Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's Clothes, Golden Roofs

For millions of immigrants, America is a nation full of dreams and promise. However, as they come to accept the reality of their new lives, it can either be a barrier that holds them back or aids them overcome their disadvantages. In Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Arranged Marriage: Stories, multiple women grow stronger in their pursuit to better understand and cope with their hardships despite the constant obstacles they face each day. When both Sumita in “Clothes” and Jayanti in “Silver Pavements, Golden Roofs” arrive in America, their different situations force them to realize the bleak reality of living in the same country. In “Clothes,” when her husband is killed, Sumita becomes her own person as she chooses to pursue a life that greatly

I don’t know yet how I’ll manage, here in this new, dangerous land. I only know I must. Because all over India, at this very moment, widows in white saris are bowing their veiled heads, serving tea to in-laws. Doves with cut-off wings […]. I straighten up my shoulders and take a deep breath […]. In the mirror a woman holds my gaze, her eyes apprehensive yet steady. She wears a blouse and skirt the color of almonds” (33).

Through this, she starts wearing more westernized clothing instead of saris that now symbolize the solitude of being a window. She proceeds to ready herself so she can face the remonstrations of her in-laws and begins embracing her new life in America. During her experience, she learns to accept that pain is not always an obstacle, but a way to move forward. In “Silver Pavements, Golden Roofs,” Jayanti learns to accept that a life full of opportunity and happiness is not easily obtainable. Once she steps foot in Chicago, she meets her aunt, and more importantly her uncle, who has a negative view of America. After she sees her aunt’s apartment, she becomes disappointed when it contrasts with her expectations of Westernhomes. When she first goes outside after being isolated in their apartment she says, “The air is so new and crisp that it makes me suddenly happy, full of hope” (46). This shows that despite living Ramos