Amal Unbound

Young and clean-shaven with close-cut hair and a voice like “ice water,” Jawad Sahib is the new village landlord, and the primary antagonist in Amal Unbound. Stepping into his father’s shoes, Jawad is the go-to man for loaning and collecting money in town. The villagers think Jawad is cruel and “enjoys punishing people” (42), which certainly seems to be the case. Jawad had an entire neighboring village burned down to teach the villagers not to challenge his authority. Respect is important to Jawad, but he demands it through threats and violence, rather than earning it by giving respect to others. Jawad is highly status-conscious and believes that the servants and villagers are inferior to him, and not worthy of his respect. He is taken aback to learn that Amal can read and write. Despite his big ego, Jawad is “thin-skinned” and quick to take offense. Anything that smacks of disrespect or disobedience is met with punishment. Jawad is also a control freak: he does not like to delegate his business, commenting, “the only one I can trust is myself anyway” (116). Nasreen warns Amal that Jawad does not have her forgiving nature, or her sense of humor.

Jawad does have a few good qualities buried under all that conceit. He adores his mother, and Nasreen can usually talk him out of his rages. Also, when Jawad was a teenager, he, like Amal, enjoyed books and reading—something that Amal has trouble believing, given his harsh disposition. Unfortunately, Jawad’s negative traits dominate his personality. He cruelly taunts Amal and is physically and verbally abusive to her and the other servants. He has the diplomat’s son killed simply because the boy disrespected him. Jawad’s arrogance is his downfall, however. He never dreams that young, “inferior” servants like Amal and Bilal would have the courage and intelligence to topple his business and precipitate his own loss of freedom.  

Jawad’s mother comes from a village just on the other side of the market from Amal’s home. Amal finds Nasreen kind and “easy to talk to” (91). Amal discovers that Nasreen has much in common with her own mother and with Amal herself. They know many of the same neighbors, including Shaukat, the produce merchant. Nasreen is self-conscious of the fact that she married into the wealthy Khan family from a lower class. Although Nasreen has all the benefits of wealth and privilege, she is still restricted in what activities she can do. She is estranged from her family because Khan does not want Nasreen associating with the villagers: It would reflect badly on their appearance as a wealthy family. Both Khan and her privileged status limit Nasreen’s freedom.

Nasreen sees herself in Amal. As a girl, she too would get in trouble for “blurting things out” (90). At the same time, Amal knows that Nasreen cannot fully identify with Amal’s position. Nasreen knows very well that the girls in the village work hard for their education, but she does not try to change her snobby friend’s opinion that the villagers “enjoy being illiterate” (108). Showing sympathy with the villagers would point out her own lower-class background. Ultimately, Amal helps Nasreen understand the importance of family. This deeper understanding, and her new freedom from her controlling husband, allows Nasreen to free Amal to return to her loving home. 

The village “bogeyman,” Khan has white hair and a thick mustache. Like his son, Khan is quick to become outraged at perceived disrespect: He becomes furious when he learns the police bothered Nasreen at nighttime. However, Khan is not as vengeful as Jawad. Fozia wishes Khan had not transferred his business dealings to Jawad, because Khan would only punish people occasionally, to teach the village a lesson, whereas Jawad enjoys hurting people. Khan is also more cautious with his actions: he is running for office and is angry at Jawad for killing the diplomat’s son and jeopardizing their regime. Amal knows that both Khan and Jawad are “powerful and mean-spirited men” (199).

Amal’s parents work hard to provide for their five daughters. Abu owns sugarcane fields and orange groves. He inherited the land from his father, who worked hard to purchase the property and pass it, along with the financial independence it conveys, on to his son. The land is important to Abu because it represents “everything our family worked for” (66) and he will do anything—including allowing Amal to work for Jawad—to keep it in the family. To Abu, the land represents freedom, sacrifice, and his father’s memory. That is not to say that Abu does not love his own family: He loves them deeply, borrowing money from Jawad out of desperation to support them all during seasons the farm struggled.

