Depiction of The Daily Life in Slums in Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

Introduction

In “Behind the Beautiful Forevers,” Katherine Boo reminds first-world readers how good we have it, particularly in contrast to those in a Mumbai undercity. The most obvious takeaway is the poverty that can’t be missed in the slum of Annawadi and the underlying role the economy plays in bullying the least fortunate of residents. Boo’s depiction of daily life is so real it hurts. Not only her tone, but the message of hopeless citizens constantly in morbid situations is a depressing read. Evoking that emotion out of the reader is juxtaposed with descriptions of people making unwavering relentless efforts to continue working to make the best of the worst situations (Boo, 2012).

Depiction of Daily Life in Slums

It’s hard to view this text as an optimistic book about humanity. One might consider that Abdul is one of many children in the slum who must grow up quickly. “To his family, Abdul's physical capability had been the mattering thing. He was the workhorse, his moral judgments irrelevant” (Boo, 2012, p. 33). Not only are these children working at what seems to be a constant rate, but in some cases, the children are the most significant workers in their families. Children who seek successful schooling are rare, and this in turn fosters the poverty preventing the youth from finding a stable occupation once they become older.

With this poverty, jealousy is just around the corner when others find themselves in a position to improve their living situation. No one seems pleased when someone else is working successfully to improve his or her home, and in some cases others are hostile. Zehrunisa makes a strong point about the unfair lifestyle of Annawadi as a painful reminder. 'So let them be jealous. Why shouldn’t we live in a better room now that we are doing a little better?' (Boo, 2012, p. 76). This sentiment reflects a broader social issue where economic disparity breeds envy and hostility, rather than community and support.

When Sunil stumbles upon a male scavenger who has been hit by a car and cannot move, he ignores him and so do others for several hours. This cutthroat decision would seem to be more likely made in a war zone or in a wild forest. Several more people pass the dying scavenger without doing a thing to help or even communicate. Nobody does anything until finally someone calls police to report that a corpse is scaring children. The irony was the police had the scavengers help remove their once-living comrade. “Constables enlisted other scavengers to load the body into the police van, so that the constables wouldn’t catch the diseases that trash-pickers were known to carry” (Boo, 2012, p. 94). The role of poverty transforms into a theme of most people in the slum unwilling to show compassion to anyone other than themselves or immediate family. The slum is a cruel society showing no remorse.

The Impact of Poverty on Family

Even the most protected family members are impacted by poverty in the slum. Two-year-old Lallu is constantly bitten by rats and his older brother Abdul can’t do anything about it. “He could get tearful just looking at Lallu, who was as fearless as Abdul was flinchy. All those swollen rat bites on his cheeks, on the back of his head” (Boo, 2012, p. 45). Boo is emphasizing that no one is safe, even when older children who are disproportionately mature for their age try their hardest. Such effort from someone like Abdul resulting in a negative outcome is depressing to read in the text. When the young boy tries to work on his family’s house, a fight between Fatima and Zehrunisa distracts him from finishing the shelf he was installing for food. When it fell during the fight, it struck me that poverty made everything vulnerable. Humans, their possessions, and their environment are all constantly being broken down.

Even when face-to-face conflict isn’t taking place, nature exposes the slum for its weaknesses and susceptibility. A flood impacts the sewage system and leaves the residents in their weak and vulnerable homes at the weather’s mercy. The government has little concern with helping those of lower-caste families improve their living situation near the Mumbai Airport, even if it would garner approval from tourists and those traveling for business ventures. “The banks in America went in a loss, then the big people went in a loss, then the scrap market in the slum areas came down too” (Boo, 2012, p. 112). There is no empathy, only greed from the capitalist systems that were systematically invested in the continued struggle of the people of Annawadi.

Conclusion

Boo's narrative in "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" serves as a stark reminder of the harsh realities faced by those living in extreme poverty. It challenges readers to reflect on their own circumstances and the broader societal structures that perpetuate inequality. Through vivid storytelling, Boo not only documents the struggles of Annawadi's residents but also highlights their resilience and the complex interplay of economic, social, and environmental factors that shape their lives.

References

• Boo, K. (2012). Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. Random House.