Characters

The main characters in the short story “She Shall Not Be Moved” by Shereen Pandit are the narrator and Mariam. They are mother and daughter, who get on a London bus on their way to Mariam’s dance lesson. During that bus ride, Mariam’s relationship with her mother will change, because of the narrator’s refusal to speak out against an injustice.

Another important character is the Somali woman. She has a pram with a small child inside, as well as another child in her arms. She has no choice but to block the entrance into the bus, because she is prevented from leading her pram to the designated area by two white women who are seated there, and refuse to move. The two white women, Cardie and Mac, illustrate the idea of racism and how it can manifest itself anytime. The driver, who takes the white women’s side, and the rest of the people on the bus, who refuse to interfere one way or another are relevant from the point of view of the social setting. 

You can read a full characterization of the narrator and Mariam in the following sections.