An arranged marriage is defined as a marriage planned and agreed to by the families or guardians of the bride and groom, who have little or no say in the matter themselves. In Chitra Divakaruni’s novel, Arranged Marriage, numerous short stories illustrate a visual image of how arranged marriage is a different experience for each individual and how it can be described as both a positive and negative experience. Be that as it may, personally, an arranged marriage would be an approach I would avoid, seeing as though not only are my family dynamics different, but also a relationship builds off first impressions and encounters—something lacked in arranged marriages.
In any relationship, first impressions are practical in determining …show more content…
These traditions included respecting your elders, having manners, and always be sure to do what is asked of you. At the same time, in my family at least, an idea of responsibility correlated with who you choose to be friends with and even potential romantic partners. With this being said, my family is supportive of anyone I date and the decisions that are made between relationships. Supportiveness is a theme that is lacked on in the short story, “The Word Love” as the author undergoes a problem when trying to explain to her mother of the relationship she formed with a man, named Rex, while in America. After telling her mother of the boyfriend, her mother immediately disowns her. The quote “Better no daughter than a disobedient one, a shame to the family.” (Divakaruni, 62) explains the reasoning behind why her mother did it, however, it is never a justified reason to disown a part of your family, let alone your own daughter. When trying to reconnect with her mother on the phone, her mother says, “How can it be my daughter? I don’t have a daughter.” (Divakaruni, 65) further implying that her mother has moved on and has left her daughter in the past. On the other hand, in an arranged marriage, the families of the bride and groom decide who they are going to marry, resulting in neither the bride or the groom having a say in the relationship. This being said, a family could also promote their bride or groom in an unrealistic manner, resulting in them marrying someone who isn’t even who they said they would be. In the short story, “Silver Pavements”, Jayanti, a young Indian girl, visits her Aunt Pratima and Bikram-uncle in the United States to get a taste of an Americanized view of life. When visiting her aunt, her husband, Bikram-uncle was described to be a man who owned his own auto business, however, when meeting up with her aunt, Jayanti says, “Bikram-uncle