This essay aims to show how Mumbai specifically Annawadi is seen through the eyes of the three main protagonists Abdul, Asha and Sunil.  Abdul is a rubbish sorter who buys trash and sells it for a profit compared to other people in the slum Abdul and his family live a relatively easy life, Asha is the unofficial slumlord of Annawadi, she is constantly focused on making money she leads the best lifestyle compared to anyone in the slum, Sunil is a rubbish scavenger meaning that he is at the bottom of the hierarchy, his job is to steal rubbish from the airport and other places where trash is dumped, Sunil leads the worst lifestyle and he barely has any money.

Abdul is the first character that we are introduced to, he sustains himself and his family through purchasing, sorting and selling rubbish at a profit.  He has a very withdrawn persona and he is focused on his work this idea can be supported by the quote “Abdul had become an expert, over the years, at minimizing distractions.  He placed all such dolls in his trash pile tits-down.”  Abdul has a reputation in Annawadi for being a loner, this can be supported by the quote “Besides, this was the gentle going hour in which he (Abdul) hated Annawadi the least.”  this quote can also show that Abdul dislikes Annawadi as a place, this can also show that Abdul sees Annawadi as simply just a place to work, eat and sleep.  Abdul also dislikes the residents of Annawadi this can be supported by the quote “the better I know you the more I will dislike you and the more you will dislike me. So let us keep to ourselves.”  part of this quote “the more you will dislike you” shows that Abdul has already thought about what will happen, this can support Abduls withdrawn persona because he is able to step back and observe the situation and then make a decision on how he will tackle the issue.  

Asha is the second character that we are introduced to in the book behind the beautiful forever’s, she is the unofficial slumlord of Annawadi, Asha is focused on making money, so for her every issue is profitable.  Asha has a negative view of Annawadi, this can be supported by the quote “she (Asha) had by now seen past the obvious truth– that Mumbai was a hive of hope and ambition- to a profitable corollary.”  this quote can be interpreted to show that Mumbai is a very good place to be if you want to make money.  Asha is not native to Annawadi, this can show that when Annawadi was first erected it was seen as ‘ the place to be’ in terms of the slum world.  Asha has a family consisting of herself, her son and daughter and her husband.  Asha like many other people in Annawadi had to grow up before her time, this can be supported by the quote “Asha had developed her sharp tongue as a child”.  The idea of the people of Annawadi having to grow up before their time is key because it applies to al three characters, for instance Abdul is only 13 and he is already earning money in order to provide for his family, Asha has gained an adult mentality from an early age and finally Sunil ( who we will cover later) has gained an understanding of what is the best way to get food from people essentially playing with their emotions.  

Sunil is the final character that we are introduced to, his family consists of himself, his sister and his father.  His father doesn’t provide for Sunil and his sister, this can be supported by the quote ” he took the sandals from the feet of his sleeping father and sold them to Abdul for food” this can be linked back to the idea of the people of Annawadi having to grow up before their time, because a child of Sunni’s age would most likely take sandals from their fathers feet for a joke, however Sunil took his fathers sandals and sold them for food.  Sunil used to live in an orphanage, from the text we can gather that the orphanage was frequently visited by western people, in the eyes of the orphans, the people from the western world had all of the money.  Sunil has a fantasy that a western couple would adopt him, but only if he introduced himself as Sunny ” a name a foreigner might like”.  

In conclusion all of the main characters: Abdul, Asha and Sunil all view Annawadi in a similar way, they view it as a place to live and sleep but don’t have very high opinions of Annawadi.  Ultimately, they all dream of Moving out of Annawadi and settling somewhere else where the standard of living is better.