Culture Shock in
Throughout literature, authors incorporate personal experiences in their work. If a reader knows enough background information, he/she can pick up on subtle hints hidden in the text that reveal little known facts about the author. Bharati Mukherjee, like many of her peers, draws on personal events and memories when writing. Her short story, "A Father," truly mirrors her own life. The story is about the discomfort, reluctance, and hostility felt by an immigrant living in the United States. As a whole, Mukherjee's works focus on the "phenomenon of migration, the status of new immigrants, and the feeling of alienation often experienced by expatriates" (Pradhan 1). Upon her arrival into the United States, Mukherjee felt this same alienation her characters do. "A Father" parallels Mukherjee's uneasy transition into the American lifestyle. Like Mukherjee, Mr. Bhowmick cannot accept his new life nor can he deal with the loss of his previous lifestyle. Mr. Bhowmick is unable to make a distinction between the past and the present. His constant longing for the values associated with his homeland and his disdain for his current circumstances collide in Mukherjee's "A Father." There are several elements of Mr. Bh
Mr. Bhowmick also prays a great deal. This ritual, like Kali-Mata, is what little he has from his past. Every morning "he [says] his prayers in Sanskrit" before starting his day (802). Although Mrs. Bhowmick sees these prayers as a nuisance, constantly yelling at him to "hurry it up with the prayers," she knows that they are an important link to the life he used to lead. After finding out that his daughter Babli is pregnant, Mr. Bhowmick stays up and prays to Kali-Mata all night long. While Mr. Bhowmick says his prayers in accordance with his religion, he also performs them in an effort to hold on to his past. Mr. Bhowmick is unable to give up the standards and beliefs he acquired as a child in his homeland, but he is also unwilling to adjust to his present life. He is constantly pulled in different directions. Thoughts of his homeland, Kali-Mata, and fundamental beliefs make him yearn for the past, while his wife and pregnant daughter make him despise the present. Whenever anything goes wrong, he blames the people who care for him most. Mr. Bhowmick is in constant search for a scapegoat, something or someone to blame his present misfortune upon. In most circumstances, he blames his wife. According to Mr. Bhowmick, "coming to America to live had been his wife's idea" (806). She was the reason that their family immigrated to Detroit in the first place. Mr. Bhowmick is obsessed with the thought of failure despite all his trappings of worldly success. He is a very successful engineer, lives in an impressive apartment, and has several cars, a Rolex watch, and many other indications of achievement. Continually, however, Mr. Bhowmick blames his apparent misfortune on his wife. "He [does] not love his wife now, and he had now loved her" when th
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1193
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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