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Differences Between Indian And American Culture Essay

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Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni highlights the differences between Indian and American culture in her collection of short stories, Arranged Marriage. Each tale utilizes a different narrator, whether it is first or third person narration, to highlight the struggles women face in all arranged marriages. Many of these women live in America, yet India’s strict moral code still burdens them. In “Doors”, Preeti struggles to balance her American beliefs with the Indian beliefs of her husband, similarly to Anju, who wonders if her life and pregnancy would be different if she lived in India throughout “The Ultrasound”. In “The Word Love”, a woman must confront her situation and push her boundaries. Divakaruni shows the highs and lows of arranged marriages, proving that I would not thrive in a commitment made without my input. As an only child, I adore personal space. I grew up never sharing a bedroom or bathroom, never fought with anyone over the remote control nor shotgun in the car. When I received my roommate assignment, I will admit that I cringed. Stuck in a triple, I imagined a dark, cramped room with all three of us living on top of each other. When I arrived at school, the room did not match my nightmares and I thought all was well. The first two nights of school, I slept alone in the room, as one roommate stayed at a hotel with her parents and the other had a horse show out of town. The mini-fridge is right across from my bed and the electronic glow of the clock ruined my

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