up against the Kampani’s corruption.

Animal is able to find peace and beauty in the destruction of the abandoned building, which includes its unobstructed, full view of Khaufpur. There, he finds not only a literal perspective of his world, but a figurative one. Animal, a self-proclaimed outsider, can observe the lives within Khaufpur and consider his place within them.

What does the Khã-in-the-jar represent for Animal? For readers?

Possible responses may include the following:

The Khã-in-the-jar is an aborted fetus from the night of the accident, kept for study. A “child of poison” with a second head (conjoined twin) growing from its neck and “still waiting to be born,” the Khã-in-the-jar provokes and taunts Animal, appearing in his dreams and begging to be set free.

For readers, the Khã-in-the-jar may simply be a grotesque, disturbing representation of the horrific tragedy of that night. It is not only a visual, physical portrayal of the effect the chemical explosion and gas leak had on many Khaufpuri women that night, but also the continued generations that would be affected by it for years to come. That it is still kept for study underscores the continued devastation the accident has had on the Khaufpuri people in the decades that have followed, as their questions have gone unanswered and their pleas for justice ignored.

The Khã-in-the-jar is the sort of thing a curious Western outsider may marvel at or feel shocked by, but for Animal, he serves a different purpose. Animal can relate to the Khã-as another victim of that night, whose life never becomes what it may otherwise have. Like Animal, he is a creature, effectively nonhuman. The responsibility Animal feels to free the Khã-might suggest, then, a desire to free himself from the life he’s living as a “nonhuman.” His saving the Khã-gives him an opportunity to be the hero, like Zafar or Elli, and become an active agent in seeking justice for that night, rather than passively accepting its consequences. The Khã-in-the-jar’s transformation into angels may then act as a sort of redemption and rebirth. Its newfound-freedom parallels renewed hope for the Khaufpuri people, but specifically for Animal. Like the Kha, Animal can make for himself a new life, one in which he is accepting of his identity.

Animal reflects that, with the power of nothing, the Khaufpuri people rose up and destroyed their enemies. Evaluate this statement.

Possible responses might include the following:

In the Khaufpuris’ great suffering, they were able to risk everything—for them, nothing—to seek justice against the Kampani. In that effort, the Khaufpuri people gained their own sort of power and did rise up to affect change. However, it is interesting to note that Animal says they’ve “destroyed” their enemies. While they did successfully thwart a deal that would outrightly end the Kampani’s responsibility for the factory tragedy, their lives soon returned to normal. Hearings against the Kampani continue to be postponed, and its lawyers continue to find ways to avoid appearing in court. Zafar and the others remain confident, but the enemies are essentially no different than before; in this way, they’ve not been destroyed.

In a different sense, the Khaufpuri did destroy the enemy of hopelessness. They are left emboldened and empowered and find hope that the Kampani will be charged for its crimes. They’ve found a sort of power within themselves, one that Animal proudly shares in his story as it counters Western expectation. And Animal destroys his own enemy—that of his fear of rejection, fear of hope, feelings of being the outsider. In this way, the power of nothing did allow them to destroy their enemies.

What is the significance of Animal’s reaction to the September 11 attacks in the United States? Why might Sinha have chosen to include this event in Animal’s story?

Possible responses may include the following:

Animal’s reaction to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center is revelatory on several levels. When Animal watches the recording of the plane flying into the building, his immediate response is to clap and praise the “brilliant” explosions; he cannot understand—and is slow to believe—that the event is real. Not only does this reveal a surprising sort of childlike innocence in Animal—he’s excited by what he thinks is special effects in an action movie—but it also shows a naiveté in Animal’s perception of the world outside his own. Animal is used to tragedy in Khaufpur, tragedy resulting from the negligence of an American company, that he cannot comprehend such tragedies could happen outside of Khaufpur, and certainly not in America.

His response to the attacks is also important in how much it differs from the others, who are confused, upset, crying. Not only does this difference again situate Animal as the “outsider,” lacking the humanity of his friends, it also highlights the goodness of the Khaufpuri people—who would certainly be justified to feel hatred toward the Americans or to celebrate their tragedy. Instead, their sympathetic—or empathetic—response makes their own suffering even more tragic, and it suddenly becomes more relatable to The Eyes whom Animal addresses.

Sinha’s inclusion of this scene, therefore, may also serve to connect the Western outsider reader and the “far-away” victims of Bhopal tragedy. By reminding (American) Westerners of their own tragedy, Sinha offers an opportunity to extend that sadness and anger to the suffering of others. It creates a sense that there is more shared humanity between different people than initially obvious.

Animal struggles with his identity throughout the text. What other novels include young protagonists discovering their sense of self? How do these protagonists and their journeys compare to Animal’s?

Possible responses might include the following:

Animal’s tape recordings act as a sort of catharsis for him, allowing him to work through his complex thoughts and emotions as he decides who he wants to be. His battle is against himself, as he struggles between accepting his role as an outsider or finding a way to belong despite his differences. He presents himself as proud, self-assured, and funny, but in reality he is depressed, hopeless, and lost. The voices in his head represent this internal struggle. Many novels and young adult texts include protagonists working to discover their own sense of identity as they navigate the role of the “outsider.”

Sherman Alexie’s Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the story of a 14-year-old Native American teenager who decides to attend an all-white public high school.

Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak is about a young high-school outcast who finds her power and voice following sexual assault. The jumpy narrative in diary format echoes Animal’s tape recordings, and like Animal, her reflections allow her to gain confidence in herself and her experiences.

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye tells the story of a young black girl whose non-whiteness and dark eyes make her, as she sees it, not beautiful. Unlike Animal, this girl does not find peace; she is so desperate to conform—to change what cannot be changed about herself—that she is eventually driven mad.

The young protagonist of J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is the quintessential young outcast, neither fitting in with adults or adolescents. Although much more detached than Animal, he is similar in his drive to isolate himself from others. He also shares Animal’s near-obsession with sex and losing his virginity.