The Woman Doctor
The narrator and protagonist of the novel is a woman who set out to defy her family to become a doctor in a patriarchal society. She is driven by the need for self-actualization and constant change, which she expresses thus: “It seemed to me that whatever heights I reached, I wouldn’t be content, the flame burning within me wouldn’t be extinguished. I began to hate the repetitiveness and similarity of lessons: I would read the material once and once only — to go over it again would stifle me, kill me. I wanted something new, new… all the time.”Being an excellent student, she graduates from high school top of her class, and masters the field of medicine after that. However, she has little experience with love and seems naive when she marries her first husband. Divorce is a logical consequence, which further alienates her from society. Eventually, she realizes that even though she has built a successful business with her surgery, she is still empty inside. Only after meeting a musician, who shows her how she can combine medicine and art, does she find a greater purpose in life.
The Narrator's Mother
The narrator’s mother is a devote Muslim woman who spends most of her time in the kitchen cooking food for the men of the house. She is very protective and does not allow her daughter to go out and play like her brother. Twice a day she combs her daughter’s hair, which is why she is very upset when her daughter goes to a barbershop to have it cut off. She strikes her hard, not realizing that her daughter has already transcended the physical pain in defiance. Her ultimate goal is to find a suitable husband for her daughter.
The Musician
The narrator meets the musician at a party, where both spend the time on the sidelines. They have a deep conversation about the discrepancy between self-actualization and pleasing others, where the musician reveals that he does not like his latest composition even though the public loves it. When the doctor receives an emergency call, he drives her to the patient. After the treatment, he asks her whether she has achieved anything, which leads to her epiphany that she needs to be warm and caring instead of chasing money and success. His unconditional support also makes the doctor rediscover her own life.
The First Husband
The doctor meets her first husband when she is called to an emergency where an old woman (the man’s mother) is dying. However, the doctor is not able to treat the woman, whose ensuing death deeply saddens the man. He visits the doctor a few times, and eventually they get married because, during that time, the doctor is also longing for love, even though she does not know what exactly she is looking for. Soon after the marriage, the man reveals his true personality and the doctor realizes that he only wanted to marry her to replace his mother. His dominance culminates in him pressuring his wife to give up her surgery. She refuses, which leads to divorce.
