themes

• What is the central theme of "Anita and Me"?

  Family relationships
• How does Meena initially feel about her family's omnipresence?


  It is a source of frustration
• What does Syal's Bildungsroman illustrate about family support?

  It is significant for Meena and Anita
• What is Meena's family's background?

  Indian immigrants in an English town
• How is Meena's father portrayed in the novel?

  As actively engaged in her upbringing
• What lesson does Meena's father teach her when she steals money?

  Honesty and personal accountability
• What does Meena's mother, Daljit Kumar, teach her?

  About her Indian heritage
• How does Meena's mother show tolerance towards her challenges?

  By making fish fingers and celebrating Christmas
• What personal conflict does Meena experience within her family?

  She feels displaced and does not fit in
• How does Meena find escape from her family's expectations?

  By associating with English girls
• Who comes from India to help Meena's family?

  Namina, her grandmother
• What does Meena's father wish for regarding their family in India?

  For them to be together
• How does the community of South Asians function for Meena's family?

  As an extended family offering support
• How does Meena's mother express her concerns?

  By talking to friends for support
• How does Meena feel about her mother's discussions with friends?

  It humiliates her and isolates her
• How does Syal contrast Meena's family with Anita's family life?

  Anita's mother is often absent and neglectful
• What implication is made about Anita's mother, Deirdre?

  She is implied to be a sex-worker
• How does Deirdre's behavior affect her daughters?

  It makes them vulnerable and neglected
• What does Syal highlight about Anita's home life?

  It leads to her violent behavior
• How does Meena perceive her friendship with Anita?

  As a mix of admiration and conflict
• What does Meena learn from her friendship with Anita?

  About the dangers of poor information
• How does Meena's self-reflection impact her friendships?

  It helps her act as a good role model
• What does Meena realize about her feelings for Robert?

  They are based on care and respect
• How does the ending of the novel affect Anita?

  She is left without friends or support
• What does Syal intend to convey about friendship?

  Its significance in the absence of family support
• What cultural conflict does Meena experience?

  Between Indian traditions and English freedom
• How does Meena express her reaction to cultural expectations?

  By rejecting her Indian identity
• What does Anita's influence represent for Meena?

  Opportunity to adopt English culture
• How does Meena's mother help her integrate into English culture?

  By adopting Christian traditions
• What does Meena rely on to understand her Indian heritage?

  Stories told by her family
• How does Meena's grandmother influence her perception of Indian women?

  By showing a different type of Indian woman
• What does Meena learn about British colonization from her family?

  It was often corrupt and damaging
• How does Robert encourage Meena regarding her culture?

  By describing it positively
• What realization does Meena come to about her identity by the end of the novel?

  It is not tied to a specific place
• What does Meena conclude about her sense of belonging?


  It is wherever she stands
• How does Syal depict the consequences of powerlessness?

  Through characters exhibiting aggression and violence
• What does Syal suggest about the relationship between victims and abusers?

  Victims can become abusers if unchecked
• What societal context does Syal provide for the characters' behavior?

  A fictional English town in the 1970s
• How does Sam Lowbridge express his frustration?

  By abusing others and acting out
• What does Syal highlight about the normalization of violence in Anita's life?

  It leads to her aggressive behavior