The Cultural Divide
In Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri emphasizes the divide between Western and Hindu culture through contrasting imagery of the sari and revealing clothing worn by Mrs. Sen, Mrs. Das, and Mala in the stories “Mrs. Sen’s”, “Interpreter of Maladies”, and “The Third and Final Continent”. By using contrasting imagery, Lahiri shows the cultural barriers that stem from her characters feeling the need to choose their own traditional values and beliefs or those of a new culture.
Lahiri uses imagery of the sari to display the longing and connection to one’s culture when in a new setting. The best example of this is Mrs. Sen, who longs for her home and culture in India after she and her husband move to the United States. Mrs. …show more content…
The presence of these garments in different stories create a visible contrast between Western and Hindu culture. One character in particular draws attention to this divide, Mrs. Das. In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”, Mrs. Das and her family are visiting India. While there, her outfit is described as “ a red-and-white-checkered skirt that stopped above her knees… and a close-fitting blouse” (46). The image of Mrs. Das wearing far more revealing clothing than any other previous character further develops the wall of cultural divide as she is an American vacationing in India. Although she is just visiting, Mrs. Das makes no effort to temporarily assimilate to Hindu culture. Instead, she sports what many may consider to be the cultural garb of the West, a short skirt and tank top. The reactions to her outfit creates even more of a culture gap, as men sang “a phrase from a popular Hindi love song” (46) when she walked by. The fact that men were only singing in the direction of Mrs. Das implies they are only doing so because of the revealing clothing she is wearing. This shows that the outfit she has on is not considered to be the traditional garments worn by Hindu women, causing her to stand out among the crowd. By choosing to wear the clothes she wants, Mrs. Das is displaying the culture of her homeland, America, while …show more content…
Lahiri accomplishes this by comparing and contrasting the clothes of Mrs. Sen, Mrs. Das, and Mala, in the short stories “Mrs. Sen’s”, “Interpreter of Maladies”, and “The Third and Final
In Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri emphasizes the divide between Western and Hindu culture through contrasting imagery of the sari and revealing clothing worn by Mrs. Sen, Mrs. Das, and Mala in the stories “Mrs. Sen’s”, “Interpreter of Maladies”, and “The Third and Final Continent”. By using contrasting imagery, Lahiri shows the cultural barriers that stem from her characters feeling the need to choose their own traditional values and beliefs or those of a new culture.
Lahiri uses imagery of the sari to display the longing and connection to one’s culture when in a new setting. The best example of this is Mrs. Sen, who longs for her home and culture in India after she and her husband move to the United States. Mrs. …show more content…
The presence of these garments in different stories create a visible contrast between Western and Hindu culture. One character in particular draws attention to this divide, Mrs. Das. In the short story “Interpreter of Maladies”, Mrs. Das and her family are visiting India. While there, her outfit is described as “ a red-and-white-checkered skirt that stopped above her knees… and a close-fitting blouse” (46). The image of Mrs. Das wearing far more revealing clothing than any other previous character further develops the wall of cultural divide as she is an American vacationing in India. Although she is just visiting, Mrs. Das makes no effort to temporarily assimilate to Hindu culture. Instead, she sports what many may consider to be the cultural garb of the West, a short skirt and tank top. The reactions to her outfit creates even more of a culture gap, as men sang “a phrase from a popular Hindi love song” (46) when she walked by. The fact that men were only singing in the direction of Mrs. Das implies they are only doing so because of the revealing clothing she is wearing. This shows that the outfit she has on is not considered to be the traditional garments worn by Hindu women, causing her to stand out among the crowd. By choosing to wear the clothes she wants, Mrs. Das is displaying the culture of her homeland, America, while …show more content…
Lahiri accomplishes this by comparing and contrasting the clothes of Mrs. Sen, Mrs. Das, and Mala, in the short stories “Mrs. Sen’s”, “Interpreter of Maladies”, and “The Third and Final