Characters

The main character in the short story “The Jam Maker” by Huma Qureshi is the unnamed narrator. Although the focus is on the narrator as a child, and on the relationship between her and her parents, we also learn several important details about the narrator as an adult, such as her inability to let go of her guilt and the past.

The narrator’s mother is also an important character. The mother is constantly in conflict with her husband and her daughter, because she dislikes living in a British village and doing typically British activities. She would like to live in an immigrant town nearby where her Indian identity can be acknowledged.

Another character worth mentioning is the narrator’s father. Unlike the mother, he is fully integrated into British society, to the point where he seems to deny his Indian heritage. He is very close with the narrator and teaches her about which fruits and berries to pick or to leave alone.

You can read a full characterization of the narrator, her mother, and her father on the following pages.