Movie Provoked and Divakaruni's story The Disappearance - Essay Example

? s Analytical Inter-textual Reflection Paper Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is the ofArranged Marriages which is a book with many short stories including The Disappearance. The title of the book is quite self-explanatory; the stories revolve around married couples who have been set up together through their respective family members and have gotten married without getting to know each other well. It is about their experiences as they – especially the wives – fall down headlong the rabbit hole that is marriage. Jag Mundhra’s movie Provoked is based around similar themes, too. In The Disappearance, there is a seemingly perfectly ordinary couple whose marriage had been arranged together after the man had given his approval of the prospective bride. This is one thing that is quite common in the Indian culture; the man has the choice of choosing his wife whereas the girl is not given the same courtesy. When Kiranjit expresses doubt about her marriage stating that “(she didn’t) even know him”, an acquaintance tells her that “(she doesn’t) need to” (Austin and Gupta). The man in the book, too, has certain ideas in his minds regarding what his wife should be like, he wanted a partner who was “a quiet, pretty girl” and “not brash” (Divakaruni par. 8). Even though he lived in the United States, he still wanted someone who was the epitome of the typical Indian wife and not one who had “too many western ideas” (Divakaruni par. 8). He wanted a meek minded wife who would not interfere with his decisions but was smart enough as to not embarrass him in front of his friends. They get married within the week regardless of the fact that they do not know each other at all. Appearances can be misleading after all. The wife does seem like a spineless creature who follows her husband’s wishes but, in the end, it is she who manages to escape her empty life knowing that her son was safe. In Provoked, Deepak comes off as a charmingly romantic hero who loves Kiranjit but it is after their marriage when he starts showing his true colors, she is “emotionally, physically and sexually abused for ten years” (Austin and Gupta). To an outsider, the marriage written about in The Disappearance is quite good compared to the normal standards. The woman does all the housework and takes care of the son whilst the man goes out to earn money. So when she disappears, everyone thinks that she has come across an accident. For all intent and purposes, the husband does seem to have some good characteristics especially when compared to certain men who consider their wives to be their property. He lets her go out on walks daily so that she can have “time for herself” and is only “happy to watch his little boy” unlike some husbands who consider all the childrearing to be the job of their wives (Divakaruni par. 3). He is proud of himself for “being an honest man” and drills in the importance of the same moral in his son, too (Divakaruni par. 5). He lets her decide on how to furnish the kitchen and what places to visit. He is careful not to hurt her and imagines himself to be “a good husband” who indulges his wife (Divakaruni par. 10). It is not until later that the reader realizes why exactly the wife ran away from him and her child, and how the man is the same as the others but just has the ability to sugarcoat everything. Again, there are the double standards about the Indian male and female regarding the right to say no amongst other things. The husband wanted a smart wife which he got but when she mentions going “back to school” to school, he does not allow her to (Divakaruni par. 10). Kiranjit is not allowed to continue her studies or fulfill her mother’s dream about being a lawyer. He forbids her from getting a job as well as dressing up in American clothes even though they would have helped her fit in the strange, new land. When Kiranjit dresses up in Western clothes, Deepak tells her not to “try and copy white girls, it don't look right” (Austin and Gupta). That is yet another thing about the Indian culture where what the husband says is law. It is not just that the wife tells or asks for advice regarding something, she has to ask for permission and if her offer is turned down, she is to follow the husband’s wishes without any arguments. On the grand scheme of things, not being allowed to get further education is something that is inconsequential when compared to nonconsensual sex between the spouses. The husband thought that his wife was just being shy when she put off his advances as all “well-bred Indian girl(s)” were wont to do (Divakaruni par. 11). So he forces her to get into bed with him ignoring all her protestations against the act that was to be forced on her. She struggles until she eventually stills knowing that there is no escape. It is a similar case with Kiranjit who has been badly treated by her husband to the point that she is afraid of what he could do to their children. It is thought normal in India for the woman to be calm as her husband has her way with her. Again, her wants and needs do not count as long as the husband attains his sexual satisfaction. The wife’s job is to just follow what her husband says and not argue over the matter. She is not allowed to forbid access to her body and if she does so, the man can take her by force and not be called a brute. These are the customs that the Indians grow up around. They permeate into their minds till when they turn into adults and make the same mistakes that their ancestors did i.e. treat their women like cattle not realizing that what they are doing is wrong. Their children watch the life dying out of their mothers and yet they carry on the cycle in the future. Of course, times are changing and the situation is much better today than it was earlier. However, there are still many women who continue living their lives in misery with their husbands. Bibliography Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee. The Disappearance. 1995. Provoked. By Carl Austin and Rahila Gupta. Dir. Jag Mundhra. 2006. Read More