The Henna Artist

Lakshmi starts her personal narrative by saying, “Independence changed everything. Independence changed nothing” (18). This comment encapsulates the struggle of India to define itself after the British returned control to the natives in the late 1940s. The novel itself takes place in 1955 while the country is still struggling with the concept of democracy rather than hereditary rule.

The novel shows these struggles on a personal and national scale. Economically, India faced the challenge of modernizing its economy while resisting the imposition of Western capitalist models. India opted for a mixed economy with strong state intervention, which was inspired by socialist principles rather than Western capitalism. However, the need for modernization meant that India had to engage with Western nations economically, leading to a complex relationship where the country sought to adopt modern technology and industrial practices without fully embracing Western economic ideologies. Lakshmi exemplifies these large-scale issues in her own life with her dream of owning a luxurious house and living a prestigious lifestyle. These are capitalist goals that would have been difficult for many to achieve at the time, especially a woman.

The tension between traditional cultural values and Western influence plays out in a variety of other ways in the story.