unaccustomed earth

8/9/2019 Unaccustomed Earth

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Muradian 1

Aranca Muradian

Ethnic American Literature

Professor Draga

1/15/2015

Rooted by Identity in Unaccustomed Earthby hum!a Lahiri

"#he garden $as coming a%ong nice%y& It $as a futi%e e'ercise( he )ne$& *e

cou%d not !icture his daughter or his son+in+%a$ caring for it !ro!er%y( noticing

$hat needed to be done& In $ee)s( he guessed( it $ou%d be o,ergro$n $ith

$eeds( the %ea,es che$ed u! by s%ugs& #hen again( !erha!s they $ou%d hire

someone to do the -ob& *e $ou%d ha,e !referred to !ut in ,egetab%es( but they

re.uired more $or) than f%o$ers Lahiri &3

As sim!%e as this !assage may seem it4s one of the most im!ortant .uotes out of hum!a

Lahiri4s short stories entit%ed naccustomed Earth& 6ocusing on the first story of the series $ith

the same tit%e as the boo)( Lahiri !ortrays the theme of identity $ith storyte%%ing& 6ictiona%

characters $ith rea% characteristics are intert$ined by e,eryday situations( gi,ing a sense of

rea%ism to the decisions and thoughts that they ha,e& In addition to this( the fo%%o$ing stories

seem to ha,e this theme incor!orated a%ong $ith the Americani7ation of fami%ies and ho$ it

direct%y affects the o%d generation4s ,ie$ of the ne$ generation& A%% of her stories either mention

or are set in the nited 8tates( using e%ements that are e'c%usi,e%y !art of America as a $ay to

i%%ustrate the differences bet$een 9enga%i and American :u%ture&


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6or the !ur!ose of better identifying the connections made regarding the theme of

Identity( it4s im!ortant to ha,e some bac)ground& #he main character in naccustomed Earth is a

second+generation 9enga%i named Ruma $ho ma)es her %i,ing as a %a$yer in the 8A& A%though

a successfu% %a$yer she decides to ta)e a brea) and be a stay at home mom $ith her son A)ash

$ho is three years o%d& Due to her husband4s -ob they are forced to mo,e to a ne$ city(

s!ecifica%%y 8eatt%e $here Ruma )no$s no one and is socia%%y iso%ated because of this& 8he

identifies herse%f as 9enga%i in some as!ects( but a%so chooses to %i,e an American Lifesty%e& 8he

reminisces about her mother $ho had %i,ed her %ife ser,ing others( something that Ruma had

a%$ays tried to a,oid& *er inde!endence is ,ery im!ortant to her and "; mo,ing to a foreign

!%ace for the sa)e of marriage( caring e'c%usi,e%y for chi%dren and a househo%d < had ser,ed as a

$arning( a !ath to a,oid& =et this $as Ruma4s %ife no$"Lahiri 11& *o$e,er( she regrets

forgetting the 9enga%i %anguage that her mother had tried so hard to insti%% in Ruma4s u!bringing(

teaching the fe$ $ords that she remembers to A)ash as a $ay to !ass on her 9enga%i roots to the

ne$ generation& 8he does not re-ect the American %ifesty%e she has created for herse%f( but at the

same time she fee%s tra!!ed bet$een t$o !%aces& >n one hand she is career+oriented and se%f

sufficient( on the other hand the American Dream is distorted in her situation& *er husband is

a$ay most of the time and she is %eft to ta)e care of their son by herse%f& 8he %eft her -ob in ?e$

=or) to become a better !ro,ider $hich co%%ides $ith the idea of $hat the American Dream

rea%%y is&

8ubse.uent%y( her father is des!erate to cut a%% ties $ith his 9enga%i roots starting $ith

the house that he had shared $ith his $ife& *is idea of the American dream is that of freedom

from the !ast& #herefore( freeing himse%f from the %ife he had %i,ed u! unti% his $ife4s death gi,es

him a sense of %iberation( ma)ing him ab%e to mo,e for$ard $ith his %ife& *e is content $ith


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Muradian 3

doing acti,ities ty!ica% Americans tend to do such as( becoming a ,o%unteer for the Democratic

Party in Pennsy%,ania and constant%y immersing himse%f in tra,e%ing to different !%aces around

