Cultural Conflicts in Chitra Banerjee's Arraned Marriage

Abstract

Literally ‘Diaspora’ means ‘to scatter’ or dispersion, It refers to the loss of homeland, a shift of population from one locale to another. The expatriate writer undergoes the pain of homelessness, alienation and a sense of belongingness. The old memories keep on hovering in the mind of expatriate writers. The new land and unfriendly neighbourhood lead to the feeling of frustration and depression. There are so many Indian English writers can be recognized under the umbrella of diaspora: Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, V.S.Naipaul, Rohinton Mistry, HanifKureishi, Bharati Mukherjee, JhumpaLahiri, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni etc. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an Indian born American settled author. Her works are mostly set in India and the United States. She has also focussed on the experiences of South Asian immigrants. Her debut short story collection Arranged Marriage won an American Book Award in 1995. The paper highlights how the Indian born women encounter the difficulties and knots in their new lives in America through the short story collection Arranged Marriage.