It
was obvious from the get-go that Interpreter
of Maladies had a theme, and as we all quickly realized, that theme was
India. India is a common point through all the stories appearing in this
collection, whether it is the setting, the object of memories, or the topic of
discussion. With India constantly re-appearing, readers get multiple
descriptions of the way Indian culture compares to that of America, and of the unique
customs in India. Two particular stories that showcased these descriptions were
“Mrs. Sen’s” and “A Real Durwan.”
Both
“Mrs. Sen’s” and “A Real Durwan” contain a principal character of Indian
origin, experiencing or recounting events particular to the setting of India.
Mrs. Sen tells Eliot about the community of India, how for any special event
the women of the neighborhood would “sit in an enormous circle
on the roof of our building, laughing and gossiping and slicing fifty kilos of
vegetables through the night” (115) and how you could “just raise your voice a
bit, or express grief or joy of any kind, and one whole neighborhood and half
of another has come to share the news, to help with arrangements.” (116). These
were things that Mrs. Sen loved about India and which made her homesick, and
that sense of community definitely seems appealing. But as we see in “A Real
Durwan,” this kind of community is not universal.
Boori Ma, the stair-sweeper
and doorkeeper for an apartment building in India, upon first introduction
seems very welcomed into the community of the apartment building. The residents
“assured Boori Ma that she was always welcome.” (76). That quote would
definitely seem to set the scene for a communal relationship similar to the one
described in “Mrs. Sen’s,” but as we soon see, this impression doesn’t persist.
When the Dalals get a sink of their own and another for the other residents to
share, the residents begin to get jealous, and tensions begin to build. They
get on edge with one another, negating the tight-knit, ultra-bonded community
we saw in “Mrs. Sen’s.” These tensions culminate in the residents throwing
Boori Ma on the street when the sink gets stolen and they believe it to be her
fault. This gesture is obviously not one to be expected from a closely
connected community.
All this is not to say
that things were falsely portrayed since scenarios didn’t line up across
stories. It’s to say that we should be careful about over-generalizing. We
talked a lot in class about the way we saw Indian community as different, more
personal and profound than our own American communities. While this may be true
in general, we must bear in mind that across all stories and all of India,
there is as much variation as one could expect in the kinds of relationships
exist between respective communities.
You're right to identify "homesickness" or nostalgia as central to Mrs. Sen's way of talking and thinking about India--and, likewise, her resistance to seriously considering herself as an "American," with an identity and tastes and practices that are not strictly Indian. In her view, from the distance of thousands of miles, confined within her depressingly isolated cell of a dorm-room home, surrounded by cold and confusing strangers, it makes sense that India would look warm, communal, familial, and *familiar* in comparison--it stands for a feeling of belonging and certainty that she no longer enjoys, or believes she can enjoy, in America. But that same setting is experienced quite differently by Bibi Haldar, who is herself an "outsider" to the familial and community dynamics in her neighborhood. Similarly, remember that Boori-Ma is an immigrant who feels cut off from the (allegedly) spectacular life she enjoyed before Partition. So some of the more jaded views of Indian community come through those who are outside that community for one reason or another--Mrs. Sen in Boston has something in common with Boori-Ma in Calcutta, in this sense.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we shouldn't make generalizations about whether Indian or American communities are "friendlier" or "better." As we noticed in reading the stories you mentioned, there definitely seems to be more social interactions among the communities in India than in America, but this community and interaction seems to be a double-edged sword. Like you said, in "A Real Durwan," the Dalals at first seemed nice and generous for giving a sink to the rest of the building, but it soon sparked a lot of gossip and resentment that the Dalals had their own sink. Also, in "The Treatment of Bibi Haldar," we can see that while the community can support people and help people out, like how the women of the building decide they want to help Bibi find a husband, they can also work against people. For example, the narrator says that they ran Bibi's cousin out of business. Also, they only help Bibi to a certain extent and don't want to be responsible for her.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that we shouldn't over generalize the traits of each society. These stories clearly stand out and go against the "Indian society is more communal than American society" idea that some were discussing in class. I think that, however, there is truth in the generalization. In China I always get the sense that people are closer whether it be family or neighbors. I think this may partly be due to the high population density leading to closer living quarters and more interaction with one another. This could also carry over to Indian society as they have a similar population density to China.
ReplyDeleteNice blog Timmy. I just wanted to comment on Johny's comment above because his idea has some truth. I'm pretty sure I brought this up in class when we were talking about one of the stories, but I personally agree with Johny's idea that part of the reason why countries like India and China seem more communal and family oriented is because of the high population density. I just wanted to second this idea because I feel like it has some merit.
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