Euro!e& #hese acti,ities fu%fi%% his e'!ectations and he en-oys this so%itude that he has created for

himse%f& " Ruma is struc) by the degree to $hich her father resemb%ed an American in his o%d

age3Lahiri 11& E,en Ruma is sur!rised at her father4s ne$ %ifesty%e( constant%y as)ing herse%f

ho$ he4s doing( and $hat he4s thin)ing about since her mother4s !assing& 8he fee%s that he has

forgotten about her mother( something that eats a$ay at her thoughts regu%ar%y&

In addition to this c%ash of identities it4s im!ortant to note Ruma4s concern about the

decisions she has made& 9enga%i customs indicate that she shou%d ha,e ta)en her father into her

home to ta)e care of him@ ho$e,er he is re%uctant to ha,e this ha!!en since he en-oys his sma%%

a!artment and doesn4t $ant to interfere $ith Ruma4s home %ife& na$are of his thoughts she

thin)s about $hether or not she shou%d te%% him to stay for good $hi%e he ,isits for the $ee)& 8he

fee%s se%fish $hen she thin)s about not as)ing him and e,en ca%%s her husband to further discuss

$hat she4s su!!osed to do& Ironica%%y her father has no intention of staying( ma)ing Ruma4s

concern unnecessary& #his e'am!%e indicates ho$ the Americani7ation of her father has made it

so that he is actua%%y the one that has no interest in being ta)en care of&

6ocusing on a different as!ect of the story( the re%ation bet$een Ruma4s father and A)ash

is direct%y re%ated to the o%d and ne$ generation& A)ash is third generation 9enga%i( ma)ing him

e,en more re%uctant to %earning 9enga%i traditions& Ruma4s father ho$e,er manages to ma)e

A)ash $ant to be %i)e his grandfather( $hether it is by gardening in the bac)yard( %earning co%ors

in the 9enga%i %anguage( ta)ing off his shoes $hen entering the house( or eating $ith his fingers

*e,eio,B& A)ash has formed a bond $ith his grandfather and he absorbs any ty!e of

information that is gi,en to him& *e %oo)s u! to his grandfather and tries to mimic him any $ay


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he can& Ruma fee%s a sense of re%ief $ith her father ta)ing some of the burden off of her gi,ing

her time to un$ind& *er %one%iness ma)es her fee% that her father4s mo,ing in might not be so

bad& Cith such a !ositi,e inf%uence on A)ash she $ou%d be ab%e to maybe go bac) to $or) and

she fee%s as is A)ash $ou%d be much ha!!ier $ith his grandfather around& nder these

circumstances it4s c%ear that the act of gardening symbo%i7es much more to Ruma4s father than

-ust a !rocess of re%a'ation& Regarding the o!ening .uote of this essay( the uncu%ti,ated garden(

the %ac) of f%o$ers or ,egetab%es symbo%i7es this %ac) of be%onging( not being "rooted3 to the

earth $here she is current%y %i,ing& Ruma4s father has found his roots in a%% the !%aces he has

tra,e%%ed( but Ruma is sti%% trying to find herse%f and this %ac) of be%onging is )ee!ing her bac)

from finding her o$n identity and being ab%e to mo,e for$ard from the !ast( %i)e her father has

a%ready done& Ruma4s father tries to ma)e the soi% fami%iar to A)ash( as he !uts in a%% his toys in

the %itt%e ho%es he dug in the ground A)ash as)s "Chen $i%% the !%ants come out3Lahiri and

Ruma4s father res!onds $ith "?ot so soon( these things ta)e time3Lahiri & #he act of

gardening for Ruma has ne,er tru%y occurred to her& *o$e,er( for Ruma4s father it has a%$ays

been a routine for him to !%ant a%% sorts of f%o$ers and ,egetab%es& Routine is a !art of his %ife(

and gardening can be done any$here so he $i%% a%$ays ha,e the o!!ortunity to re%a' and do

something he en-oys( no matter $here he is Ra,y& #his is $hy he is ab%e to be a !art of any

