“Clothes” is written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It is a short story about an Indian-American woman, Sumita, who is about to embark on a new chapter of her life, marriage. Sumita, throughout the story, is nervous and confused about what is to come next in her life. The story begins in the women’s lake with Sumita and her friends, Deepali and Radha. The groups of friends are preparing Sumita for her big day, meeting her soon to be husband for the first time. Deepali jokes saying how Sumita is already dreaming of her husband when she has yet to meet him. Sumita is to marry a man by the name of Somesh, then travel to California to live with him and his parents. When Sumita sees the sari that she is to wear when she meets Somesh, she is nearly …show more content…
For example, when the audience learns that Somesh dies, it is very shocking because there was no back story, and the author was writing the story as if it were to have a happy ending, Somesh and Sumita were just beginning to fall in love. When the author abruptly breaks the audience’s hearts, she then goes back to explain what happened to Somesh. Doing this puts the audience on an emotional rollercoaster and captures the reader’s attention, drawing them deeper into the story. The author does not always use this skipping ahead wisely; it can be confusing at times and catches the reader off guard. It forces the audience to go back and reread until they understand what she is …show more content…
Divakaruni was born in Calcutta India and also moved to the United States, except her reasoning was to obtain a college degree. She received her Master’s Degree from Wright State University then received her PhD from the University of California. Sumita briefly mentions a movie she once saw in Calcutta, which is the birthplace of the author. These were not the only similarities between the author and main character. Sumita begins to dream of working at the “exotic” 7-Eleven, like her husband. To pay for college, Divakaruni worked as a store clerk. Sumita pictures herself teaching a “classroom of girls in blond pigtails and blue uniforms”, the author is currently a professor in Texas, teaching creative writing. Arranged Marriage is Divakaruni’s debut book. She wrote poems before, but this was her first collection of short stories. That being said, pulling bits and pieces from her personal life and incorporating them into “Clothes” may have been the easiest way to capture emotion and make the readers feel for the
In Notes From a Midnight Driver there was a huge plot twist. At the end of Sols song the judge said to him “Dad [and] Sol had the strangest expression on his face. ‘Judy.” Sol said. (225 Notes From a Midnight Driver ) This event was a surprise for the reader, Alex, and even Sol. The plot twist connected many pieces and changed the whole novel. In Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie the technique of cliffhangers was used. The chapter ‘Fear,Gum, and Candy’ ended with “ I figured out how to save some money and Annette fell down the stairs.”( 185 Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie) After this chapter it left the reader wondering what that meant and wanting to know more. Both techniques Jordan Sonnenblick used kept the reader
Perfect: adj. \ˈpər-fikt\ 1. Entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings, is the first definition you find on dictionary.com for the word (perfect). Is this actually possible to attain? Has anyone actually ever been perfect? Or is it all in the eye of the beholder? These questions are asked by almost every girl, as we dream to one day reach the unattainable. This is especially true at the tender age of fifteen, where nothing seems to be going right with our bodies and everything is changing in us. This poem stresses the fact that as everyone realizes how unrealistic this dream is, the knowledge makes no difference to the wish. Marisa de los Santos comments on this in her poem “Perfect Dress”. The use of verbose imagery,
In times of turmoil for the church, intellectuals and scholars who defended Christians against accusations from outsiders were dubbed the Christian Apologists. They included people like Justin Martyr in the 100s A.D., Augustine of Hippo in 300s - 400s A.D, and Tertullian in 100s - 200s A.D. Tertullian wrote pieces on philosophy in the church, prayer, and baptism. He was one of several apologists to write about God being three separate ‘things’, but Tertullian was the first to name the Son, Spirit, and Father as the Trinity. He was one of many to write against women in the church, but he was the most vulgar and profane. Tertullian’s publication, On the Apparel of Women, is characterized by his mimicking of Paul’s writings in the New Testament, paradoxes and hypocrisies throughout, obvious misogyny by a modern standard, and men’s harmful view in a time where I, as a woman, would not be allowed to learn to read and write if my husband or father deemed it so. Not only did he insult a women’s place in the church as others did, he attacked a women’s place in anything. In the centuries after he lived, his teachings aren’t as influential in the church, but his base ideals are still part of our society as out dated standards.
