Two Ways to Belong in America by Bharati Mukherjee | Summary, Analysis

Hello and welcome to the Discourse. Two Ways to Belong in America was an analytical article written by Bharati Mukherjee that was published in The New York Times in 1996. In the article, Bharati Mukherjee discusses the differences between Indian Expatriates living in America and the Immigrants who have chosen to become citizens of America while they have relinquished their Indian nationality. Bharati suggests that though the expatriates and the immigrants face similar problems and issues in the foreign land, their ways of tackling those issues differ and this difference in their ways of coping with the alien situations makes them either an immigrant or an expatriate.

Bharati Mukherjee always maintained that she was not an expatriate but an immigrant Indian who actually loved the American way of living much more than the Indian traditions. In this article, she offers the other perspective too using discussing the experiences of her cousin sister Mira Mukherjee who chose to remain an Indian expatriate.

Summary of Two Ways to Belong in America:

The title of the article suggests that there are always more than one ways in which one may belong in a culture. The author discusses an American congress movement in 1996 that restricted the resident aliens or expatriates living in America, from accessing government benefits and how it affected those who chose to remain expatriates even after spending many years in America. She discusses her own experiences and those of her sister Mira is working in America for more than 36 years, yet claims that she is an Indian expatriate and hopes to return to India someday in the future after she retires.

The author begins by explaining the similarities between the two sisters and informs that she along with her sister Mira went to America for education in the 1960s. In India, they both shared almost identical views on socio-political and cultural issues. They both left India with a decision to return home (India) for marriage after pursuing education in the U.S. However, both continued to live in America for more than they expected. In 1962, Mira married an Indian student in America and they applied for a labor certificate which is necessary for a green card. Mira continues to live in the U.S. for more than 36 years as a legal immigrant with Indian citizenship. Since her husband too was an Indian and both had the wish to return to their homeland someday, Mira never thought of taking full citizenship of America and always maintained herself as an Indian expatriate. Mira lived in Detroit city and works in Southfield Mich., school system. She is dedicated to her work and won national recognition for her contributions in the fields of preschool education and parent-teacher relationships. Yet, after all this success in America, she maintained her Indian nationality and hopes to return to India after she retires. Mira loves Indian culture, Indian cuisines, Indian dresses, and Indian values. She never succeeded in accepting American pop culture.

Bharati, on the other hand, chose to marry her fellow student who was an American in 1963. By marrying him, Bharati got rid of the requirement to apply for the labor certificate and since her husband was an American who had little or no emotional attachment with India, he never thought of settling in India, and thus, Bharati too never thought of returning to India. She was aware of the emotional and social difficulties she might face after marrying outside her race, nationality, and caste and she was prepared for it. In fact, she was already willing to get a way out of the patriarchial, casteist ways of her family that she didn’t like much from the beginning. By marrying a man who was not her father’s choice, she chose to revolt and opted for fluidity. She open-handedly accepted the American ways of living. She mentioned the emotional trauma she suffered after marrying an American in her novel ‘The Tiger’s Daughter’ in which she mentioned how even her own mother alienated her from her family just because after marrying an American, she was no more an Indian who could understand and respect the cultural and religious traditions and feelings of her mother. Bharati mentions that since she continued to write about why she chose American ways over Indian traditions, her books were often criticized for being unapologetic, overenthusiastic ‘mongrelization,’ which means intermixing racial or ethnic character. Nonetheless, Bharati enjoyed doing so.

Despite these differences, Bharati maintained a cordial relationship with Mira. Bharati writes that Mira is her only blood relative in the USA and they spend some time communicating by phone. Bharati says that they expect to see each other through the looming crises of aging and ill health without being asked.

Bharati then mentions the USA Citizenship drive started by then Vice-President Al Gore in 1996 and how it forced Expatriates either to accept American citizenship or to relinquish government aid and benefits. Bharati says that she and Mira had already discussed the ethics of retaining overseas citizenship while expecting the permanent protection and economic benefits that come with living and working in America. Mira thought that since she is working honestly for the benefit of American society, she must be given all the aid that is meant for an American citizen despite her choice of remaining an Indian expatriate. Bharati differed from her views. Though they both have differences of opinions, they maintained polite conversation probably that was out of pity. Bharati sympathized with her sister Mira for her narrow perception and superficial understanding of American society. Mira pitied Bharati for the consequences of her marriages like the erasure of Indianness and unstructured lifestyle. While Bharati sees Mira as an alien to the American culture, Mira contends that Bharati has betrayed her Indian identity.

Now when the American congress has passed anti-immigration bills, Bharati and Mira fail to ignore their differences. While Bharati has already accepted American citizenship and has completely forgotten her Indianness, Mira is still not ready to give up her emotional attachment to her home country. Mira was upset about the implementation of the new immigration policy forced upon the old settlers. She complains that in the name of illegal immigrants, the American government is targeting legal expatriates too. She felt that she was manipulated and discarded by the American government. Mira complained that though she invested her knowledge in the development of the American preschool and obeyed all the rules, America imposed its new rules even upon legal immigrants. Bharati compares Mira’s interest to stay in America and at the same time her rejection of American citizenship with loveless marriage which is comfortable and long-lasting. Mira is determined to maintain her Indian identity despite her long stay in America and she is very particular about not transforming it.

In the wake of Al Gore’s American Citizenship movement, Bharati asks Mira again about her decision to accept American citizenship but the answer of Mira comes as a shock to her. Mira says that she can only become an American citizen for now to avoid the anti-immigrant rules but later change to become an Indian because she does not plan to remain an American citizen forever. Bharati describes her situation and that of her cousin's sister as one with great divergence. While she chooses the American way, marrying an American, abandoning her Indian culture, and living a new life altogether in the United States of America, Mira retains her culture and her Indian identity and chooses not to live the American life. Bharati says Mira, “is sticking to one job, one city, ancestral culture, and one cuisine all through her entire life.”

Bharati wonders about the difference between her and her sister. Both got exposed to the same kind of environment and situations and react in different manners to their immigrant experiences. One is ready to accept the new culture, to move from the ‘expatriate aristocrat’ to ‘immigrant nobody’ willingly, whereas the other one sticks with the old. Mira like the larger number of immigrant communities across the globe attached to her home country. However, there are some considerable differences exist between Mira and those hardworking, silenced documented immigrants due to her English fluency, anger, and confidence.

Bharati then remembers her experiences in Canada. Bharati too had undergone betrayal by the Canadian government some 20 years ago. She along with her husband lived in Canada and was placed in a good job. Despite her superior position in merit and job, she was discriminated against by the local Canadian society. The feeling of betrayal drove many immigrants out of the country. Despite their disappointment with the settled society, Bharati feels to be like a part of the community wherever she lives (either in Canada or in America).

Bharati concludes the article by suggesting that the difference between her and Mira is because of the fact that Bharati was willing to face the trauma of self-transformation to become a part of the chosen country. This trauma is experienced by the immigrants whereas the expatriates escape from this.

So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of Indian English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards.