Abstract
A discussion on diasporic writing would be impossible without mentioning Jhumpa Lahiri, as she has contributed an array of insights for this genre. Lahiri is an eminent writer belonging to the Indian Diaspora whose writing is food for thought for many researchers. She has carved a niche for herself in the corpus of global diaspora through her works by focusing on the Indian immigrant experience in America. Her writings received world-wide recognition for her lucid and plain style of writing, her selection of themes, her choice of characters and the narrative technique she has adopted in telling the stories. Among the writers of the Indian Diaspora, Jhumpa Lahiri is the only writer who tries to explore the anxiety of immigrants surpassing different generations. This paper aims to expose the diasporic struggle of three generations of immigrants who struggle to assimilate to the foreign culture and language. “Unaccustomed Earth” is the second collection of short stories by Lahiri that establishes the agony of displacement, identity crisis, problems in integration and assimilation, cultural alienation and homelessness. An attempt is made in this paper to establish the diasporic dilemma of 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants of Indian origin living in the United States of America as portrayed by Lahiri in her work.
Keywords: diaspora, immigrants, generation, assimilation, displacement
Introduction
Writers of the Indian Diaspora tend to focus on the life of first generation immigrants from India who have spread across the globe. Since the colonial period, the act of migration in India has been active and people have migrated to different countries as ambassadors and professionals seeking white collar jobs, as indentured labourers and as students with better prospects for higher education. These immigrants always have a sense of longingness towards their homeland and have a nostalgic attitude since they have left a rich culture, language, tradition and identity left behind in their land of origin.
Jhumpa Lahiri was born to Indian parents of Bengali origin in London. At the age of three she moved to Rhode Island, USA along with her parents and grew up in America. “Unaccustomed Earth” is Lahiri’s second debut collection of short stories in two parts consisting eight stories. It won the Frank O, Connor International award in 2008.
Cultural Divergence
Assimilating to a new culture in a foreign country had always been very difficult for the first generation immigrants since they have been accustomed to their native culture in their homeland. The title story “Unaccustomed Earth” travels across three generations, Ruma and Adam being the second generation immigrants, Ruma’s father and her expired mother belonging to the first generation and Ruma’s son Akash of the third generation.
Hybridity of Identity
Identity crisis is a major problem encountered by all immigrants in common irrespective of the generation to which they belong. Lahiri’s characters struggle to create an identity for themselves in diasporic space. Ruma’s father tries to create an identity by staying away from his daughter even after his wife’s death.
Transnational Belonging
For the diasporic community, life in a foreign country is always a calamity since they have no unique identity, language or culture. They have to operate across boundaries by assimilating adapting themselves to the countries tradition to which they have migrated.
Conclusion
Diasporic writers portray the life of immigrants to be more painful and are always reluctant to assimilate and integrate to new cultures and languages. Lahiri views this struggle from a different angle and paints her characters on a positive note. Though the second generation immigrants are caught between their ancestral Indian tradition and their adopted western tradition, they are always ready to adapt themselves easily to the mainstream American tradition unlike their predecessors. Lahiri not only excels in depicting the diasporic struggle of the immigrants but also ascertains her characters stance to overcome the generational gap in assimilating and integrating to new cultures across the globe.
Works Cited
- Lahiri, Jhumpa. Unaccustomed Earth. India: Random House, 2009.
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