Analysis Of One Foot In Tradition, One Foot Out Of Modernity

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One Foot in Tradition, One Foot Out of Modernity In an ever-shifting society, change is one’s only constant. As individuals transition into a more modern, technologically advanced age, more and more grow discontent with the practice of traditional customs. Although much of what we do now, even after conforming to modernity, roots deep in the traditions of our ancestors, many find themselves deciding whether to adapt to modernity or stick with their traditions. The “labels” of modern and traditional simultaneously pull in opposite directions. The literary texts Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Gooboora the Silent Pool by Oodgeroo Noonucal and The Wog by Khushwant Singh demonstrate that while modernity and traditions can exist within the …show more content…
Traditions are the identity of a particular society, to rid oneself of these traditions is to take on modernity. The difficulty of living simultaneously with both traditionalism and modernity is portrayed in Khushwant Singh’s The Wog, a story based in India. When Mr. Sen takes part in an arranged marriage with a traditional Hindu woman, he immediately regrets this decision of agreeing to an arranged marriage (Singh 301). Mr. Sen is a western oriented gentleman and is accustomed to a modern style of living in all aspects, while his bride is accustomed to the traditional Hindu culture. On the way to their honeymoon the divide of modern and tradition is shown through food preferences, “His mother had made two separate packets with their names in Bengali pinned on them. The one marked “Sunny” had roasted chicken and cheese sandwiches. The other contained boiled rice and pickles in a small brass cup with curried lentils…they ate without speaking to each other” (Singh 298). This passage demonstrates how the difference in culture divides the two in every way, even the flavors of food they prefer. One can see how the Wog acquires a taste for modern, “American style” food such as cheese sandwiches, while his wife enjoyed cuisine which aligned with that of a typical Indian diet. Before the growth of modernity, many would marvel over the Indian agriculture, Colleen Taylor Sen writes that “plants indigenous to India include, lentils, millet, aubergines,” she goes on to explain how Indian cuisine is very distinctive, it is filled with curry, spices and rice (Sen 1). The difference in the dietary preferences between Mr. Sen and his wife shows how even though he is immersed once more into the Hindu culture, he cannot “go back” to the traditional ways that his wife still practices because he no longer has a taste for those foods or those traditions

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