Mr. Hodara

Literary Analysis

April 3, 2005

Mistress of Breaking Boundaries

         Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's life is mirrored in her lyrical novels, texts, short stories, and poetry. Her experience as an immigrant to Oakland, California from Calcutta, India has shaped her writing. In her work, she continually highlights the process of leaving all that is familiar and comfortable, rebuilding an identity, breaking down cultural differences, and at last recognizing common humanity. ̉She knows that the immigrant story is really the human story, and through her writing she reminds us of our shared struggle to find "a place in a complex world" (Softky).

         The plots in Divakaruni's stories represent much of her own life. In America, Divakaruni founded a helpline for Indian- American woman called Maitri. She listened to story upon story of Indian immigrants "...who were trapped in abusive marriages or relationships or who did not know how to cope with the more free-wheeling Western society." (Pais). In her novel, Arranged Marriage, Divakaruni tells stories inspired by the woman who have reached her through Maitri. The novel gives them a voice to express how they are " both liberated and trapped by cultural changes" (Biography- Criticism). As Divakaruni said, " Many women in Maitri spoke English, but their English was functional rather than emotional. They needed someone who understands their problems and speaks their language" (Pais). Divakaruni served as this soothing bridge between cultures in her real life and through her writing. Her voice gave many immigrants a voice. Divakaruni's role as a healer is mirrored in her work. For example, the main character of her novel, The Mistress of Spices, is a woman named Tilo, who "provides spices not only for cooking, but also for the homesickness and alienation that the Indian immigrants in her shop experience"(Writing). As her work illustrates, Divakaruni truly has come full circle in her life. She successfully adjusted to American ways and then helped her people do the same. Most significantly of all, her writing tells her people's story in such a way that it reflects more than just the Indian immigrant's struggle; it describes the human struggle. Her words aim to remove the intolerance that we hold against anyone.

         Divakaruni's work was truly shaped by her own life experience as an immigrant and as a helper of her fellow expatriates in America. Her reason for writing is to express the "heart of the Indian psyche" (Biography- Criticism) and to break down the boundaries and the stereotypes that humans are always creating. Her work is a testament to her incredible person, exhibiting her hugely tolerant and sympathetic wisdom of this world.

 

Annotated Bibliography:

 

"Biography-Criticism." Internet, 29 March 2005. Available: http://voices.cla.umn.edu/

     newsite/authors/DIVAKARUNIchitra.htm

 

This web article was a repeat of much of what I had already read, so it would have been more useful to be if I had read it before the others. It included a synopsis of Divakaruni's life history and described the general plots of her novels. It was concise and intended for a reader with little knowledge about Divakaruni and the purpose of her work.

 

Patel, Nilu N. " Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni." Postcolonial Studies at Emory 1998.

     Internet, 29 March 2005. Available: http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri /C BD.html

 

This web article was very helpful. Although short, it expressed major themes that stretch across Divakaruni's work. It also summarized her life in a brief biography. It was an enlightening outline to frame my analysis of this author and her work. It helped me to see deeper than the plot in The Mistress of Spices to understand Divakaruni's plea for tolerance of other cultures.

 

Pais, Arthur J. "Profile of a SAJA Speaker: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni." February 2002.

      Internet, 29 March 2005. Available: http;//www.saja.org/diavakaruni.html

 

This web article was the most useful of all that I read. It was full of insightful quotes and it also described the inspirations of each of Divakaruni's pieces. I found this especially useful for determining how her life story is reflected in her writing. This article was very comprehensive.

 

Random House, Inc. Internet, 29 March 2005. Available:

     http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides/mistress_of_spices-author.asp#bio

 

This source was lacking in substance. It was very general and was intended to provide a quick sense of the author, the works she had written, and the awards she had won. It was a good introduction to Divakaruni, but did not provide much else.

 

Softky, Elizabeth. "Cross-Cultural understanding spiced with the Indian Diaspora-author

     Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and her book 'The Mistress of Spices.'" FindArticles              September 1997. Internet, 29 March, 2005. Available:

     http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DXK/is_n15_v14/ai_20318389

 

This web article was especially useful to me. It included a brief history of Divakaruni's life, as well as an analysis of the themes that reside in her writing. It also stressed how her books help to cross the cultural barriers and described how her themes relate to all people because everyone is searching for a self while constantly dealing with loss. It was well written and thorough.

 

"Writing" Internet, 29March 2005. Available: http://www.chitradivakaruni.com/

 

I did not find this source incredibly useful because it was just skimming the surface of Divakaruni's legend. It did bring up the theme of dissolving boundaries, but that was one of its only insightful comments. It gave a brief background of the author and a short overview of a few of her books.