Surrounded by Sleep Response

Akhil Sharma shows her passion for her characters through her relentless character development. Her short story is delightful to remain engaged with, for the reader is informed on every event that occurs within the world of the story, as well as within each character’s mind.

“Ajay, in his nervousness, spoke the truth. ‘I’m asking God to give me a hundred percent on the math test.’ His mother was silent for a moment. ‘What if God says you can have the math grade but then Aman will have to be sick a little while longer?’ she asked. Ajay kept quiet. He could hear cars on the road outside. He knew that his mother wanted to bewail her misfortune before God so that God would feel guilty. p. 344

This quote informs the reader on the particular character traits of both Ajay and his mother. Due to the misfortune placed on his older brother, Sharma alludes that Ajay becomes worrisome and self-centered, as if serving as a distraction from the severity of Aman’s condition. Additionally, I love how this quote reveals the motive behind the mother’s praying: to make God guilty for all her misfortune. This parallel’s with the guilt she impinges on Ajay when she asks him consider the importance of his brother’s health, rather than a high math grade.

Additionally, Sharma’s use of third person point of view in her character descriptions and character development, allow her to shape certain characters, for she is not restricted by the thoughts in a individual character’s mind. Sharma writes:

“Suddenly Ajay hated himself. To hate himself was to see himself as the opposite of everything her wanted to be: short instead of tall, fate instead of thin. When he brushed his teeth that night he looked at his face: his chin was round and fat as a heel. His nose was so broad that he had once been able to fit a small rock in one nostril.” p. 349

This quote paints the image of how Ajay sees himself, now that his life is consumed by his brother’s illness. I love the detail about Ajay once fitting a rock up his nose. Sharma’s third person point of view enables her to include details that otherwise may not be incorporated if limited to the thoughts of a character.