Animal’s People Summary and Analysis

Section One Summary [Becoming “Animal”] Tapes 1–5

Animal introduces himself in a tape recording to the “Eyes,” the outsiders reading his words. After much negotiation with Chunaram, the scam artist and owner of a local chai shop, a “jarnalis” (journalist) gave Animal the tapes to record his story.

Animal describes how he “used to be human,” although he does not remember it. He was born a few days before the night of a gas leak accident and now walks on all fours from pain that twisted his spine in childhood. He ran away from an orphanage, where he met Ma Franci, to live on the streets. There, he learned to put himself first, surviving on scraps and manipulating pedestrians and cafe patrons for money and food.

One cafe patron, Nisha, offers him a meal and steady work. At their first meeting, Zafar, a local hero, encourages Animal and hires him as a spy to report unusual happenings in the bastis (shantytowns). Animal soon meets Nisha’s father, Somraj, and learns from Nisha of the tragic ending to Somraj’s career as a famous singer. Somraj shares in the others’ hatred of the Kampani, which stands accused of causing the death of thousands but refuses to take responsibility—a case so long-running that it’s become a punchline to the Khaufpuri people.

Nisha teaches Animal to read and write Hindi and Inglis (English). He does so exceptionally well and sets out to learn French so that he can decode Ma Franci’s speech. Ma, who suffers from senility and dementia, soon goes missing from her convent; Animal finds her, making her a home outside the abandoned factory.

Zafar, Animal, and Nisha go to the city court, and when the Kampani does not show for their hearing, Zafar petitions the judge to issue a summons requiring their presence. The judge responds favorably to Zafar’s request and the crew celebrates.

Soon after, Ma takes Animal to a specialty hospital for the voices in his head. Animal acts as translator between Ma and the doctor, playfully mistranslating. He gains the courage to ask the doctor if an operation can make him upright again but is told that there is no hope. There, Animal first meets the Kh�-in-the-Jar—a fetus aborted after the poison gas from the Kampani—who taunts him and asks to be set free.

Section One Analysis [Becoming “Animal”] Tapes 1–5

The birth of “Animal” is a direct consequence of the events of the accident. He is so determined to become the animal his body represents that he cannot remember his real name or when he was able to walk upright. His identity is reinforced by those around him: He is teased by children, used as an exhibition by Chunaram, and even treated as a sort of project by Nisha. He decides that his focus must be on himself and his survival and hardens himself in protection from the world. Even when he finds kind acceptance, he fights against it, choosing instead to remain physically isolated and emotionally detached. And yet, he battles internally with this created identity; the chaotic voices in his head parallel the disconnect between his outward projection—a denial of his humanity—and his inward longing for physical and emotional connection.

Animal’s early tapes also point to the power of westernization in Khaufpur and the developing world. The Kampani’s ability to blatantly deny responsibility and refuse to clean up the mess—to entirely separate themselves from the tragedy itself—underscores just how far removed they are from the Khaufpuri people, who cannot escape the tragedy, even decades later. The Khaufpuris’ running joke about the Kampani’s avoidance shows just how powerless and hopeless they feel.