Fleming hires Pom (as Pamela) as his secretary. He encourages her writing and offers her intellectual respect. However, when her past is revealed, he fails to support her publicly, choosing instead to protect his reputation.
Hannah is raised by Pom with the help of a nanny. She becomes a point of tension: British society sees her as illegitimate, while Indian society sees her as foreign. Pom’s determination to raise her alone, without revealing the father’s identity, drives much of the plot’s second half. cast of the sleeping dictionary
Pod meets Pom when she is working in a library. He is initially drawn to her intellect and beauty, unaware of her past. Over time, he learns her history and accepts her fully, though the marriage faces severe social pressure. He eventually participates in the Quit India Movement. Fleming hires Pom (as Pamela) as his secretary
Fleming is not a villain but a realist. He shows how even “well-intentioned” colonials are complicit in systemic injustice. His character complicates any simple colonizer/colonized binary. 6. Mrs. Hamilton – Head of the Missionary School Role: Paternalistic reformer. Background: Runs a Christian missionary school for “fallen women” and orphans. Hannah is raised by Pom with the help of a nanny
Introduction The Sleeping Dictionary (2013) is a historical novel by Sujata Massey, set primarily in British-ruled India (Bengal) from the 1930s to the 1940s. The story follows a young woman named Pom, who navigates poverty, colonialism, and personal reinvention. The title refers to a "sleeping dictionary" — a colloquial term for an Indian mistress who teaches an Englishman the local language and customs, often through an intimate relationship. The novel’s cast is richly drawn, representing various strata of Indian society and the British Raj. Below is a detailed analysis of the main characters. 1. Pom (later Sarah, then Pamela) – The Protagonist Role: Central narrator and survivor. Aliases: Born Kamala (tribal name), renamed Pom by a madam, later becomes Sarah (in a missionary school), and finally Pamela (in her adult life as a writer and activist).
Thorne does not appear extensively but looms large in Pom’s memory. He abandons her upon learning of the pregnancy. Later, he tries to claim Hannah, not out of love but because his British wife cannot bear children.
Hannah embodies the “Eurasian” dilemma in colonial India—neither fully British nor Indian. Her existence forces Pom to challenge both British moral hypocrisy and Indian social conservatism. 4. Captain James Thorne – Hannah’s Biological Father Role: Antagonist (by inaction) / Symbol of colonial predation. Background: A British army officer stationed in Calcutta. He has a brief, transactional relationship with Pom when she is a teenager in the brothel.