Essay Questions

How is the husband in "Bahu" situated as a victim of Indian patriarchy?

"Bahu" is a story about how the individual male is to some degree also a victim of the culture of India which is so firmly entrenched in the rigidity of expectations and conventions. The first-person narrator is another example of many women in the collection who are struggling against the stifling climate of Indian culture. In this case, however, the husband not a representative of the worst patriarchal excesses, but a symbol of exactly the opposite. Siddarth is so weakened by cultural expectations that he cannot fight against the tide of his family which is unwittingly making the mistake of placing too much pressure upon his wife. She is strong enough to rebel and his weakness moves from the symbolic to the literal by the end when he proves himself incapable of doing what he should to keep her.

What does the title character of "Her Mother" warn her daughter against as the great failure of American marriages?

The point that the mother in this story is trying to press upon her daughter is that despite whatever flaws may exist in the system, the arranged marriages which are the standard order of Indian domesticity actually work for the betterment of society. As part of the strategy for getting this idea across, she engages juxtaposition. To better illustrate the positivity of the Indian system, she stamps a negative imprint upon the freer framework of the American system of marrying for love. The failure of American marital domesticity lies in one simple phrase: Americans don't respect the "sanctity of marriage." This argument is underscored by reminding her daughter that divorce is considered an essential part of the entire system in America. By contrast, India has historically experienced the lowest divorce rate in the world though, admittedly, the reality behind that rate complicates the issue.

What is the prophecy in "The Prophecy" and does it come to fruition?

Two teenage friends, Amrita and Hemalatha go together to see an astrologer before heading to a gynecologist seeking an abortion for one of them. After some time, the fortune teller arrives at a prophecy which seems so much like something from a bad movie that it seems absurd. He turns specifically to Amrita and predicts:

"You will marry a handsome, fair, rich, influential man. You will have two sons who will rise to powerful positions in the government. They will bring you power, fame, respect. And you will also travel abroad, many, many times."

Against all odds and reason, this very precise forecasting of Amrita's future proves to be right on the money, down to the last detail.