“Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen” (Lahiri). Jhumpa Lahiri, a Pulitzer Prize winner, describes herself as Indian-American, where she feels she is neither an Indian nor an American (Lahiri). Lahiri feels alienated by struggling to live two lives by maintaining two distinct cultures. Lahiri’s most of the work is recognized in the USA rather than in India where she descents (Mullan). Lahiri’s characterization and imagery in her short stories and novels describes the cultural differences of being Indian American and how Indian’s maintain their identity upon emigrating to a new western world. Lahiri’s inability to feel accepted within her home, inability to be fully American, on being an Indian-American, and the difference between families with same culture creates a struggle for maintaining her Indian identity. Additionally, through characterization and imagery, Lahiri shows complexity and the struggle of being an Indian-American Immigrant in one of her short stories “Once in a Lifetime.”
Nilanjana Sudeshna Lahiri, an Indian by descent, was born in London in August 1967, to Bengali immigrant Indian parents. The Lahiri family moved from England to Rhode Island when Jhumpa was two years old. Her father was a librarian at Rhode Island University and her mother was a schoolteacher (Hansen). At age of seven, Lahiri started to embrace writing about what she saw and felt. While growing up, Lahiri lived two lives: An Indian at home and An American outside of the home (Hansen). Despite of living most of their life in the western world, Lahiri’s parents called “Calcutta” their home unlike Lahiri who thought Rhode Isl...
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..." Web log post. Response to Jhumpa Lahiri's "Once in a Lifetime"Blogger, 26 Mar. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
"Borderless: On Jhumpa Lahiri and "Once in a Lifetime"" Isak: Celebrating Tales and Truth. Ed. Monet Moutrie. N.p., 5 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. "Once in a Lifetime." The New Yorker. Condé Nast, 6 May 2006. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Kort, Carol. "Lahiri, Jhumpa." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 21 Nov. 2013
Werlock, Abby H. P. "Lahiri, Jhumpa." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 21 Nov. 2013
Lahiri, Jhumpa. "My Two Lives." Newsweek. IBT Media INC, 5 Mar. 2006. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
"John Mullan on Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth a Guardian Book Club." The Guardian. Ed. John Mullan. Guardian News, 6 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Ula, Neda. "Jhumpa Lahiri's Struggle To Feel American." NPR. NPR, 25 Nov. 2008. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
Encountering struggles in life defines one’s character and speaks volumes about their strength, ambition, and flexibility. Through struggles, sacrifice, and tragedy, Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, adapts to survive difficult situations and faces his problems head-on. As he makes life changing decisions, adapts to an unfamiliar culture, and finds himself amongst misery and heartbreak, Junior demonstrates resilience to overcome adversity and struggles.
“We are a nation of immigrants. We are the children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the ones who wanted a better life” said former Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, at the 2012 Republican National Convention. Since its establishment, the United States has grown through immigration, lending to a multicultural society. However, immigration and its government policies have become of great public interest due to illegal immigration at the Mexican border and violent events in the Middle East. For this reason it seems sensible to investigate the lives of immigrants so that U.S. citizens may take a stance on this disputed topic. Regardless of their origins, whether they are from Latin America, Asia, or anywhere else, immigrants seem to encounter similar endeavors. In Jhumpa Lahiri’s collection of short stories, Interpreter of Maladies, the author depicts the immigration of Indian citizens to the United States. Noting various matters ranging from motives to the cultural identity crisis, Lahiri exposes the struggles and ramifications of American immigration. The collection elucidates the lives of first and second generation
In “My Two Lives”, Jhumpa Lahiri tells of her complicated upbringing in Rhode Island with her Calcutta born-and-raised parents, in which she continually sought a balance between both her Indian and American sides. She explains how she differs from her parents due to immigration, the existent connections to India, and her development as a writer of Indian-American stories. “The Freedom of the Inbetween” written by Sally Dalton-Brown explores the state of limbo, or “being between cultures”, which can make second-generation immigrants feel liberated, or vice versa, trapped within the two (333). This work also discusses how Lahiri writes about her life experiences through her own characters in her books. Charles Hirschman’s “Immigration and the American Century” states that immigrants are shaped by the combination of an adaptation to American...
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
Mukherjee begins her essay with an exposition of her and her sister’s story. She uses repetition in order to emphasize the main differences between the two. For example, she states, “I am an American citizen and she is not. I am moved that thousands of residents are finally taking the oath of citizenship. She is not.” This line is used to set up her subject. She is stating that she is an immigrant whose dream was to envelop the American culture, while her sister does not believe that she should be assimilated into it. The use of repetition also appeals to her audience, Americans, by capturing their attention. Many Americans are nationalistic, if not jingoistic, and believe that America is the greatest country in the world. The notion that others do not feel this way may intrigue them, or potentially offend them, causing them to read on in attempt to find flaws within her argument.
