Essay Questions

How do arranged marriages perpetuate patriarchy?

Arranged marriages usually favor the male side, by awarding the male a right to accept or reject a girl on the basis of her looks, education, or any other qualities. The girl usually has no say in her marriage, including the choice of her husband. She has almost no rights, and is usually supposed to be a domestic creature, irrespective of her personal aspirations. A boy child is favored over a girl child in case of a pregnancy, as a boy is meant to ring dowry in case of his marriage. Thus, the cycle is repeated again and this is how arranged marriages perpetuate patriarchy.

How is the identity of a woman is defined in a patriarchal society?

A woman, in a patriarchal society, is supposed to be a being who lives for others and not for herself and thus, as no identity of her own. With such ideas, she is almost dispensable. As Asha states in the affair, ‘Had I really been myself? I didn’t think so. All my energy had been taken up in being a good daughter. A good daughter, a good friend. And, of course, a good wife.’ This sentiment is reflected by many other characters in the book. Anju is worried if her husband’s love for her is for herself as an individual or as the mother of his child. Thus, the women are conflicted as to what their roles as defined by the society suppose them to be and what they was as individuals want to be.

Discuss the narrator’s mental makeup in the story The Disappearance.

The narrator is the only male character with a POV in the book. The narrator has been born in a privileged family feeling entitled to his position in the society. Such is his assumption for entitlement that he can’t fathom his wife having consent in their relationship. He treats her no as a sign of her modesty and her lack of response as her affirmation. He has very specific standards on how a woman should be. He has a child with her, because his mother wanted so not because of their will as a married couple. He doesn’t likes her wearing western clothes or studying further as he believes this would westernize his wife and a good Indian girl should be subservient and not have ideas of her own. He hardly misses her when she disappears, and most of his surprise at the end of the story is due to the fact that she dared to leave him and not that she could leave on her own.

Why is the narrator conflicted in the story The Word Love?

The narrator is metaphorically stuck in a tug of war between east and west and her inner conflict symbolizes that. She is torn between her good traditional Indian values as imbibed by her mother and the wish to be free and to do what she wants as her boyfriend wants. Neither understands her struggle and she is left to cope alone. While her mother is a strict foreboding figure who wants her to settle with a boy with the blessings of the society, an honorable task, the boyfriend seems to be jealous and insecure of her relationship with her mother and wants her to get more private and respectful of her own space. In the end, both of them abandon her and she, after initial thoughts of suicide, decides to leave her mother and boyfriend for good and live the way she wants irrespective of anyone’s expectations from her.

Do you think that the stories are biased?

The stories revolve around women and are a reflection on the judgment and expectations society imposes on women in a patriarchal environment. Keeping in mind that arranged marriages are more strict on women and men usually have a free reign, but the stories portray th men as one-dimensional characters with little motivation and no insights. I believe, that the stories have been biased as far as men are concerned. Women have been on the receiving end of patriarchy, but one can’t deny that men have been made victims too by denying them any sensitivity or feminity. Similarily, while women are made to question their ideas of sexuality, we don’t see any mention of men questioning their sexuality or lack thereof. Thus, the stories are biased.