Explain in one paragraph how specific parts of the text (for example, words, phrases, paragraphs) contribute to the overall structure and meaning of a text
The novel follows two story lines. The first is that of Ashima and her difficult adjustment to living in America after spending the first twenty years of her life in Calcutta. Ashima has a difficult time in adjusting to the more relaxed culture of America after living with strict traditions in India. Ashima surrounds herself with Indian friends and adheres to the traditions of her home country for most of her life, despite the objections of her children and the amount of time that she lives in America. The second story line follows the birth and first thirty-three years in the life of Ashima's son, Gogol. Gogol is a second-generation immigrant who has difficulty finding his own identity in the two worlds in which he lives. Gogol lives in the Western world, in a culture that allows a man to wear blue jeans and eat pork. However, Gogol's family lives with the traditions of India in which a woman does not call her husband by his formal name and wears flip flops inside their home. These two story lines intersect many times throughout the novel, both coming to their conclusion simultaneously as the novel reaches its climactic end.
