Bharati Mukherjee is an author of Indian descent who immigrated to America in 1961. She was born in 1940 and was raised in Calcutta, India. She earned an M.F.A and a Ph.D. in literature. Bharati Mukherjee has authored several books that have gained her worldwide fame and recognition. Two Ways to Belong in America is a short piece that first appeared in the New York Times. It is a piece that was aimed at addressing congressional changes to take away many of the benefits that resident aliens had in America.
In the narrative, Bharati Mukherjee explains the two differing views that she and her sister have towards being American. The characters are Bharti and Mira, her sister. The theme is culture. The central conflict in the narrative is the difference in opinion on how to become an American citizen. The what of the conflict is keeping the keeping of culture. The why is one sister wants to keep the culture while the other does not. The when is in the 1980s and the where is in America. Bharati Mukherjee believes in adopting America’s culture and leaving her own behind. She states, “I was opting for fluidity, self-invention, blue jeans, and T-shirts.” (Mukherjee, 2013, p. 2).
Mukherjee also retains a green card and is a citizen of America. Her sister, Mira, did not abandon her tradition. She still wears saris and observes other aspects of Indian tradition. She also does not have US citizenship and believes she will go back to India after she has retired. The removal of alien benefits is likely to negatively impact her more than Bharati. In conclusion, Bharati Mukherjee explains the opposing ways of being an American immigrant. Mukherjee adopted American culture and left behind her own while her sister Mira holds on to her culture and retains her identity as an Indian woman. The conflict at the heart of the narrative is the effect that removing alien benefits is likely to have for Mira and hundreds of thousands more like her who hold on to their native citizenship.
Reference
Mukherjee, B. (2013). Two ways to belong in America. In Away (pp. 271-274). Routledge.