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The Impacts Of Ashima In A Gentle Memory

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Every single event that happens in our life becomes a memory later on, some of which we remember and some of which we do not. Every one of those memories impacts who we are and who we become as a person: they shape our identities. It is important to realize that concept when we are living in a globalized world when we are interacting with people of different background. Acknowledging that fact help us find common grounds and do not pay attention to the details of our differences as much. In this paper, it is shown that past memories shape one’s identity and the reader can see that through the character of Ashima in The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri and Humera Afridi in the article “A Gentle Madness.” Keeping those memories is fine …show more content…

The fact that the memory is “visceral” and “muscular” signals that it is always going to stay with her and as she also suggest elsewhere in the article, it will shape how she acts; therefore, it would become an important part of her identity. It is because of that memory that she says people of Pakistan, herself included, always seek to find a way out and are scared. It has clearly become a part of her identity. Afridi’s memory is a negative memory, whereas Ashima’ memory is a positive one, which shows that all of our memories, either positive or negative, can affect us and shape our identity.
Ashima in the Namesake also shows the influence of past experiences on one’s identity construction. She represents that fact that past experiences shape who a person is, but this time it is shown through daily actions in the Namesake, whereas in Afridi’s “Gentle Madness”, it is described indirectly. Ashima shows, throughout her daily actions, how one’s origin, shapes his or her identity. She wears “sari” (Lahiri 2), which shows her ties to her hometown. Outfits of each character are a part of his or her characteristic and show a part of his or her identity. Ashima shows her ties to India and the fact that it is a part of her identity by wearing what she wears. The food is also a representative of one’s culture and thus the identity in this case. When Ashima tries to cook an Indian food in America, she says, “there’s something missing” (Lahiri 1). The fact that a part of

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