Historical Context

Postcolonial India

Great Britain began its colonization of India in the mid-eighteenth century and spent the next two centuries striving to secure both military and economic control over the region. The process was far from peaceful, exemplified by the tragic events of April 1919, when British troops opened fire on a crowd, resulting in over a thousand Indian casualties. In 1920, Mohandas Gandhi initiated his renowned campaigns of civil disobedience, which culminated in India's independence from Britain in 1947. The period following this independence is known as postcolonial India. Mukherjee was seven years old when India gained its independence, meaning the majority of her life has been spent as a postcolonial Indian.

Additionally, Mukherjee, along with many characters in "The Management of Grief," is part of the vast Indian diaspora. A diaspora refers to the dispersion of a people from their homeland, and for much of the twentieth century, Indians have been migrating abroad to pursue education, employment, and new lives, particularly in Western countries. For example, Mukherjee's father worked in both London and Switzerland for several years before ultimately returning to India. Mukherjee herself moved to the United States via Canada. Salman Rushdie, the acclaimed author of The Satanic Verses, is also part of this widespread movement of Indian people.

A significant challenge for any postcolonial nation and its citizens is to forge an identity that reconciles with the one imposed by the colonizing power, used to serve its interests. Mukherjee, who was educated in Western schools and earned her bachelor's degree in English, found immense value in studying ancient Indian culture during her master's program in India. She believes it is part of her mission to provide non-European immigrants with their own voices in her fiction, voices that transcend the noise and conflict of clashing cultures. This task is especially challenging for those who inherit a legacy dominated by an external power.

Sikhs and Hindus
While the majority of Indian people follow the ancient religion of Hinduism, the fifteenth century saw the emergence of Sikhism, a religion that opposed the caste system inherent in Hinduism and promoted social equality and monotheism. Today, Sikhs comprise only about two percent of India's population, with most residing in the Punjab province, where they share the Punjabi language. The Punjab region was divided between India and Pakistan in 1947 and again between Hindus and Sikhs in 1966. Since 1947, there has been ongoing discussion, which gained momentum in the 1970s and 1980s, among some Sikhs regarding the establishment of an independent Sikh state. Tensions reached a boiling point in 1984 when Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dispatched the Indian Army to restore order, resulting in violent clashes and the deaths of hundreds of Sikhs. In October 1984, two of Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards assassinated her, sparking riots across India.

The conflict between mainstream Hindu India and the Sikhs is part of the "religious and political feuding" that Shaila and her husband "came halfway around the world to avoid." The elderly couple Shaila visits with Judith are Sikhs who left Punjab with their sons just weeks prior. However, political borders could not contain the feuds, and the violence and anger spilled over into Canada, affecting Sikh and Hindu communities there. In 1985, Sikhs claimed responsibility for the bombing of an Air India flight that crashed into the sea off Ireland, killing hundreds of Indo-Canadians. Consequently, Shaila's mixed feelings about the Sikhs she meets stem from a long history of conflict and discord.

Canada's Policy of Multiculturalism

Though it has faced criticism in recent decades, the idea of a cultural melting pot has...

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long been a source of pride for the United States—a society where, in theory, people of various cultures can unite into a single community, a nation of immigrants living together in harmony. In contrast, Canada established an official policy of multiculturalism in 1971, aiming not to blend the nation's cultures into one but to create a "mosaic of cultures" within Canada. Under this policy, the Canadian government acknowledges the autonomy of its many immigrant cultures and endeavors to adapt its services to their unique needs, which some critics argue allows these cultures to segregate into smaller, homogenous communities. Judith Templeton, the social worker who visits Shaila, serves the members of the Indo-Canada Society under the framework of multiculturalism.

Mukherjee finds significant flaws in this policy, which played a major role in her decision to move from Canada to the United States in 1980. Having experienced severe racism in Canada, Mukherjee believes the policy of multiculturalism aggravated the country's racism and served as an excuse for the Canadian government to avoid addressing the issues of its immigrant citizens. In The Sorrow and the Terror, she argues that the policy enabled the Canadian government to ignore growing tensions between Sikhs and other Indians by labeling the problem as an Indian issue, thereby making the government partly responsible for the 1985 Air India bombing. The debate over Canada's multiculturalism policy continues to this day.

Style and Technique

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Literary style is not merely a tool for storytelling; it shapes the narrative, influences the reader’s perceptions, and navigates complex themes. In Bharati Mukherjee's "The Management of Grief," style becomes an integral part of the thematic exploration. Through the interplay of character foils, strategic point of view, dynamic settings, and a distinct literary heritage, the narrative delves into the immigrant experience and the personal grapple with loss and identity.