My Dadima Wears a Sari is a story about a young India-American granddaughter fascinated by the fact that her grandmother wears saris, which is a traditional wrap dress worn by Indian women. Since neither the mother nor the little girl and her sister wear saris, the granddaughter implores her grandmother about the reason for wearing saris and all the different functions the piece of clothing possesses. Lovingly, the grandmother explained why she wore saris and then adorned the little girls in the traditional Indian attire. Throughout the story and illustrated pictures, this book depicts what it is like for children to have a close family member of a unique cultural
The Dressmaker (2015), directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, explores Myrtle ‘Tilly’ Dunnage’s dramatic return to her small hometown of Dungatar, a ‘dump’ located in the middle of nowhere in the Australian outback. Sent away from the town as a child after being held responsible for a murder, Tilly has returned to seek resolution of her murky memories and to take revenge on those who mistreated her. Now a talented dressmaker, Tilly uses her skills to manipulate the townspeople into revealing the intricate secrets that led to her exile. Throughout the film, powerful symbolism present in fire, mirrors and clothing signifies Tilly’s resolution from past issues.
For the most part, the readers are left on edge considering on what could happen next in these terrible
example, the author leaves the end of the story open to interpretation, which forces the reader to
So when Sourdi started dating the boy their family had hired to wash dishes at their restaurant, Duke, Nea never considered him to be a “fork in the road, dividing [Nea’s] life with Sourdi from Sourdi’s life with men” (Chai 84). Nea underestimated Sourdi and Duke’s relationship and overestimated her and Sourdi’s bond. Soon enough, their mother caught on and ended up firing Duke, but Duke and Sourdi continued to fall in love with each other. Nea wasn’t surprised that Duke, the “funny-looking white kid”, fell in love with her sister (Chai 84). Sourdi is so beautiful that she had some beauty to spare and Nea would sometimes pretend that she was beautiful too. Where Sourdi was smooth, Nea had angles; where Sourdi was soft, Nea had bone (Chai 84). Sourdi is reserved and calm in contrast to Nea who is quite outspoken and rigid. Regardless of their differences, Sourdi and Nea remained close; that was until Sourdi was arranged to be married to a much older gentleman, Mr. Chhay, at the tender age of eighteen.
This short story is about a young Indian woman named Sumita, her impending arranged marriage and subsequent trip to America, which is symbolized by the color and type of her clothes. The author utilizes color symbolism to express the emotional changes that Sumita is going through and how she uses colors to keep her grounded with her Indian beliefs during her transition from girl to bride-to-be to an Indian-American to widow. There are many examples of colors that represent established Indian beliefs and religion are mentioned throughout the story.
For example, when something happens in the wreck center, Francis is in the shadows, listening to it all; “But I knew what they were doing- the thought streaked through my mind so fast that it could hardly be acknowledged. (Page 96). This grabs the reader’s attention because it makes them wonder what is going to happen next. It makes the readers wonder what is in store for the rest of the story. Adding a little foreshadowing at the end of a chapter always tends to excite readers.
For example, the ending action happens when it shows the reader that the majority of the story was a unique flashback as they read "The boy watched this, as now he sometimes drives The five miles out-of-way to see that house again." (Prunty
The short store “Clothes” by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is about a young Indian woman, Sumita, and her cultural transition to America that is symbolized by her clothes and the color of her clothes. The traditional Indian attire for a woman is a sari and each one has its own purpose. Her clothes also indicate her progression from daughter, to wife, to woman.
This is all to have them anticipate the ending and the solving of the mystery, to keep them gripped. Even the very title of the novel is unclear and does well to conjure up ideas inside the readers mind. It is only until the whole story is took in and the ending is unveiled that the reader can fully appreciate and understand
People are the sum of their different traits, but too often, we tend to define each other by one specific quality. Dai Sijie’s 2001 publication Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress demonstrates this in the form of two young men and how they consider their female companion. The Narrator and his friend Luo are being reeducated in a village in Communist China. Along the way, they both become captivated by the tailor’s daughter, the Seamstress. However, they only see her for her physical beauty, and for her potential to become “civilized”. By the novel’s end, the boys are forced to reassess their narrow views and come to recognize the Seamstress as her own multifaceted person.
It also allows the reader to critically read the story and analyse the character, his use of language, and the story itself. Often flashback techniques are used to also show the reader if the character has changed at all from before the event until the present where he or she is telling the story.