Raha's Assassination-Katherine

This story was very intense, and had a ton of foreshadowing, even though the story was very short. At the beginning, Raha is being very poetic and almost in a dream state, with highest praise for her school, her friends and most importantly, her parents, yet, it is so light hearted I figured something was up. It was as if there was a shadow looming over that first bit. The title should have been a dead give away, but it wasn't for me, who knows why. Maybe I thought it was exaggeration, maybe I just thought it was a poetic title. I don't even remember! 

The way Raha explains her parents relationship is very interesting. Her mother is in charge, no matter what. Her mom runs the household and Raha makes that very clear. She also shows how much she admires her mother, and her beauty. When she is told that she must travel to her parents right away, she automatically assumes that her father is sick.

When she arrives home, she is highly suspicious. Everyone is fine, but no one is making eye contact, or having a lengthy conversation with her. She is trying to mentally prepare herself for what is to come, although she has no idea! The fact that she must get married and end her school career hits her hard! When she refuses, which disgraces and embarrasses her parents to a high extent. But, I don't blame her (Raha), I mean if my parents tried to marry me off to some fat old guy, I would refuse them too!!!

The part that hit me the hard was when the mother went up to Raha's room, beat her with a stick, made her nose bleed, and ripped out her hair. That was horrid, and I can't even begin to comprehend how a mother could do this to her daughter. On page 67, Raha describes it perfectly, "My mother's heart was the heart of a dumb hangman who has killed his feelings to do his job, a stupid hangman more attached to his full pocket than his heart. She was not my mother. This was a devil. She hardly resembled my mother." It is so intense and depressing, but even though her mother is trying to kill her, she feels it could not possibly be her mother.

Eve worse, was the very last sentence. "I don't know in what wave I drowned."