Question

From Jhumpa Lahiri's SEXY:

When Miranda first expresses interest in the Bengali region of India, Dev rebuffs her question to know more by explaining his home city is “Nothing you’ll ever need to worry about”; similarly, when Miranda enters the Indian grocer and thinks about buying some of Laxmi’s favorite snack mix, the man behind the counter tells her it is “Very spicy…. Too spicy for you." On the other hand, when Miranda goes shopping for clothes she thinks a married man’s mistress ought to wear, she buys a cocktail dress that she’s assured will make Dev “want to rip it right off you”, even though she never gets to wear it out to dinner with him.

Describe the ways in which cultural differences sometimes come between Dev and Miranda based on the language in these passages.

Answer 1

The passage is taken from the famous book SEXY of Jhumpa Lahiri which represents the cultural interaction and the consequences of that . The passage shows clearly what are the cultural differences Miranda has to face when she is in love with a Indian Bengali boy Dev.

• The first part of the passage clearly indicates a strong point regarding it. As it is mentioned that when Miranda shows interest about the ethics and culture of Bengali religion,Dev denies it always and convinces ger saying that she does not need to worry about anything. It triggers us to think that there must be some cultural differences between their regions and Dev doesn't want Miranda to know about that which may hamper their relationship which Dev doesn't want.
• The next point of cultural differences can be understood from the statement of the grocery store keeper's statement. When Miranda wants to buy some snacks for her colleague Laxmi's who is an Indian, the counter person of the store always say that the snack is not fit for Miranda as it is too spicy.From this context one can clearly get an idea that there is a lot of differences in food interest in Miranda's country and India where her lover Dev stays.
• The third example we get from the fashion preference difference exhibited in the last part of paragraph.Miranda buys sassy dresses to wear when she is out for a dinner with Dev but, unfortunately she never gets a chance to wear that dress due to the orthodox culture of India where as a married woman it is very difficult to wear sexy dresses. It shows a lot of differences in culture of Miranda and Dev's country