Like many of the other works we have read, A Wife's Story has the themes of gender, culture, and the American dream. Panna Bhatt is an Indian women who recently moved to Manhattan to get her degree in special education. She slowly adjusts to life in the states, but is still appalled at some aspects of American life. She goes to see a play by Mannet, and is offended by the generalizations made about Indian culture and life during the play. She also comments afterwards on how she is not used to simple things like hugging a man or holding his hand in public; it would be frowned upon in India.
Eventually, her husband comes to visit her. He is amazed at American culture, goods, and people. After much shopping and sightseeing, her husband asks her to return to India with him. He does not like the way Panna is being treated by men in New York. Although, he ends up returning to India without her.
Which theme (gender, culture, or the idea of the American dream) is most prominent and important in this story and why?
Culture is the most prominent theme in this story because it incorporates the themes of gender and the American Dream all in one. The story shows the relationship between Panna and her husband when he comes to America to visit her. She is drifting away from her husband because of the cultural changes she is going through. Panna has changed but her husband remains the traditional Indian man and therefore the gap between them widens. Her exposure to a new culture transforms her, which changes her feelings toward her husband.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie and would say culture is most prominent theme in this short story. The fears and struggles that these main characters are facing are associated with the American culture. There is so many changes and differences that Panna is noticing in this american world. She begins adapting to these changes. This goes to display the idea that your culture can changed based upon your surroundings. In her Indian Culture everything is so systematic for her, her marriage her relationship and the way that she is treated. In this new American culture, when her husband gets to be alone with her in NYC she feels a connection, a feeling of love. Ultimately, we see that there is a clear difference in culture. I could tell the change that is happening within Panna in this story.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely say that culture is the most prominent theme in this story. Throughout the whole story the theme of culture is brought up, first when they are at the play. Panna says that a play like that would not be acceptable in her culture. She then says that in her culture, the affection that she is showing to her friend, who is a male, in public would be forbidden. When Panna's husband comes to visit, it is clearly seen that the American culture is unlike anything he is used to. These are just a few examples of how the theme of culture is the most prominent.
ReplyDeleteI think, like the other stories we've read, culture is a main issue revolving around these writers. It's always the sense of wanting to find home and how to achieve this homely figure in a nation where one does not belong. In this short story, Panna is an Indian woman living in NY and it takes some getting used to. Although she is in an arranged marriage, it only takes a couple of days together in a different world to get to know the real man she marries. Having been away from her husband, she realized how difficult it's been and that she really did not know him as well as she thought. Having said this, the fact that she's been away and adapted to a new culture gives off that she is trying to adapt to a whole different way of life, but at the time trying to keep her cultures and values (when she wears her sari and jewelry) align with the place she's in. She struggles to find "home" just like many characters we've been reading about.
ReplyDeleteA Wife's Story actually gives a pretty good insight on how western culture easily influences people from other cultures. In the story Panna becomes so used to American culture that when her Indian husband comes to visit her, it is as if they are from two separate worlds. She has assimilated into the culture so well that she even becomes embarrassed by some of her husbands actions.However in the story she realizes this change and feels guilty about it. However the ideas and the way of living has already become such a norm for her that she chooses to stay in New York against her husbands demand to move back to india.
ReplyDeleteAs previously stated, culture is the most prominent theme in the story. Panna is a woman living in New York who is originally from India. When Pannna's husband comes to visit, you see how Panna is constantly trying to balance both cultures. When she goes to the airport she wears her sari and jewelry that are part of her Indian culture, which she usually does not wear. Panna has adapted much of the American culture and you can see that when her husband comes to visit and she has to do everything because she has gotten used to living in New York. Panna is used to her new life in New York, but she is also still aware of her Indian culture.
ReplyDeleteCulture is the most prominent theme in this story because it's all about Panna assimilating to the western culture that she was practically dumped in. The culture shock is a new experience for her; like Mallory said, people holding hands or giving hugs in public was unheard of in the old country. When her husband comes to visit, it's almost like she had a slice of home for a little while. She sees how even her husband is liking the American lifestyle. When her husband asks her to go back to the homeland she doesn't know what to do. She's been in Manhattan for a little while and she is adjusting well to the culture. To me, her final decision on whether to stay or go is when she looks in the mirror and sees her beautiful body. At that moment, she knew that she's strong and that she could take on the Western Culture in New York.
ReplyDeleteCulture stands out the most in this short story because Panna shows us how different the Western Culture is from Indian Culture. In India, couples are usually never left alone. From my experience, I've seen that in one house there are so many relatives and hardly any privacy. With a taste of Western Culture, Panna feels as though she cannot return to the conservative nature of Indian Culture. She is often embarrassed of her husband's actions, which is shown when she calls him prudent. She is torn between these two cultures, but she makes the decision to stay in America when her husband asks her to come back to Bombay.
ReplyDeleteThe most prominent theme depicted in "A Wife’s Story" is culture because it deeply influences her marriage. Panna describes her marriage as a "traditional Hindu marriage" because her parents selected a husband for her, which leads her to not knowing what love is. Panna leaves India in search of the "American Dream". New York is the complete opposite of her life back in India. Panna attends a play in which Indians are being made fun of. This type of play would be banned in India and she doesn't feel comfortable watching it. Panna and her husband are very traditional. In India, it was forbidden for couples to show any public displays of affection. Little by little, Panna is assimilating to the American culture. When her husband goes to America to visit her, she feels the need to wear her traditional clothing and jewelry. In New York, she and her husband have had more privacy than in two weeks than in her entire life. She notices that her husband is adjusting to the American culture. Panna feels guilty but at the same time she has already embraced the American culture, so when her husband invites her to come back home with him, she refuses.
ReplyDeleteI believe that gender and culture are both major themes in this story. Panna is a young woman in a foreign land and she has to get used to the culture and different lifestyle in America. It takes time for her to developed the concept that what is not socially acceptable in India is in America. When Panna see things in America she is shocked that people can act that way, however it is simply a culture shock. When her husband comes back he is obviously upset about how men look at her and he feels like they are out of place. Since Panna has been living there for a long time she feels comfortable but for her husband the whole experience was completely strange and new. He believed as an Indian woman she had certain responsibilities and should act a certain way and tries to get her to come home. For Panna life in America is comfortable and she has accepted the culture. She is also well aware of what goes on around her and how she should act as a woman.
ReplyDeleteThis is similar to what i went through in my first few months living in Dubai. Even though the city is very westernized, there were still many differences to what was done in public there life in the United States like public displays of Affection. Its pretty much a new hip place stuck in their old traditions.
ReplyDeleteCulture is the major theme of the story specifically cultural assimilation. Panna is forced to adjust to a new culture that is very insular. India caught behind America's social policy in many ways. Not to say that either system is free of flaws but for a woman like Panna to adjust she must become more liberal to new ideas. She is shocked to see people behave the way they do, such acts would never be allowed in India. She also feels objectified this is because many would consider US Culture to be very sexually liberated. She adjusts to her new milieu but can never fully accept and embrace the culture. She is always caught in the past in the sense of living by India's social norms.
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