What Cultural Observations Does Ashima Make About Birthing Practices In The United States And In India?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Ashima thinks, as she waits to deliver her baby, of her new life

in the United States. Ashima was a student and English tutor in India, with a special interest in the poets William Wordsworth and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Why did Ashima and Ashoke move to America?

Because the last piece of advice he received before the crash was to go and see the world, Ashoke moves to America

to study fiber optics

. After an arranged , his wife, Ashima, joins him, and they have two children, Gogol and Sonia, naming the first in honor of Ashoke's past.

How does Ashima feel about giving birth in America?


Ashima thinks, as she waits to deliver her baby, of her new life

in the United States. Ashima was a student and English tutor in India, with a special interest in the poets William Wordsworth and Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

What does Ashima tell Ashoke as soon as they bring their baby home?

Back at home from the hospital with Gogol, Ashima hates living in an unfamiliar culture with a . She tells Ashoke

that he must finish his degree quickly because she

refuses to raise Gogol in a foreign country away from her family.

What happens to Ashoke and Ashima within a decade of moving to America?

After several years in Cambridge, Ashima, Ashoke, and Gogol move to the suburbs,

to a college town where Ashoke has accepted a job as an assistant professor

—despite Ashima's plea that they stay nearer to Boston, since Ashoke also had a job offer at Northeastern.

Why does Ashima pity her baby son?

Ashima felt pity for her son

because she could not spend time with his son

. Explanation: She sent her son to Ganguli to take care of him. But she was constantly worried about his son as if they were bathing, or taking proper care of her son.

Why doesn't Ashima say her husband's name and what does this reveal about her?


Ashima never thinks of her husband's name

when she thinks of her husband, even though she knows perfectly well what it is. She has adopted his surname but refuses, for propriety's sake, to utter his first. It's not the type of thing Bengali wives do. … It's a part of growing up, they tell him, of being a Bengali”.

Who did Gogol marry?


Moushumi

and Gogol are attracted to one another and eventually are married.

Why does Gogol change his name to Nikhil?

Gogol tells his parents that he is changing his name

because he feels that the name Nikhil is more suitable to represent him in adult life

.

Why did Gogol and Ruth break up?

The year after she and Gogol start dating (and become nearly inseparable), she decides to study abroad for a semester at Oxford, and then extends her stay over the summer. Although they stay together during her absence,

when Ruth returns it becomes clear that something has changed between them

, and they break up.

What news does Rana Share with Ashima and Ashoke at the end of chapter 2?

What news does Rana share with Ashima and Ashoke at the end of Chapter 2?

He mentions that he got a new job in America

. He tells them that Ashima's father passed away. He reveals that he got married.

Who else visits baby Gogol in the hospital?


Three family friends, all Bengali—Maya and Dilip Nandi, and Dr. Gupta

—visit the child in the hospital, and Ashoke remarks how fortunate his baby is, when Dr. Gupta gives him a book, since Ashoke had to wait years to own his first, precious volume.

What does Gogol choose at the rice ceremony?

Gogol's rice ceremony, too, is a symbolic event, and Gogol's reluctance to choose

the soil, the pen, or the dollar

will be complicated, later, by his choice of career (architecture) and by his inability to determine his wishes in other aspects of his life.

Did moushumi and Gogol divorce?

Gogol suddenly realized that she was having an affair, and when he asked, Moushumi confessed.

Within weeks, they divorced

and Moushumi moved back to Paris.

Why has Ashima sold the house on Pemberton Road?

Why has Ashima sold the house on Pemberton Road? … Ashima has to sell the house

because it is no longer possible for her to stay now that Sonia is getting married

. She will spend six months in the US and six months is Calcutta. It is true to her name because she will be without borders, a resident everywhere and nowhere.

How does Ashima feel about their move to the suburbs?

The Gangulis move to a Boston suburb, and Ashoke begins a new teaching job at a university. Ashoke loves his job, but Ashima hates the suburbs,

feeling even more isolated and out of place than she had in the heart of the city

.

Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.