Hamida is in a situation of constant shifts between power and powerlessness. This frail balance depends on the reference fame she is in; she is powerful among her family but powerless at home. This power she has among her family comes to her because she is Khan Shib's wife. In addition to being the wealthiest member of her family she is the one with the highest social status. On the other hand, when she is at home she is powerless because Khan Sahib is in control.

Because in a traditional society the woman's sense of identity derives from an identification with the husband. Hamida is powerful among her family. Her stubborn insistence on going to her niece's marriage even thought she knows that this is not an appropriate time for such an event reflects her craving for power that she has been deprived of from her husband. She want's to be among people over which she has power, "...most important person at these family occasions. They all ran around in a dither or sat and wrung their hands till she arrived and began to give orders. She was not the eldest in the family, but she was the one who had the most authority...only one among them to hold an eminent position." [715, 4]. Her desire that all requests to Khan Sahib by members of her family be made by her is another manifestation of her appetite for power. Even though Hamida's marriage with this man of high status leaves her powerless at home she is willing to make this sacrifice in order to be powerful among her family.

In The Heath Introduction To Fiction. Ed. John J. Clayton. Toronto:

For women, children are expected to provide a major incentive or concept of the meaning of life and it is in caring for their children that they are expected to experience a sense of meaning, value, and significance. A child is a person to which a mothers is emotionally involved and deeply committed. The child's dependence on its mother is a reason that explains the feelings of a mother for her child. The sense of being essential to a child is one of the greatest attraction of motherhood. A child's need for his mother is felt as especially compelling because it is seen as a need for the mother as a unique individual. The obvious physical dependence of a child gives most often a purpose which a mother can readily identify strive for and see themselves as fulfilling, "How he loved my fritters." [716,6]

Some common words found in the essay are:
Khan Sahib, Man's House, Khan Shib's, khan sahib, powerful family, Heath Company, shut jewel boxes, physical dependence, husband hamida, motherhood hamida, hamida's marriage, powerless home, children expected, boarding school, jewel boxes,
Approximate Word count = 1747
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)