In this week’s reading, you met a narrator who draws the reading into a short story with a decidedly hushed, slower tone. The couple introduced to us has experienced an unimaginable loss. How might that loss be affected by their cultural dislocation? Draw on the supplemental readings as you consider the question.
In the short story A Temporary Matter, we see a couple that initially worked well as a team. They each had goals and the wife, Shoba, was very organized and took care of them well. After losing their baby, everything changed. The prepared nature of the house prior to this event is now unrecognizable, and the relationship between the two has changed drastically. They hardly interact anymore, struggling to know what to say. The discussions that did finally happen are now just an exchange of confessions, “...the little ways they’d hurt or disappointed each other, and themselves.” (Lahiri, 1991). This dislocation makes it impossible for the couple to continue practicing their cultural beliefs.
According to the Nutrition & Lactation Education center, many practices during and after pregnancy are put into place to ensure the healthy development of children and to set the mother up for a successful recovery postpartum (special diet and nutrition, massages and baths, certain restrictions, etc). Because the couple in the story lost their baby, I believe part of their cultural dislocation is due to perhaps doing the necessary things to ensure a healthy baby and losing it anyway.
Additionally, the BBC website (2009) outlines several different rituals that are to be performed prior to and after having a child. These all serve a different purpose, ultimately to ensure a baby is born healthy. In the story, it’s for this additional reason that the couple may be experiencing cultural dislocation. They had made many preparations for their baby to arrive, and begun to perform some of these rituals. Because the culture has people doing these for many years postpartum, the couple in the story is no longer able to practice this side of their culture’s belief system.
How might this comparison be different for those who have different cultural backgrounds? How might it be the same? What happens when cultural practices-norms to us-are not available to support us?
Comparing this culture’s practices for child bearing to American culture has some key differences. In American culture, a heavy emphasis is placed on medicinal aid during and after childbirth. Comparing these two cultures may be different from the lens of someone from a Latino or Asian culture, as these are also vastly different from American culture.
For example, being displaced from one’s native culture and having to deal with adversities in a new culture impacts who you are following a loss and how you deal with that loss. When living in a culture that is not your own, one may find aid and comfort in the company of others who have different cultural backgrounds. On the other hand, when living in a different culture and dealing with challenges, being alone and without our culture’s norms to support us may inhibit our identity formation and sense of self as the challenge gets resolved.
References
BBC. (2009, August 24). Religions - hinduism: Baby rites. BBC. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ritesrituals/baby.shtml
Lahiri, Jhumpa. “A Temporary Matter.” Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. 1-21.
Learning from India’s postpartum traditions. Nutrition & Lactation Education Rochester NY. (n.d.). https://www.nutritioncareofrochester.com/article.cfm?ArticleNumber=30
Cory,
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, the couple did not do the traditions of India and Hindu culture during pregnancy or afterbirth as they were never mentioned, and I think this was due to cultural dislocation. Had they been surrounded by their culture and its beliefs, these traditions and ceremonies may have happened and potentially would've promote the health of the unborn child, which could have resulted in a different outcome.
I do see the point you made that many of these traditions take place after birth, which this couple did not experience like they would've in a better outcome postpartum, but perhaps still could have been carried out to care for mother as she likely needed even more support and care than a mother who had given birth to a healthy child.
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DeleteHi Brenna,
Delete(I deleted my previous comment because it looked weird, sorry about that)
I did notice that they were going to do the Annaprasana, the child's first taste of solid food, ritual ("Religions," 2009). Shukumar says, "Their baby had never cried, Shukumar considered. Their baby would never have a rice ceremony, even though Shoba had already made the guest list, and decided on which of her three brothers she was going to ask
to feed the child its first taste of solid food, at six months if it was a boy, seven if it was a girl" (Lahiri, 1998). From this, I believe it is possible that they were following through with the culture's traditions on pregnancy and childbirth; however, it is not mentioned specifically that she was eating the specific foods to help promote the health of the child.
References
Lahiri, J. (1998). A temporary matter. The New Yorker. https://moodle.morningside.edu/mod/resource/view.php?id=1149987
Religions - Hinduism: Baby rites. BBC. (2009). https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/ritesrituals/baby.shtml
Hali, thank you for pointing that out. I remember reading the last of the quote but I guess the first half just went over my head. This does make me wonder if they were planned to do traditions for Shoba's health after birth.
DeleteHi Camryn,
ReplyDeleteNot only did the loss create a rift in their relationship, but also the culture's emphasis put on pregnancy and childbirth. They are also feeling a loss of their culture. As you said, the couple is not able to fulfill the traditions and rituals after the birth because of the loss of the baby. Their neighbors around them also do not have a complete understanding of what they are going through because the cultures are different, which also leads to a lack of support from cultural norms.
Cory, I guess I hadn't thought much about the differences in culture when it comes to things like childbirth, but I'm sure it makes a big difference. I have friends that are all over the board when it comes to things like home births vs. hospital, organic vs. traditional farming, etc. Sometimes, they have very strong feelings about these things and build quite a bit of their lifestyles around them. I can't imagine what it must be like to travel from a completely new culture altogether and then try to fit in.
ReplyDelete