Page "The Home and the World" Paragraph 9

Near the beginning of the novel, Nikhil brings his wife Bimala to a political rally in an attempt to get her to join the outside world and get in touch better with “ reality .” Though Bimala had heard of Sandip before this time, and developed a somewhat negative opinion of him, this was the first time she heard Sandip speak.

This event not only changes her opinion of Sandip, but affects her entire outlook on her life both at home and in the outside world.

“ I was no longer the lady of the Rajah ’ s house, but the sole representative of Bengal ’ s womanhood ,” Bimala says ( 31 ).

“ I returned home that evening radiant with a new pride and joy .” After returning home, Bimala asks her husband to invite Sandip to their home for dinner, setting the plot of the novel in motion.