In this section of Boo’s ethnography, I find that there have
been many claims as to the society and lifestyle of those living in the slums. She
tells of Fatima purposely setting herself on fire eventually leading to her
death due to the healthcare available to those less fortunate. Boo is painting
a picture of the terrible fates for those who are sick enough to turn to
hospitals that cannot even provide clean needles, and therefore are only supplied
with a place to die. She eventually leads into the justice system and it’s
treatment toward poorer classes. Regardless of lack of proof, Abdul and his
father were doomed to prison and death sentences, reflecting how little is
considered in the lives of those who aren’t of higher classes. It seems Boo
shows how India’s major systems (justice, and healthcare) cater merely to
classes that are “deserving”, and such systems even work against those who aren’t
considered so.
Looking at the book so far as a whole, Boo overall does a
great job of returning the readers to the first pages and setting of the
prologue. Reflecting over the book thus far, it can be compared almost to a
case in court. Boo presents Abdul and his father in the prologue as innocent
people who are wrongly accused and punished, and she uses the rest of the book
to provide necessary “evidence” to back her case up. This also relates back to
a less elaborate analogy: a thesis. Boo’s ethnography begins to look more like
one (rather than a fictional narrative), when compared to a thesis paper.
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