Because of a childish misunderstanding, when Lenny hears that India might break or crack, she is afraid of a literal breaking of the land. She imagines a crack appearing under her house or blocking her from Godmother’s house. It becomes a symbol of small, seemingly harmless tensions that eventually erupt into full-scale destruction. The minor differences in religious ideology, the small insults, and the religious jokes are cracks in the idea of a unified India. But the cracks compound upon each other and grow larger over time. Small insults and jokes turn into prejudice and dehumanization, opening the door for extraordinary acts of violence perpetuated by ordinary people. Sidhwa uses the symbolic image of “cracking India” to describe the political and social upheaval that occurred during the creation of an independent India and Pakistan (101). This image symbolizes the brokenness between the two countries, and it reflects the damaged relationships among the ethnic factions, including the complicated mixture of majority- and minority- Hindu and Muslim cities and countryside, along with permanently minority ethnicities such as the Parsees, who practice Zoroastrianism.

In a literal way, India as a country is actually broken apart into two countries. In Lahore, Lenny sees the impermanence of her world when flames engulf the marketplace and a mob parades a dead child, waving her body impaled on a spear like an obscene flag. The cracks go outward and inward, as we see when Lenny rips her dolls in half, reenacting the violence. Breaking away and the birth of a new nation sound clean and hopeful, but Ice Candy Man shows the viciousness underneath.

Affected by polio that she contracted as a baby, Lenny’s right foot is twisted and her leg muscles have deteriorated. Throughout the novel, Lenny plays on her disability for sympathy, treats, and other special treatment. She does not want her legs to heal because they gain her so much attention and sympathy. However, Colonel Bharucha straightens her foot through a series of casts and a surgery. Massage and activity stretch her leg and foot into their prior appearance. As she heals physically, step by step, Lenny learns to replace sympathy with participation in her world.

Instead of retreating into a fantasy world, as she does as a child to escape her reality or to use her reality to gain advantage, Lenny learns to confront the world as it is. Her disability becomes less central to her identity as she grows older and more sexually aware. She is no longer afraid that no one will love her without her limp. Her experiences with her Cousin are central to her eventual maturity. For example, Cousin insists that Lenny learn about his genitals, whether she wants to or not, and later he offers her love and marriage.