The Red Carpet

When I first saw this story, I was dreading reading it. I figured it would be long and dull and be a waste of time, (Sorry I doubted you Mr. G.) but after reading the first paragraph, I was like WOW! AWESOME! To comment on what Cynthia said about being called Raju, I thought that was really strange and demeaning. The fact that she called him the same name as her last driver and denied it to her friend was…well… kind of sketchy. When the friend asked if the last driver had the same name, May-dum responded with “ ‘Actually, his name was Murugesh.’ ‘Hm. I could swear…’ The other woman looked confused.”(5) Murugesh and Raju clearly aren’t the same names. I don’t think her intention was malicious though. She was noticeably kind in all other aspects of life, though her values were much different than Raju’s. Perhaps her memory was just bad or maybe she has a thing for Rajus. I did think it was strange how she told him though, almost as if she hoped he wouldn’t hear so he couldn’t protest. After hearing about his salary which had him grinning happily, ready to go home and tell his family, it was said that he “barely heard what she said next: ‘Oh, and on the job you will be called Raju.’” (3) Nice.
Raju overall was a very interesting character. I’d say he was a very round character. He wanted a good job, wanted money but wasn’t greedy, longed for a good future for his daughter, and then did a few things out of character such as tell May-dum about his worries and hopes for his daughter.
Pause. I just refreshed the comment page and saw that Jenny commented. I was also wondering about the title, and I think she came up with a really good idea about it. A red carpet wasn’t mentioned anywhere besides the car. Raju has so little, and he’s so amazed by this car, and if something like it fell into his hands, he would be so happy. But Mrs. Choudhary gets whatever she wants, and her view of the car is so much different than his.
Okay, back to what I was saying about Raju. He doesn’t really change in a huge way, but I think he has his minor changes. He finally opens up to Mrs. Choudhary, telling her everything about his little girl, and later about his town. He still blushes over her outfits, but he had more confidence in her, saying “The visit was ad he had hoped it would be. She didn’t let him down.”(10) I think Raju’s father gave him a lot less credit than he deserved, telling him to look and act smart, and also saying he wasn’t going to get the job if he didn’t get a new shirt. But from the story it seemed to me Raju was a bit naïve yet he was smart, and he was a hard worker. He pleased May-dum, which was pretty much the main thing he needed to accomplish. I found him sweet, and also believable. I didn’t feel like he was a totally made up character, and I felt like I could relate to him in a way. I’ve been nervous talking to someone who has a lot of prestige or wealth; I’ve wanted something better for my family or a friend like he wanted for his daughter, and actually, I have been embarrassed by peoples’ clothes before. So that’s why I like Raju.