The Theme Of Culture In The Mango Season By Amulya Malladi

“Culture is the stuff of life. It 's the world around us and what we do within it. It 's what we eat, where we go, how we live. It 's how we communicate. It gives meaning to the things we buy and the choices we make” (Global Team of Cultural Experts). The Mango Season written by Amulya Malladi is about a Brahmin Telugu girl named Priya Rao expressing her secret engagement to her strict family. Priya goes to America for further studies, but ends up falling in love with an American, Nicholas Collins. As she returns back to her hometown, situations get extremely serious and tough for Priya. Culture expectation, difficulty expressing feelings to elders and society’s negative judgement affects the protagonist in various ways. Therefore, culture …show more content…
In south Indian culture, woman are expected to be quiet and calm. It is disrespectful and rude to disagree with the elder’s decision. Priya says “It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Ma [mother] that this was why it was so hard to respect her. Respect was a two-way street and if I didn 't get any either. Feeling utterly betrayed by both my parents and my grandparents—my entire family—I walked out of the hall” (116). This quotation demonstrates how Priya is unable to talk back when her family is wrong since talking back is impolite. Her family trying to help her settle in life creates a negative relationship between them since Priya sticks to her own desire and disagrees with her family members. Moreover, Priya is afraid of disappointing her grandfather and father since she has a strong relationship with them. This makes her more guilty and fearful to open up. While growing up, these two men were very kind and supportive. For example, her father backed her whenever her mother scolded her. Priya states that, “if I asked him for anything, his answer would always be ‘yes’, regardless of whether he could comply with my wishes or not” (210). This quotation relates to the situation because it portrays the strong relationship between Priya and her father. Most fathers in India are extremely strict with their children, but Ashwin is the total opposite. He always trusted, agreed and supported Priya’s decisions as she grew up. This scenario made it tougher for her since she does not want to lose her precious bond with her father. In addition, her mother is very short tempered which results in her not being open and friendly with her mother. Priya says, “she went inside and I curbed the impulse to run behind her with apologies. The love-hate relationship I shared with Ma was peppered with guilt and seasoned with the need for acceptance, I think from both sides” (67). This quotation