Amma is the glue that keeps family life running smoothly. She takes care of the household. Amma, like Abu, loves their daughters, but like most Pakistani parents, wishes for a son to care for them in their old age and to inherit the farm. Her emotional recession following Lubna’s birth appears to be post-partum depression but is also connected to the disappointment that the new baby is a girl. Amma provides many of the memories that help sustain Amal in her servitude: Her black hair, love of roses, great cooking, and even her words of wisdom give Amal comfort.

Seema is the closest sister to Amal in age. Like Amal, Seema loves learning and is ahead of her class in school. Seema maintains a positive outlook on situations, from cleverly figuring out a way to bring lessons home to Amal, to finding Amal’s childhood doll for her. Seema is a strong support for Amal. With Amal gone, Seema takes on her duties as eldest daughter, helping their mother and caring for Rabia, Safa, and baby Lubna. 

Amal’s family is one of the more prosperous families in the village: they are fortunate to have one servant, Parvin, who is more like a beloved family member. Parvin and her son, Omar, live in a shed behind Amal’s house. They came to live with Amal’s family when Parvin’s husband died. Parvin helps with household chores like grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. With Amma incapacitated after Lubna’s birth, Amal realizes Parvin’s value; she is the “invisible arm propping the family up” (36). Only later does Amal understand that Parvin chose to live with Amal’s family to escape unpleasant situations with her late husband’s family and her own parents.

Born only a few days apart, Omar and Amal grew up together and continue to be good friends, even though tradition dictates that their friendship is inappropriate. Omar also wants to attend college, and the scholarship he recently won will help him realize those dreams.  

Fozia and her daughter Hafsa are dear family friends. Both mother and daughter love gossip. Fozia is also famous for her delectable baked goods. Fozia helps Amma out of her depression. Like almost everyone else in the village, Fozia’s family is indebted to Jawad and she worries what Jawad will do if her husband, Shaukat, cannot repay his loan. Little does Fozia know that her prediction will be correct, that one day Jawad will hurt the wrong person—Amal—and get his comeuppance.

Hafsa and Amal are best friends. They are in the same class at school and share similar dreams of continuing their education. They plan to be college roommates together. Hafsa wants to be the first doctor in her family. Unlike Amal, Hafsa is not curious about life, the universe, and everything. She grumps about having to learn things that she does not think she will need. Hafsa is kind-hearted and a good friend, even offering (albeit impractically) to hide Amal in her closet to keep her away from Jawad. Hafsa, like Amal’s family, must move on with her life in Amal’s absence. Hafsa is genuinely glad to see Amal when she visits, but their relationship is not what it was: Hafsa has found a new close friend in Farah.

Miss Sadia is the encouraging and dedicated teacher at the girls’ school. She is hard but fair. Miss Sadia is supportive of Amal’s big goals and makes Amal her helper, a position Amal values because she learns about the behind-the-scenes work teachers do to prepare lessons and run the class, things Amal will need to know when she becomes a teacher. Miss Sadia communicates her own love of poetry to Amal, encouraging Amal to write about her life. She roots for Amal when she must stay home and allows Amal to learn from Seema and continue her education.

Asif is the young teacher at the literacy center. He is also a role model for Amal. Despite opposition from his educated father, Asif followed his passion and became a teacher. He teaches Amal to never give up hope in her dreams, and shows her that people are working to fix social inequities. 

Nabila was Nasreen’s personal servant before Amal’s arrival, and initially resents Amal. She is around Amal’s age, and has a “sharp jaw and straight brown hair” (73). She does not smile much at first, because she is jealous of Amal, but when she does her face is beautiful. Nabila initially sabotages Amal out of spite, trying to get back in favor with Nasreen, but eventually the two become good friends. Nabila seeks Amal’s help finding out what happened to the one relative who cared about her. She, along with Bilal, are committed to bringing Jawad to justice.