Chai reveals the difference between the two sisters way of thinking when Sourdi says, “They could take you away. The police, they could put you in a foster home. All of us”(71). This is the first time where Nea realizes the consequences that could have happened because of her actions. Along with Nea’s inability to think rationally Chai reveals her immaturity by establishing a difference in the way the two girls feel about relationships with men. Sourdi’s first relationship with a boy is one of her coworkers Duke.
“He tried to put his arm over her shoulder, too. I was going to push him away, when Sourdi did something very surprising. She put both her arms around his neck and leaned against him, while Duke said soft, dumb-sounding things that I couldn’t quite hear. Then they were kissing”(73). Nea reveals that she could not believe that her sister was experiencing physical attraction for a boy. When she saw them kissing she “felt like running, screaming, for the road” (73) causing her to react to the situation in a childish manner. Even though she is surprised by their relationship she still desires to remain close to her sister. When Sourdi plans to run away with Duke, Nea plans on going with them.
Sourdi’s true coming of age is when her mother arranges her marriage with an older man. Her mother’s perspective on marriage and status reveals a turning point in the life of both of the girls. Sourdi is forced in to a marriage with an older man, who is established even though she is only eighteen. Even though her mother went through the same thing Nea is disgusted by the thought of Sourdi marrying such an older man. As Sourdi becomes mature and moves on to the next chapter of her life Nea remains immature. Nea begins to fabricate that Sourdi is in danger and she needs to save her. When Nea reaches Sourdi’s house to complete her mission she is greeted with “identical expressions of non comprehension that I had to laugh” (82). Nea’s reaction to her sisters confusion reveals that she was acting on impulse.
Sourdi distinguishes the difference between herself and her sister when she says “I’m a married women. I’m not just some girl anymore. I have my own family” (83). The events in the beginning and end of the story are both caused by Nea in an attempt to save her sister. Through out the story Sourdi changes from a young girl to a married woman with children. While Nea remains an immature girl acting on impulse in a desperate need to hold on to the relationship with her sister. In the end Nea believes that “she had made her choice and she hadn’t chosen me”(84).
Chai reveals that even though the two girls are sisters the differences between the girls in unaffected by the changing of their maturity level. Chai ends the story with story that Sourdi had told Nea. It was about “a magic serpent, the Naga, with a mouth so large it could swallow people whole” (84). Nea’s sense of immaturity remains constant through out the story while she tries to control the relationship she has with her sister. Nea hopes for the ideal world where they will always remain together. When she realizes that her sister is living her own life she wishes that she could “swallow the whole world” (84) in an attempt to escape from the reality of her sister growing up.