!%ace that he ,isits@ his routines )ee! his identity in !%ace regard%ess of $here he tra,e%s& Ruma

has %ost this sense of routine@ .uitting her -ob has made her fee% inade.uate about herse%f( and

being unab%e to socia%i7e $ith anyone has a%so made her fee% de!ressed&

"*e did not $ant to be !art of another fami%y( !art of the mess( the feuds( the

demands( and the energy of it& *e did not $ant to %i,e in the margins of his

daughter4s %ife( in the shado$ of her marriage& *e didn4t $ant to %i,e again in


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an enormous house that $ou%d on%y fi%% u! $ith things o,er the years( as the

chi%dren gre$( a%% the things he4d recent%y gotten rid of( a%% the boo)s and

!a!ers and c%othes and ob-ects one fe%t com!e%%ed to !ossess( to sa,e& Life

gre$ and gre$ unti% a certain !oint& #he !oint he had reached no$3Lahiri 5F&

It4s c%ear that Ruma4s father has no intention of staying to he%!( he fee%s as if he $ou%d

re!eating !ast actions and $ou%d co%%ide $ith the !rogress he4s made mo,ing for$ard&

In !ara%%e% to Lahiri4s concern $ith identity in a foreign %and( the artic%e $ritten

by 6rederic) 9ue%% entit%ed "?ationa% cu%ture and the ne$ g%oba% system3 ta%)s about

Gingston4s boo) Coman Carrior 1H5 $hich !oses simi%ar remar)s& 8tating the

fo%%o$ing ">n the one hand( Coman Carrior is a story of ethnic re,i,a%& Gingston sets

herse%f the tas) of se!arating $hat is mere%y indi,idua%( socioeconomic( or sim!%y

s!urious from $hat is ":hinese39ue%% 1F& #his is simi%ar to $hat Lahiri is trying to

do $ith 9enga%i cu%ture( traditions and meanings of $hat it means to be a certain

identity are b%urred due to this constant g%oba%i7ation of different !eo!%e mi'ing

together& 9ue%% goes on to say that Coman Carrior "is a ,ery different immigrant no,e%(

one that e,o)es the mode% of immigrant success and the frustrations and di%emmas of

conf%icts bet$een seconds and first generations39ue%% 1F& *o$e,er( in contrast to

naccustomed Earth( Coman Carrior dea%s $ith different sub-ects such as( :hinese

$omen and men in society( Gingston4s o$n re%ationshi! $ith her :hinese mother( the

sanctity of marriage in :hina and numerous :hinese customs that ha,e affected her at

one !oint or another& An e'am!%e of a custom $ou%d be ho$ $hen a !erson dies( !eo!%e

come to bring gifts( and in one of the stories tit%ed "?o name Coman3( the main

$oman in the story commits suicide a%ong $ith her i%%egitimate baby by -um!ing into a


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:hinese $e%%& #his is seen as com!%ete%y disgracefu% and no one brings gifts at her

buria%& Lahiri and Gingston share this search for identity as they e'!ress their o$n

,ie$s $ith the he%! of their $ritings&

i,en these !oints( identity is more or %ess a form of being( an indi,idua% state

of mind( $here someone can identify themse%,es regard%ess of $here they %i,e& Chether

they %i,e on American or 9enga%i %and it shou%dn4t change the $ay that !erson is&

#raditions are ,a%uab%e( and shou%d be !assed on to ne$er generations& Attem!ting to

%i,e in a certain $ay ho$e,er( is ,ery hard to do& #here must be a sort of com!romise(

!eo!%e shou%d try to ada!t to their ne$ surroundings other$ise they become immersed

in so%itude ma)ing it difficu%t to rise from it( as in Ginston4s story $ith the character 6a

Mu Lan& 8he o,ercomes stereoty!ica% :hinese $oman duties and becomes a $arrior

and a mother and a $ife a%% at the same time& #here shou%d be no restrictions in $hat

!eo!%e are ca!ab%e of doing&


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Works Cited

9ue%%( 6rederic)&National Culture and the New Global System& 9a%timoreJ ohns

*o!)ins P( 1& Print&

*e,eio,B( 8imona& KEn-oyin Literature&K : Unaccustomed Earth: Generation

at the Crossroads& ?&!&( 1 May 2010& Ceb& 1 an& 2015&

Lahiri( hum!a& Unaccustomed Earth& ?e$ =or)J A%fred A& Gno!f( 200& Print&

Ra,y( #a$nya& Keogra!hies of Intimacy in hum!a Lahiris naccustomed

Earth&K Geographies of Intimacy in Jhumpa Lahiris Unaccustomed Earth&

Academia&edu( n&d& Ceb& 1 an& 2015&

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