Before this blog post officially begins, I would like to preface that I, born in the US, come from an immigrant family. Although not Bengali as the families are in Unaccustomed Earth, I believe our experiences have thus far been comparable.
A very obvious recurring theme is the comparison between American and Calcuttan cultures. From the very first short story onwards, a sharp distinction is drawn between the immigrant parents and the fully Americanized children. With all their good intentions, they still fail to understand that the American life they dreamed of can ail their children.
"In their opinion their children were immune from the hardships and injustices they had left behind in India, as if the inoculations the pediatrician had given Sudha and Rahul when they were babies guaranteed them an existence free of suffering" (156).
America, as a society, seeks normality. Immigrant children are expected to grow into that mold but they have to chisel their way into the sought after conformity. Childhood is a distressing time to be standing out, where differences were enunciated by peers who know nothing different from their own lives. "Potato curry sandwiches that tinted Wonderbread green" naturally stand out amongst...well, I'm not entirely sure, myself having been accustomed to similarly "exotic" lunches (143). I can say from personal experience that this invites a curiosity that makes you the center of attention when you are generally unknown. It is uncomfortable and contrary to the usual social neglectment. It is not that we are not unable to eventually adapt, but barriers stand along the path that would typically be trivial.
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