Although being altruistic is often considered a good personality trait, sometimes altruism can bring unexpected consequences in our lives as well as the lives of those around us. In both the collection of short stories known as The Arabian Nights and K. Saraswathi Amma's “The Subordinate,” a mundane role is played by a character who is described as selfless. Paru Amma in “The Subordinate” and Shahrazad in One Thousand and One Nights are selfless in many aspects of their lives. Paru Amma kills her daughter so that her daughter, Lakshmikutty, does not have to endure the hardships and heartbreak she faced as a child and teenager. On the other hand, Shahrazad volunteers to get married to King Shahrayar so that he will not marry another prince's daughter. All the previous wives the king has married have been murdered after one night of marriage, but Shahrazad is determined to save these girls at the risk of her own life. Both of these characters believe they are committing a selfless act, but in reality they are causing harm and distress to themselves and those close to them. The altruistic and limited point of view that each of these women embodies means that neither fully understands or considers the consequences that could have on other people involved in the events that are happening. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Paru Amma felt as if killing her daughter in "The Subordinate" was a selfless act because she didn't want her daughter to experience the same things she experienced as a child. He considered only one thing when he decided to kill his daughter: his daughter would be freed from this life she had inevitably inherited. Paru Amma lives vicariously through her daughter because in her opinion “death and prison are preferable to the rebellious life” (Iglesias, Mays, and Allen 159). Paru Amma wishes to be killed or imprisoned instead of having to face the situations she faced when she was young. Paru Amma says, “Poor girl! How could she know the helplessness of being born a woman into a poor family!” (Iglesias, Mays, and Allen 158). Paru Amma considered her own experiences and assumed that her daughter would feel the same way she did about their social status and the tasks they had to complete. Lakshmikutty, his daughter, was never given an option or a chance. She hadn't been told the horrible things that had happened to her mother and had no say in how her life unfolded. She was killed without any other options being considered. In essence, Lakshmikutty suffered and was killed because of her mother. Paru Amma committed the act thinking that she was being selfless and giving Lakshmikutty a better life than she had, but she did not consider how Lakshmikutty would feel about the situation. Shahrazad also believed she was committing an altruistic act by putting her life at risk. risk of potentially saving others; however, she also did not consider all the consequences in making the decision to marry King Shahrayar. Although Shahrazad recognized that she would "succeed in saving the people or die and die like the others" (The Arabian Nights 448), she did not recognize that the people in her family would suffer because of her decision. Shahrazad's father was shocked when he was told of the situation in which Shahrazad wanted to put him, saying: "he will sleep with you for one night and ask me to put you to death the next morning, and I will have to do it, for I cannot disobey him" (The Thousand and one night 448). Not only would Shahrazad's father lose a son, but he would also be a.