After seeing Mrs. Sen’ s story, a question comes up to my mind: What role does cultural differences play between the life of Mrs. Sen’ s life and the life of Eliot’ s mother? This story is not a single manifestation of Mrs. Sen’ s life as an immigrant woman who is isolated from her own culture. Instead, Lahiri uses Mrs. Sen takes care of Eliot as a clue to show another typical life, which is the life of Eliot’ s mother, a American single mother. Eliot’ s mother shows typical American loneliness and apathy. On the other hand, Mrs. Sen is a representative of Indian culture in the American environment. What conflict does this cultural representative have with the local American culture? This article will analyze the problems caused by cultural
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“Here, in this place where Mr. Sen has brought me, I cannot sometimes sleep in so much silence.” (Lahiri 115) Mrs. Sen was used to the lively conversation in the neighborhood, so she would feel into endless homesickness during the silent night in a foreign country. The phrase “Mr. Sen has brought me” demonstrates Mrs. Sen did not come to America voluntarily. Her husband had a career in the United States, and she was not as socially in this new country. He brought his wife like your own private goods to the United States, but he has never considered from the perspective of his wife. If she left her culture to a completely strange country, how will this affect Mrs. Sen’s mentality and lifestyle. She would be richer in America than she was in India materially. As her Indian family thought, “live in a palace, like a queen” (Lahiri 125) In fact, her life was restricted only in her house, and she did not even talk her innermost thought and feeling with friends because she have none. There are only two things that make her hopeful about life. First, waiting for letters from Indian families; Second, go to the beach to buy live fish. These two things were the only way for her to approach India's human sympathetic …show more content…
Sen was attached to her husband’ s identity in the small advertisement to look for a job. She positioned herself as "the professor's wife." (Lahiri 111) She can get the job quickly because her husband is a university professor, who has a good family background, and it is easy to trust. From this point of view, she was admitted as "the wife of a college professor" which is a "man's wife". She is not by her own ability to be recognized by the new society.
In contrast, Eliot’ s mother is the opposite to Mrs. Sen. Eliot’ s mother is a typical American professional woman. Unlike Mrs. Sen, Eliot’ mother has job and house, her life never depends on any men. Lahiri did not use many positive depictions for Eliot’ s mother. What makes me curious is that most of these descriptions are flashbacks, which are shown by his comparison of the observation of Mrs. Sen’ s life with his
“Here, in this place where Mr. Sen has brought me, I cannot sometimes sleep in so much silence.” (Lahiri 115) Mrs. Sen was used to the lively conversation in the neighborhood, so she would feel into endless homesickness during the silent night in a foreign country. The phrase “Mr. Sen has brought me” demonstrates Mrs. Sen did not come to America voluntarily. Her husband had a career in the United States, and she was not as socially in this new country. He brought his wife like your own private goods to the United States, but he has never considered from the perspective of his wife. If she left her culture to a completely strange country, how will this affect Mrs. Sen’s mentality and lifestyle. She would be richer in America than she was in India materially. As her Indian family thought, “live in a palace, like a queen” (Lahiri 125) In fact, her life was restricted only in her house, and she did not even talk her innermost thought and feeling with friends because she have none. There are only two things that make her hopeful about life. First, waiting for letters from Indian families; Second, go to the beach to buy live fish. These two things were the only way for her to approach India's human sympathetic …show more content…
Sen was attached to her husband’ s identity in the small advertisement to look for a job. She positioned herself as "the professor's wife." (Lahiri 111) She can get the job quickly because her husband is a university professor, who has a good family background, and it is easy to trust. From this point of view, she was admitted as "the wife of a college professor" which is a "man's wife". She is not by her own ability to be recognized by the new society.
In contrast, Eliot’ s mother is the opposite to Mrs. Sen. Eliot’ s mother is a typical American professional woman. Unlike Mrs. Sen, Eliot’ mother has job and house, her life never depends on any men. Lahiri did not use many positive depictions for Eliot’ s mother. What makes me curious is that most of these descriptions are flashbacks, which are shown by his comparison of the observation of Mrs. Sen’ s life with his