The Momentum of Mongrelization

The Momentum of Mongrelization

The idea of being born in India and having to adjust to the American culture significantly influenced Bharati Mukherijee while writing her short story, “A Wife’s Story” and her essay “Two Ways to Belong in America”. Bharati Mukherijee originates from Kolkata, India but her heart is in America. Mukherijee supports “Mongrelization”, the idea of transitioning into a different culture, nature, or character; because Mukherijee was “Mongrelized” into the American culture herself after coming to America to become a writer. As a result, “mongrelization” is a common theme in “Two ways to belong in America” and “A Wife's Story”. In both stories, Mukherijee uses juxtaposition with her characters to display both pro and con views of mongrelization. In “Two Ways to Belong in America” Mukherijee writes about two Indian sisters named Mira and Bharati that traveled to America to further their studies. While studying in America, both sisters go against Indian tradition when they pick their own husbands. Even though both girls break tradition, Mira seems angelic compared to Bharati because she chose an Indian man and plans to return back home whereas Bharati married a Canadian man and had no interest in returning back home to India. Similarly, Mukherijee's “A Wife's Story” involves an Indian couple that were being challenged culturally when the wife, Panna, must leave her husband in India to travel to America to pursue her career as a special education teacher. Once again, two different views of “mongrelization” are revealed when Panna becomes accustomed to the American culture and her husband, ironically, wants her to return home because he does not like how women are treated in America. Since Bharati Mukherijee, was born in India and later assimilated herself in the American culture, she uses juxtaposition to support the main theme of “mongrelization” in “Two Ways to belong in America” and “A Wife's Story”.

Bharati Mukherijee was born on July 27, 1940 to a middle class Hindu family in Kalkota, India. Mukherijee was an extremely bright individual. She began to read at the age of just three years old. In 1951, Mukherijee's father, who was a successful chemist, was offered a job in England and took his family with him. This experience gave Mukherijee the perfect opportunity to strengthen her English speaking, reading, and writing skills. In 1951, Mukherijee's family returned back to India and Bharati was fully convinced that w riting was the perfect career for her. By the year 1959, Mukherijee had acquired her Master's degree in English and Ancient Indian Culture. The final stage of Mukherijee's quest to become a writer happened in 1961 when she convinced her parents to study abroad in America to earn her Masters of Fine Arts at the highly respected Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa.

Bharati Mukherijee's journey of becoming a writer was very difficult one because of the prejudice against women in the Indian culture. The Indian culture was and still is today, very male-dominated. Society in India considered women to be lesser individuals than men. Education was seen as something that was required in order for both genders to be socially accepted but for women, when were married, education is thrown out the window. The male-dominant society believed that after being married, the woman's place was at home. Under these circumstances, Mukherijee was able to fly under the radar of the male-dominant society because her writing career was nonthreatening to men .Mukherijee had to endure great persistence to keep her dream of becoming a successful writer alive because of the discrimination against women in India.

Mukherijee's parents did not expect their daughter to break cultural ties while she was studying abroad because they did not take her writing career seriously. Mukherijee’s parents agreed to let her get in education in America, after making the asumption thinking that her degree would mean nothing after her arranged marriage. In an interview with Paula Cohen, from Drexel Interviews, Mukherijee explained that her education would be considered “Nothing more than just a feather in my cap” (figure 1). Mukherjee explained to Paula Cohen that this was a very touchy subject for her because writing was something that she truly cherished but her parents saw it as just a small hobby. Mukherijee wraps up her interview with Paula Cohen by discussing how she went against the Indian culture by marrying a Canadian boy. Mukherjee’s parents' visions of a traditional marriage were officially bypassed when Bharati met a Canadian man named Clark Blaise. After only knowing each other for a mere two weeks, the couple took part in a simple wedding in a court room. Mukherijee's real-life choices of embracing American culture, such as taking part in a cross-cultural marriage have influenced her to write many marriage-related stories.

Mukherijee's nonfiction story “Two Ways to Belong in America” is about two Indian sisters named Bharati and Mira that begin to have conflicting cultural views after going against the Indian tradition of arranged marriages. Prior to leaving India to come study in America, both sisters had identical mindsets of respecting Indian culture. One of the most important subjects that they both agreed on with their parents was supporting their parents’ wishes of taking part in arranged marriages. Unfortunately, both sisters broke tradition by marrying men they met while studying in America. However, Bharati chose to marry a Canadian man whereas Mira decided to marry an Indian man. Their husbands' cultural backgrounds are significant because after being married to these men, the sisters begin to have different views. Mukherijee mentions that Mira “Clings passionately to her Indian citizenship and hopes to go home to India when she retires” (823). This shows that even though Mira went against arranged marriage, she still respects her culture enough to not only marry an Indian man but wanting to return back home as well. On the other hand, Bharati admits that she is erasing her “Indianess” (824).

Through her story “Two Ways to belong in America”, Mukherijee uses anecdotes of her real life to show that she supports “mongrelization”. “Mongrelization” is that act of mixing cultural beliefs, cross breeding, or altering one’s self to adapt to a new environment. Mukherijee explains that she is proud of her Indian background but she feels that she must embrace the American culture because she has already been assimilated into it. Mukherijee makes this statement very clear in “Two Ways to belong in America” when she says “My books have often been read as unapologetic (and in some quarters overenthusiastic) texts for cultural and psychological “mongrelization”. It’s a word I celebrate” (824). This is a significant excerpt from Mukherijee's story because she tells her readers directly that she believes it is okay to drop previous cultural values to make room for a new culture. Mukherijee’s real-life events such as her cross-cultural marriage had a huge impact on her life so she incorporates her experiences in her readings to support the idea of “mongrelization”.