Analysis Of Koyal Dark Mango Sweet

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Women’s rights in every culture are different depending on the customs practiced in that society. Every country has their own way of finding a loved one, getting married, and settling down. Families from certain cultures such as South Asian countries prefer their children getting arranged marriages, whereas other cultures do not condone arranged marriages. Along with marriages, the way both genders are treated and respected can differ depending on where one is from. In the novel, Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, by Kashmira Seth, the protagonist, Jeeta, lives in a society where women are seen as the inferior gender and is constantly told that girls are only good enough for marriage. She is caught between following her mother’s demands or losing her …show more content…

In such countries, arranged marriages happen very often and newly wed brides are very vulnerable to domestic violence. It is a common thought that the bride becomes the husband’s property after marriage and therefore, he is given the right to discipline her if circumstances are such. Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, which is set in India, displays domestic violence between spouses. The sister of the protagonist, Mohini, states in a letter to Jeeta that, “Anoop lost his temper and slapped me hard across the face…With the right side of my face swollen and my eyes blood-shot from crying…Two weeks ago he punched me again…I hit the shelf of the kitchen, and we had to rush to the hospital…I’m afraid he’ll really hurt me.” (Sheth 213-215) In this quote Mohini vents to Jeeta about her abusive husband with whom she lives with in America. By being from a traditional Indian family, Mohini is forced into being married to a boy of her parent’s choice for the reason that he will be an honourable and respectful man who will keep their daughter happy because of his wealth. Often times in marriages such as these, it is not guaranteed that a wealthy man will be honourable and keep his wife happy. Unfortunately, Mohini is not alone when it comes to the amount of girls who are subjected to violent abuse as stated by Divya Nair that, “Reportedly, 133 (57.3%) participants have experienced …show more content…

The differences depend on how exposure of one culture to other cultures can cause adaptions within a society and what they deem is appropriate behaviour. Western media has been known to influence the perceptions of many societies and has often caused alteration in the way individuals of a society judge women in their day to day activities. In Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet, it is seen how the parent’s of Jeeta’s best friend, Sarina, are influenced by the western society. Sarina’s parents encourage their daughter and Jeeta to go to school and make education a priority instead off getting married when they say, “‘Jeeta, what do you want to study?’ Neel’s papa asked me. ‘I… I have no idea.’ … ‘Yes. Maybe you’ll want to pursue the law Jeeta. Any lawyers in your family?’ I shook my head. ‘Come see me if you want to go to law school.’ I looked at Sarina. She knew how different and difficult this conversation was for me.” (Sheth 115). In this quote, Sarina’s parents tell Jeeta to pursue the law and follow her dreams so she can be independent and provide for herself instead of having to rely on a husband. For Jeeta, this conversation is difficult since in her household she has never been told to pursue an education or that making a person out of herself was important. Jeeta’s traditional parents have always told her to aspire to marriage and for them it was an expectation for her

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