“Behind the scenes of immigration”
There is no secret that cultural shock and adaptation is a reality that live immigrants. Keeping their culture has always been important for them. But what could possibly change that? In his short story “Hell-Heaven,” Jhumpa Lahiri reveals how immigration can be affective for children who are found trapped between two different cultures. I will demonstrate that the story’s setting, characterization and Aparna’s authority contributes effectively to Usha’s changing.
Firstly, the author uses the setting to show how immigration affects children. Indeed, surrounded by a total different culture, Usha is caught getting influenced by the American lifestyle. Deborah’s presence plays a huge role in Usha’s change. She gets influenced by Deborah and envies her life. They get so close than she sees
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We can definitely see a drastic change in Usha’s behavior and opinion toward her original culture from the beginning to the end. In her childhood, Usha is a pretty obedient daughter who follows the traditions. As she gets older, she demands more of freedom, she seems more open-minded, in other words, she defines herself more as an American; her culture is not holding her back anymore. Indeed all Usha wants is to be an average person. “I began to grow out of my girlhood, entering middle school and developing crushes amounted on the American boys in my class” (Lahiri 71). She also starts wondering about her future which . She also gets disrespectful with her mother stating that she knows anything about her. She starts lying to her mother, not telling her what she really does; who she had really became. “I told her I was sleeping over at a friend’s when really I went to parties, drinking beer and allowing boys to kiss me and fondle my breasts and press their erections against my hip as we lay groping on a sofa or the back seat of a car” (Lahiri