Contrasting Characters as Foils

The contrast between characters Kusum and Shaila Bhave serves to highlight Shaila's journey in managing her grief. As a foil, Kusum adheres to her traditional values, which become more pronounced when juxtaposed with Shaila’s evolving outlook. Kusum reassures Shaila that their traditional way of life surpasses the seemingly superficial modern expressions of love, remarking on the "fake" nature of it among "modern young girls." This reinforces her adherence to tradition, even as Shaila begins to question these norms. Unlike Kusum, who represses her grief following the directives of her swami, Shaila defies cultural expectations by openly confronting her emotions. Kusum's eventual retreat to an ashram in India further contrasts Shaila's decision to stay in the New World and rebuild her life. This divergence underscores Shaila’s courage and resilience, setting her apart as a character shaped by the courage to forge her own path in the aftermath of tragedy.

Narrative Perspective and Voice

The choice of a first-person point of view is pivotal in "The Management of Grief," allowing Shaila to narrate her own story and internal journey. Mukherjee uses Shaila's voice to articulate the internal conflict and the struggle to find her own identity amidst cultural upheaval. As Shaila wonders "how best to live my life," the first-person narrative becomes essential to express her quest for self-discovery. Mukherjee, through Shaila, embodies the need for immigrants to tell their own stories, especially when no one else will. The immediacy and urgency of the present-tense narration amplify the cultural demands and emotional turmoil Shaila faces, making her journey towards independence and strength more immediate to the reader.

The Role of Setting in Identity and Transition

The geographical and cultural shifts in "The Management of Grief" mirror Shaila's internal transformation and the fluidity of immigrant identity. The narrative traverses Canada, Ireland, and India, with each setting reflecting a stage in Shaila's journey of grief and self-realization. The real-world backdrop of the Air India bombing adds a layer of urgency and authenticity to the story. In Ireland, Shaila finds herself on a symbolic border—a beach that becomes a stage for decisions about identity and belonging. Kusum’s choice to embrace Indian culture by returning to an ashram contrasts with Shaila’s ultimate decision to return to Canada, carrying with her the insights and experiences gained in India. These geographical movements emphasize the complexity of Shaila’s immigrant experience, illustrating both her uncertainty and her eventual decision to embrace her path in the New World.

Literary Heritage and Stylistic Choices

Bharati Mukherjee situates herself within the tradition of immigrant writers, drawing inspiration from figures like V. S. Naipaul and Bernard Malamud. Despite the minimalist trend in American fiction during the 1980s, exemplified by writers like Raymond Carver, Mukherjee adopted a more elaborate style. Her layered narrative structure allows for an in-depth exploration of the immigrant experience, with a richness that minimalism does not afford. Mukherjee believes the immigrant's journey is a vast subject deserving of an expansive style to fully convey its complexity. This belief informs her narrative choices in "The Management of Grief," where style acts as a vessel for the layered, multifaceted lives of her characters, offering a profound reflection on identity, loss, and resilience.

Bibliography and Further Reading

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Sources

Birch, Dinah, "Other People," in London Review of Books, Vol. 11, No. 13, May 6, 1989, pp. 18-19.

Ching-Liang Low, Gail, "In a Free State: Postcolonialism and Postmodernism in Bharati Mukherjee's Fiction," in Women: A Cultural Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1993, pp. 8-17.

Mathur, Suchitra, "Bharati Mukherjee: Overview," in Feminist Writers, edited by Pamela Kester-Shelton, St. James Press, 1996.

Mukherjee, Bharati, "Immigrant Writing: Give Us Your Maximalists!," in New York Times Book Review, August 28, 1988, pp. 1, 28-29.

Raban, Jonathan, review of The Middleman and Other Stories, in New York Times Book Review, June 19, 1988, pp. 1, 22-23.

Rajan, Gita, "Bharati Mukherjee," in Writers of the Indian Diaspora, edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson, Greenwood Press, 1993, pp. 235-42.

Sant-Wade, Arvindra, and Karen Marguerite Radell, "Refashioning the Self: Immigrant Women in Bharati Mukherjee's New World," in Studies in Short Fiction, Vol. 29, No. 1, Winter, 1992, pp. 11-17.

Sharma Knippling, Alpana, "Toward an Investigation of the Subaltern in Bharati Mukherjee's The Middleman and Other Stories and Jasmine," in Bharati Mukherjee: Critical Perspectives, edited by Emmanuel S. Nelson, Garland Publishing, 1993, pp. 143-59.