The Red Carpet

Andy Vo
09/21/08
Period 2
Contradictory Mrs. Choudhary

 In the story “The Red Carpet,” Lavanya Sankaran uses characterization to show that not all high classed and rich people are cold and classy people. In “The Red Carpet,” Sankaran depicts the character Mrs. Choudhary (also known as May-dum) as a very contradictory high class person. Sankaran characterizes May-dum as a very wild and young person that even makes poor citizens to question about her class. Sankaran also shows that May-dum is also generous, lenient, and sociable to the main character, Raju. Through characterization the reader can clearly see the contrast between the very contradictory, May-dum, and her mother-in-law, who is also named Mrs. Choudhary. Sankaran uses characterization to contradict the stereotypical high class citizen by characterizing May-dum as the complete opposite.
 Sankaran characterizes May-dum as a very young and wild high class citizen to show that her personality doesn’t fit with the stereotypical high class citizen. When Raju first enters the May-dum’s house, Raju soon sees May-dum and is left paralyzed as he watched her. The young woman that is walking downstairs to meet Raju is “surely no older than his teenage sister, [and] was practically naked…” (2). Her style of clothing that is so different from the average clothing of a wealthy individual shocked Raju and left him to wonder “What manner of house was this?” (2)Her wild clothing is not the only characterization that causes Raju to question her class, but her actions as well made him wonder. May-dam often goes to the bar to have fun and drink alcohol in a “skirt so short that it couldn’t have been longer than span of [Raju’s] hand” (6). Even to Raju, who believes that her behavior is “…unacceptable. Immoral. Should be stopped” (6). Sankaran characterizes May-dum as a young, skimpily dressed, wild individual to contradict the average high class individual and his or her actions. 
 Sankaran also characterizes May-dum as a generous, lenient, and sociable person to show that not all rich people are greedy, strict, and anti-sociable people. When Raju was accepted for the job May-dum “nodded briskly and offered a salary that was two and half times what he was making” (3). As Raju continued his job he also notices that “she never raised her voice at him. No screaming at him when the car got stuck in traffic. No shouting that he was a fool, and son of fools. No muttering that he should be fired, the idiot, the rascal, just let him get another job as good as this” (4). Raju’s job is so full of benefits such as wages, the good meals that she gives him, and the clothes that are given to his family. May-dum is also very lenient such as the time when Raju backed up to another car, “she just went over the incident with him in detail, accepted his fervent apologies, asked him to ensure that it never happened again” (5). May-dum, unlike other high class people alike, is very approachable, as all the other employees advices Raju that he had “any problems, [he] should talk to May-dum about it. She’ll help” (5). May-dum herself approaches Raju to have a conversation with her and “before he knew it, he was telling her everything: all his hopes, his dreams, his fondest wishes for beloved Herma, and the despair that had dogged his footsteps these past few months” (8). May-dum even gives Raju brand new and “expensive saris in bright colors, frilly child’s frock in pink” (7). May-dum also pays for Raju’s daughter’s education so he doesn’t have to worry anymore. Through characterization, Sankaran is able to further contradict the stereotype by having May-dum as a very generous, lenient, and sociable person to show that not every rich person is a stereotype.
 Sankaran also characterizes the personality of May-dum and Mrs. Choudhary so they would contrast, to have the reader easily see the difference in May-dum. Sankaran first characterizes Mrs. Choudhary as a woman who practically ignored him when he visited as a child and also “a formidable woman, clad in silks and jewelry and with a round red bindi on her forehead, drawn so large that it seemed to swallow him up” (1). She refuses to even give the young Raju biscuit. Raju describes that he was never so scared in his life. Once Raju meets Mrs. Choudhary again, she again ignores him while she complains about May-dum’s clothes saying she “always feel so bad when [she] looks at her, dressed like that” (6). The reader can easily see the contrast of the stereotypical high class rich person to the May-dum’s personality. Sankaran uses characterization of May-dum and Mrs. Choudhary to show the contrast between May-dum and the average rich individual to contradict the stereotype.
Sankaran uses characterization to break that stereotype they are classy, serious, greedy, strict, and very difficult to socialize with people. May-dum is the complete opposite of the stereotype that contradicts it over and over again. May-dum is wild, generous, lenient, and very sociable. Using characterization Sankaran is able to show that not all high and mighty rich people are the same by characterizing the character to contradict every part of the stereotype.