"The inclusion of Indian American authors into the genre of Asian American literature is widely discussed and criticized. In my opinion as well as in the view of a great amount of other people, ''Asian American literature' is not an ethically or nationally bound category of writing. Instead, it is a term which is used to refer to texts written by North American writers of Asian descent.' This is the reason why I have chosen works by Bharati Mukherjee and Meera Nair for the following analysis. Both writers are born in India, both immigrated to the United States of America, both deal with 'the urgent negotiation and re-negotiation of the problematics of gendered, ethicised and nationalised identity.' However, either one of them reveals a different attitude towards their home country, uses a different language style and enjoys different success. (...)"
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- The Authors – Presenting Bharati Mukherjee and Meera Nair
- Bharati Mukherjee
- Meera Nair
- The Stories - “The Management of Grief” and “Video”
- Brief Summary on “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee
- Historical Facts on “The Management of Grief”
- Brief Summary on “Video” by Meera Nair
- Analysis of “The Management of Grief” and “Video”
- Silence A Synonym for Submissiveness or Superiority?
- Western Intruders into the Asian World
- Indianness vs. Indianizing
- Indianizing through Language
- Depiction of India
- Ghettoization
- Indian Food and Clothes
- Indian Customs
- Relationship between Sikhs and Hindus
- Conclusion
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper aims to analyze the works of Bharati Mukherjee and Meera Nair, both South Asian American authors, to investigate their depictions of Indian identity and the impact of Western influence on their characters and narratives. The analysis will focus on the stories "The Management of Grief" and "Video" and how they address themes of silencing women's voices, Western intrusion into Asian societies, and the complexities of Indianness within the context of immigration and acculturation.
- The silencing of women's voices in Indian cultures
- The effect of Western influence on Indian societies
- The complexities of Indian identity and its representation in American literature
- The challenges of cultural negotiation and adaptation for South Asian immigrants in the United States
- The varying approaches of Mukherjee and Nair to portraying their cultural backgrounds.
Chapter Summaries
The Introduction lays out the argument that Asian American literature is not a nationally bound category but rather a diverse body of work by writers of Asian descent. The paper focuses on the stories "The Management of Grief" and "Video" by Bharati Mukherjee and Meera Nair, respectively, and aims to understand their depictions of Indian identity and the influence of Western culture on their characters.
Chapter 2 presents brief biographies of both authors, highlighting their contrasting experiences with immigration, education, and the nuances of their relationship to their Indian heritage. The chapter highlights Mukherjee's early exposure to English and her successful assimilation into American society, contrasting this with Nair's later immigration and less perfect command of the English language.
Chapter 3 provides summaries of both stories, "The Management of Grief" and "Video", offering insights into their plots and main characters. It also delves into the historical context surrounding Mukherjee's story, drawing attention to the Partition of India. The chapter concludes with an analysis of both stories, focusing on the themes of silencing women's voices, Western influence on Indian societies, and the authors' respective approaches to representing Indianness.
Keywords
The primary themes and concepts explored in this paper are Asian American literature, South Asian immigrant experiences, Indian identity, silencing of women, Western influence, cultural adaptation, and the role of language and literature in shaping perceptions of identity and cultural belonging.
- Quote paper
- Sonja Blum (Author), 2007, South Asian American Literature - Comparing Bharati Mukherjee's "The Management of Grief" and Meera Nair's "Video", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/87288
