What primary personality traits did you notice for Twinkle and for Sanjeev? What characterization revealed these traits? What specific evidence from the text helped you identify these personality traits.

Sanjeev and Twinkle are newlyweds who have known each other for only a short time. Though their marriage is not an arranged one in the traditional sense, they are matched by their parents and wed after only a brief, long-distance courtship. It is this long-distance aspect to their relationship that both helps and hurts the marriage.

Throughout, Sanjeev doubts their connection, commitment, and even the nature of love. But he is a person who has never experienced love and, in some ways, his story is his coming of age. Twinkle is more open to contentment and wonder – which Sanjeev labels as “childish.” The fight that Twinkle initiates actually starts a dialogue. In the end, there is acceptance on Sanjeev’s behalf of his wife’s idiosyncrasies and one feels that they have happy years in their future.

The religious iconography irks Sanjeev for several reasons. First, Twinkle’s obsession with them signifies their differing personalities. For Twinkle, the “treasure hunt” is a game of discovery. For Sanjeev, the leftover artifacts are mere trash. Sanjeev is concerned about how the pieces will reflect on him. Trying to impress his coworkers is made difficult when he is concerned about what the items say about him. Sanjeev bristles a bit when he has to explain that there are Christians in India. He does not want to have to explain things relating to his culture as he is trying to assimilate. He introduces his wife under her given name of Tamina rather than Twinkle because he is embarrassed to appear as anything other than a responsible American. In the end, his acceptance of the items signal an acceptance of his wife, her idiosyncrasies, and the cultural differences that should be celebrated rather than hidden.