Identity Crisis in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Short Story “Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter”

Abstract

Diaspora refers to the dispersion or the spread of people from their homeland to other places. They migrate from their native country to various parts of the world. This term originates from the Greek word diasperein which originally means the forced dispersion of the Jews to various places, as time passes, it refers to the migration of people of all origins. The immigrants face the mixed feelings when they settle in the alien land. Importantly, they experience the alienation, cultural conflict, identity crisis, rootlessness, longing for roots and so on. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is one of the prominent writers in the field of Indian Diaspora Literature. She delineates skillfully the salient features of the life of Indian diaspora in her writings. She dwells deep on the themes like immigration, alienation, identity crisis, quest for belongingness and so on. She is a prolific writer and her short story collection The Unknown Errors of Our Lives is widely acclaimed one. In her stories, she highlights the longing for the roots of the expatriates especially about their cultural and traditional practices. This study aims at an analysis of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s short story “Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter” so as to bring out her treatment of the difficulties faced by the immigrant Indian traditional woman in a foreign land.  Mrs. Prameela Dutta, the protagonist feels alienated in her son’s home in America and she struggles to settle in the alien soil. Her cultural past could not allow her that much easily to assimilate to the features of host country. She undergoes the emotional set back and cultural conflict while attempting to accommodate herself into the new circumstances. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has brought out adeptly Mrs. Dutta’s quest for identity and her struggle to assimilate into the new cultural background.