Historical Context
The story is set in the late 1990s, reflecting a historical context in India that remains relevant today. Divakaruni explores the cultural struggles faced by Indians who have immigrated to America, paralleling similar conflicts experienced in India during the late 1990s, which persist to this day. India, one-third the size of the United States, is the world's seventh-largest country by area. However, in terms of population, it ranks second, with over one billion inhabitants. This vast population is made up of several distinct ethnic and religious groups. Despite attempts to foster a unified national identity that accommodates these groups, conflicts among them still occur.
The most significant clashes involve religion. Over 80 percent of India's population is Hindu, while Muslims constitute a notable portion of the remainder. Hinduism, often considered one of the oldest religions globally, lacks a single founder and a set doctrine, encompassing various, sometimes contradictory, religious movements. It is known, however, that Hinduism has influenced India's ancient social caste system, which persists among most Indians regardless of their religion. A caste is a strict social class determining individuals' rights and duties. People are born into their caste and are generally expected to marry within it.
The four traditional castes are the Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (merchants), and Shudras (laborers). These caste distinctions are based on the levels of pollutants—such as blood, saliva, dirt, and leather—that members of each caste traditionally encounter. An unofficial fifth caste, known as the untouchables, represents the lowest tier, as their occupations and lifestyles expose them to high levels of pollutants. Although discrimination against lower castes is officially banned, it still exists. Toward the end of the twentieth century, Hindu groups initiated a significant nationalist movement, pressuring non-Hindus to adopt Hindu practices. This created confusion among many non-Hindus in India, given the somewhat nebulous nature of Hinduism. Moreover, many practices commonly associated with Hinduism, such as avoiding contaminants, were already observed by non-Hindus. As part of the Hindu nationalist agenda, pro-Hindu factions also sought to curtail the rights of minorities like Muslims. These collective efforts resulted in violent conflicts between Hindus and Muslims.
In the late 1990s, India encountered conflicts with its neighboring countries on the Indian subcontinent, most notably Pakistan. Pakistan, once part of India, became an independent nation when the British relinquished control in 1947. The predominantly Muslim Pakistan and India had an ongoing border dispute stemming from the 1947 partition that granted both nations their independence.
In 1998, this long-standing conflict escalated when India conducted nuclear weapons tests. In response, Pakistan carried out its own nuclear tests.
Literary Style
Setting
The setting plays a crucial role in this story, highlighting the stark contrasts between life in India and life in America for Indian immigrants. Mrs. Dutta, Sagar, and Shyamoli were all born in India, but while Sagar and Shyamoli have embraced American culture, Mrs. Dutta continues to adhere to traditional Indian customs. Mrs. Dutta frequently observes these cultural differences. For instance, unlike Indian women, Shyamoli often voices her frustrations. ‘‘Mrs. Dutta did not remember that the Indian Shyamoli, the docile bride . . . pursed her lips in quite this way to let out a breath at once patient and exasperated.’’ Additionally, Shyamoli instructs Mrs. Dutta in ways that contradict their shared Hindu beliefs. For example, Shyamoli asks Mrs. Dutta to save uneaten food: ‘‘But surely Shyamoli, a girl from a good Hindu family, doesn’t expect her to put contaminated jutha things with the rest of the food.’’ However, Shyamoli, who has become as American as her environment, does expect Mrs. Dutta to go against her ingrained habits and religious convictions. Ultimately, Mrs....
(This entire section contains 660 words.)
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Dutta finds herself unable to conform and decides to return to India.
Flashback
The current events in the story unfold over two days of Mrs. Dutta’s visit to her son’s family in America. However, this is only part of the narrative. The other half is composed of flashbacks that provide the reader with deeper insights into specific aspects of Indian culture and the cultural clash between Indian and American ways of life. For instance, while Mrs. Dutta is getting ready in the bathroom on the second morning, she hears Mrinalini complaining about the time Mrs. Dutta is taking, which Mrs. Dutta finds disrespectful. She ‘‘hopes that Shyamoli will not be too harsh with the girl’’ and then recalls all the times she had to discipline Sagar. ‘‘Whenever she lifted her hand to him, her heart was pierced through and through. Such is a mother’s duty.’’ When the story returns to the present, Shyamoli does not punish Mrinalini, further highlighting the cultural differences.
Some flashbacks are more recent, occurring after Mrs. Dutta has already arrived at her son’s house. For example, when Mrs. Dutta secretly hand-washes her clothes out of fear of the American washing machine, she remembers asking Sagar to set up a clothesline for her so she could wash her own clothes. Shyamoli objected, stating that people in their neighborhood do not do that and told Mrs. Dutta to keep her dirty clothes in a hamper in her room until the end of the week when the family does laundry. ‘‘Mrs. Dutta agreed reluctantly. She knew she should not store unclean clothes in the same room where she kept the pictures of her gods. That would bring bad luck.’’
Imagery
The narrative also presents numerous contrasting images that highlight the clash between Indian and American cultures. For instance, in America, Mrs. Dutta uses "her metal tongue cleaner" but dislikes "the minty toothpaste" used by Sagar’s family, as it "does not leave her mouth feeling as clean as the bittersweet neem stick she’s been using all her life." Another example of contrasting imagery is found in the food. When Mrs. Dutta prepares a traditional Indian meal, it involves a meticulous process: "With practiced fingers she throws an assortment of spices into the blender: coriander, cumin, cloves, black pepper, a few red chiles for vigor. No stale bottled curry powder for her." This intricate image starkly contrasts with the "burritos from the freezer" that Mrs. Dutta knows her grandchildren prefer. Furthermore, when Mrs. Dutta gazes out the window of her son’s house, where one can "stare for hours and not see one living soul," she recalls vivid images of her life in India. She remembers "vegetable vendors with enormous wicker baskets balanced on their heads," "peasant women with colorful tattoos on their arms," and even animals like the "cows that planted themselves majestically in the center of the road, ignoring honking drivers."
Media Adaptations
The Best American Short Stories 1999, featuring the story "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter," was also released as an audiobook in the same year. This audiobook, available on four cassettes, is published by Mariner Books. The story "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter" is narrated by Divakaruni.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Aldama, Frederick Luis, Review of The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, in World Literature Today, Vol. 76, No. 1, Winter 2002, pp. 112–13.
Bose, Sudip, Review of The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, in New York Times Book Review, Vol. 106, No. 26, July 1, 2001, p. 16.
Divakaruni, Chitra, ‘‘Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter,’’ in The Best American Short Stories 1999, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999, pp. 29–47.
Review of The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, in Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2001.
Review of The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, in Publishers Weekly, Vol. 248, No. 11, March 12, 2001, p. 61.
Seaman, Donna, Review of The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, in Booklist, Vol. 97, No. 13, March 1, 2001, p. 1187.
Further Reading
Arnett, Robert, India Unveiled, Atman Press, 1999. Arnett, a non-Indian enthusiast of India, provides a comprehensive overview of India’s geography, population, and culture. The book covers the country region by region and includes over two hundred photographs and seven detailed maps.
Henderson, Carol E., Culture and Customs of India, Greenwood Press, 2002. Henderson’s work explores the daily life of India's one billion inhabitants, who belong to numerous social groups. The book features sections on major aspects of Indian life, such as cuisine, attire, women, marriage, family, and religion.
Lakhani, Mrs., Indian Recipes for a Healthy Heart: 140 Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol, Low-Sodium Gourmet Dishes from India, Fahil Publishing Company, 1992. In Divakaruni’s narrative, Shaymoli is concerned about the high-fat content of traditional Indian dishes prepared by Mrs. Dutta for Sagar’s family. In her cookbook, Mrs. Lakhani demonstrates how to reduce the fat content in many classic Indian meals without compromising flavor. The final section of the book offers insights on spice usage and flavor; explanations of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and sodium; and the cholesterol differences between raw and cooked foods.
Moorhouse, Geoffrey, Calcutta, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1971. In one of the few extensive profiles of Calcutta, Moorhouse explores the social conditions, inhabitants, and politics of this vast city. Although the book is somewhat dated, it provides a glimpse into what life was like in the city during the time Mrs. Dutta would have lived there with her husband and son.
