The characters in the short story collection The Language of Dolls spring up from the poor, the resource less multitudes of society. Caught in their culture, locale, and state in life, these characters struggle to manifest their potential to the fullest. In a way, they stretch their boundaries and distinguish themselves. Teetering on the verge of a collapse, whether men or women, poor or psychologically impoverished, they all emerge triumphant or often signal ambiguous resolutions. Most of the stories present the struggle of women in adverse circumstances. The Language of Dolls is an act of translation. Set in India and the United States, these stories, characters, their speech, actions, rituals, traditions, setting all are an alien culture fused indelibly to the English language.