“Like many immigrant offspring I felt intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent in the new, approved of on either side of the hyphen” (Lahiri, My Two lives). Jhumpa Lahiri, a Pulitzer Prize winner, describes herself as Indian-American, where she feels she is neither an Indian nor an American. Lahiri feels alienated by struggling to live two lives by maintaining two distinct cultures. Lahiri’s most of the work is recognized in the USA rather than in India where she is descents from (the guardian.com). Lahiri’s character’s, themes, and imagery in her short stories and novels describes the cultural differences of being Indian American and how Indian’s maintain their identity when moved to a new world. Lahiri’s inability to feel accepted within her home, inability to be fully American, being an Indian-American, and the difference between families with same culture which is reflected in one of her short stories “Once in a Lifetime” through characterization and imagery.
Adamnski, Mary. “A Better Life.” The Honolulu Star Bulletin. 12 Jan. 2003. 22. Nov. 2003.
to America with grace and compassion. This story by Jhumpa Lahiri, is an allegory establishing an identity with using symbolic meaning between two cultures that intersect. The themes throughout the story refer to immigrant experiences, the conflict of cultures, the contrast of assimilation and the connection between generations. The Namesake, opens the worlds of emotions Ashima experiences, while straddling her two worlds. This story of identity allows readers to travel with Ashima on an intimate journey through her life as an immigrant.
A Modern Utopia by HG Wells taken from The Economist (US), Feb. 3, 2001 p6 The Spinster and the Prophet.
In “My Two Lives” Jhumpa Lahiri talks about her hardship growing up in America coming from two different cultures. At home she spoke Bengali with her parents, ate with her hands. According to Jhumpa’s parents she was not American and would never be. This led her to become ashamed of her background. She felt like she did not have to hide her culture anymore. When Jhumpa got married in Calcutta she invited her American friends that never visited India. Jhumpa thought her friends would judge from being part of the Indian culture and isolate her.However her friends were intrigued by her culture and fascinated. She felt like her culture should not be hidden from her friends anymore, and that coming from an Indian-American culture is unique. Jhumpa believes that her upbringing is the reason why she is still involved with her Bengali culture. Jhumpa says“While I am American by virtue of the fact that I was raised in this country, I am Indian thanks to the efforts of two individuals.” Jhumpa means that she is Indian, because she lived most of her life and was raised here. In the story Lahiri explains that her parents shaped her into the person she is. Growing up coming from two different cultures can be difficult, but it can also be beneficial.
Regardless of culture, label and race, Leonard Peltier is one of the strongest positive role models from my growth into adulthood. As I began re-researching his story, I began to struggle. Contemporary views on non-Indian writers writing on Indian themes are not always positive. As I continued to develop the piece about the strong influence Peltier had on my views and myself today, I recalled my indoctrination into the imbalances that exist within the United ...
Leenerts, Cynthia. "'How Can We Be Like We Used to Be?': The Collective Sita and the Collective Draupadi in Raja Rao's Kanthapuraand Jyotirmoyee Devi's The River Churning." South Asian Review 24.2 (2003): 84-105. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Vol. 255. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
December 2010. 15 March 2014. Cross-cultural.com Selke, Lori’’ EverydayLife’’.GlobalPost.com 15 March 2014.GlobalPost.com
Bharati Mukherjee’s story, “Two Ways to Belong in America”, is about two sisters from India who later came to America in search of different ambitions. Growing up they were very similar in their looks and their beliefs, but they have contrasting views on immigration and citizenship. Both girls had been living in the United States for 35 years and only one sister had her citizenship. Bharati decided not to follow Indian traditional values and she married outside of her culture. She had no desire to continue worshipping her culture from her childhood, so she became a United States citizen. Her ideal life goal was to stay in America and transform her life. Mira, on the other hand, married an Indian student and they both earned labor certifications that was crucial for a green card. She wanted to move back to India after retirement because that is where her heart belonged. The author’s tone fluctuates throughout the story. At the beginning of the story her tone is pitiful but then it becomes sympathizing and understanding. She makes it known that she highly disagrees with her sister’s viewpoints but she is still considerate and explains her sister’s thought process. While comparing the two perspectives, the author uses many
The uncivilized character of Indian men exhibited violence that now has turned to the silences many of them unwillingly endure years later. The topic of the Indian partition is a controversial topic, it was a time where women were symbolized as national subjects, and faced the horrific procurement of religious catastrophe. The confusion of not understanding such mental lapse is the silence is best depicted through children in the movie, 1947 Earth. It is the battle Lenny and writer Butalia deal with, as Butalia paints a vivid picture of silence though her oral history, The Other Side of Silence. Butalia recounts the silence that lies within an interviewee’s memory, as she recounts, “‘I cannot ...