Validation of Mrs. Dutta's Happiness in Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter

In Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter, by Chitra Divakaruni, is about a widowed Indian grandmother who immigrates to America hoping to pursuit happiness with her son and his family. Despite the cultural conflicts she encounters, Mrs. Dutta continuously tries to convince herself to be happy. However, she eventually comes to admit her true feelings. She responds to her friend's letter by writing that she does not know what happiness is anymore, but would like to rent her apartment when she returns. At the end, she discovers that "now that she no longer cares whether tears blotch her letter, she feels no need to weep." I feel that this ultimately shows that Mrs. Dutta did find happiness after writing the letter because she overcame her weaknesses, vulnerability and fears. As a result, the unexpected ending concludes to a comic plot.

The short story comprises a comic plot. Mrs. Dutta stays back at home in India even after her husband dies and her son's immigration to America. She enjoys the newfound freedom of not having to attend to her traditional duties as a wife and mother. However, the fear of not being needed anymore pressures her to move to America with her son in order to reacquire her role. Contrary to her beliefs, Mrs. Dutta does not find happiness in her immigration to America. She endures cultural shock and denies her feelings in her new environment. Eventually, she writes a letter telling her friend that she is not sure if she is truly happy or not, what happiness is and that she plans to go home. Her admittance in her true feelings reveals her rejuvenation and her triumph over her fears and doubts. Although she does not realize it while writing the letter, Mrs. Dutta finds mere pride and happiness after all when she discovers she lacks the need to cry; a perfect comic ending in which the character finds a higher standing than the start of the story.

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