Red, White, and Whole

The motif of blood is present throughout Red, White, and Whole. Reha describes blood as “the river of life / in our veins” (125) and as the thing that ties people together as a family. Although her blood is Indian, Reha was born in America and therefore belongs to both cultures. Like Reha’s dual lives, blood is also made up of two halves: red blood cells and white blood cells. This dichotomy ties into the title of the book and foreshadows Reha’s journey toward understanding herself as a complete whole that is made up of many different components. At the end of the book, Reha sees herself as a “stream with many tributaries” (236), just like the capillaries that merge to become veins and arteries. As she starts to heal from the Grief and Loss of Amma’s death, she feels her mother within her heart, and in her veins and blood.

The image has two edges, however, for as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that blood can also betray the body, as Amma’s blood betrays her when she develops leukemia. In a philosophical connection to this idea, Reha worries that she, Amma’s blood relation, has also betrayed Amma by being more preoccupied with her own small problems than with Amma’s worsening health.