Kala : The Journal of Indian Arts History Congress

ISSN : 0975-7945

Personal Disappointments and Patriarchal Bias defining the Collective

Identity of the Voluntary Migrants of the Indian Diaspora as espoused in the
Novels of Anne Cherian
Rohini K Potti, Assistant Professor Department of English Government College, Kasaragod,
Kerala. Email id- [email protected], [email protected]

Abstract:
Diasporic literature has evolved into a forcible entity displaying myriad identities.
Historically, Diaspora accounted for an exploited community forming the marginalized minority.
Their writings constantly echoed a yearning to return to their homeland and problematised the
search for identity. But over the centuries, new diasporas have come up whose world-view and
attitude are also re-oriented. Anne Cherian presents a cross-section of the Voluntary Migrants of
the Indian diaspora through her novels “A Good Indian Wife” (2009) and “The Invitation”
(2012). Unlike typical diasporic writings where the characters exhibit a sense of lost identity in a
foreign land or show a longingness for one’s mother land, Anne Cherian’s characters are neither
nostalgic about the past nor do they express any inclination to return to the home land. Her
characters have chosen to leave India and settle for a better life in America. Within this re-
organised framework, the succeeding generations are experiencing countless issues associated
with wish fulfillment, social acceptance and elitist identity. Hence unfulfilled expectations on a
personal and social level are ostracizing individuals to exhibit escapist behavior and end up as a
social recluse. Professional success and money as touchstone of personal accomplishment are
equated with the standard for social recognition and happiness. While her Indian male characters
feature the typical phenomenon of ‘white fever’ through their fetish for white women, the female
characters prefer the practice of ‘hypergamy’ or ‘hiergamy’. The feature of ‘benevolent sexism’
establishes the patriarchal tradition of subjugation. Their fears and struggles are adequately
captured in Anne Cherian’s novels affirm that the characters finally find solace in the Indianness,
the very quality which they have tried hard to shed. This paper discusses these novels as a
statement of the altered struggles and the newer dimensions into which the Diaspora society has
re-shaped itself thereby forming the quintessential voices of the Indian Diaspora.
Keywords:Indian Diaspora, Unfulfilled Expectations, Social Acceptance, White Fever,
Hypergamy, Benevolent Sexism.

Introduction:
Diaspora is a historical reality which evolved into a cultural entity. “Any group living
in displacement” (Clifford 302) is termed a Diaspora. Diasporic communities found in several
parts of the world are different types based on why and how they were formed. If Colonization
had been one major reason for the forced dispersal of certain communities across the earth,
wishful migration to affluent countries in search of a prosperous future defined the post-colonial
picture of many a diasporic society. There have been diasporas created through political exiles.
In recent times, we once again witnessed forceful migration owing to climatic disaster, war and
similar unprecedented unforeseen perils.
Ashcroft defines a Diaspora as “the voluntary or forcible movements of the peoples from the
homelands into new regions” (68). Diaspora people experienced the trauma of separation from
one’s familiar surroundings and loved ones. These people clung to each other forming the first
generation of diaspora and carried with them the fond memories of their native land and they

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tried to preserve them in all possible measures in an unknown country by practicing customs and
indulging in ceremonies which bound them to their past life. These cultural sediments were the
ties that kept them connected to their native land however loose and invisible they may be. One
major positive outcome is the fact that their personal experience found a poignant expression in
the literary works which they produced. The writings of the Indian Diaspora have attained a
phenomenal stature in World Literature. The sense of insecurity, lost identity, uncertainty,
hopelessness, existential angst owing to displacement, search for identity, nostalgic alienation, an
intense longing for the home land formed the major themes of their writings. Their successors
formed the second and third generation of immigrants who too carried a vague, exaggerated,
convoluted memory of their forefathers’ native land and its people.
If this initial settlement of Diaspora called the Forced Diaspora was formed against their will,
another cluster of Diasporic community was shaped during the post-colonial, post-independent
India when starting from the 1970s and 1980s there was a steady flow of young Indians, both
male and female, who went to the West especially USA called the ‘land of the free’ in search of
a better future. In a lecture titled “The Diasporic Imaginary and the Indian Diaspora” given at
Victoria University of Wellington, Prof. Vijay Mishra quotes Arjun Appadurai’s statement that
diasporic mobility and migration are the condition of the future nation state (Appadurai, 1996, as
cited in Mishra, 2005). In addition to the general themes associated with the writings of the
Diaspora writers, this new, confident, born-to-rule-the-world type of immigrant diaspora
discussed multiple modern arguments in their literary works. This Willful or Voluntary Diaspora
is less nostalgic, lacks the longingness to return, there is a conscious rejection of one’s past and
home land, exclusion, non-acceptance, unsuccessful imitation of foreign culture, over eagerness
to be accepted by the new community, sense of inferiority when rebuffed by the foreigners,
afraid of failure and experiences of unfulfilment.
The forced-willful dichotomy is the decisive factor defining the themes of the diasporic
literature. We generally find that the fiction that is modeled on the willful community of first
generation of immigrants in the West as experiencing far less nostalgic connections to their home
land. They had opted to move out and hence lack a longingness to return. Their closest blood
relation in the form of parents and siblings are the only ones that prevent them from severing all
connections with their homeland. They definitely do not want their children to live in India.
Foreign country offered the silver lining to their personal lives. But their struggles too were
equally hard. They had to fight phantom demons of non-acceptance, exclusion etc in order to
assert their identity. They also experienced existential angst and many a time ended up as victims
of unfulfilled expectations. Moreover, such characters are also weighed down by the features of
Patriarchal bias, the Indian trait which they have been unable to get rid of. In many a works
belonging to the willful category, we find the personal experience of White Fever, the social
phenomenon of Hypergamy and the Patriarchal force of Benevolent Sexism shaping the
characters and their action.
Anne Cherian’s novels tell the story of such immigrants who moved to the USA, the land of
opportunities on their own accord in search of an excellent fortune. She has written two novels –
A Good Indian Wife(2008) and The Invitation(2012). The novels explore how the various
characters relate as individuals to their family, friends and the two countries.
A Good Indian Wife (2008) is a domestic fiction that tells the story of Leila Krishnan and Suneel
Sarath. Suneel aka Neel is an anesthesiologist in San Francisco. He comes from a small town in
South India. He has a secretive liaison with his blonde secretary Caroline. His parents want him
to marry an Indian girl. Thattappa, his grand father to whom he is very close, feigns illness . He

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is brought back to India and he ends up marrying Leila, a small town Indian girl. Leila teaches in
a College and is well past the ‘marriageable age’. She marries Suneel and they both start their
life in America. To her horror, Suneel continues his secretive relationship with Caroline. Finally,
how Leila wins her husband back forms the plot of the story.
Anne Cherian narrates the story of the ‘Gang of four’- Jay, Frances, Vic and Lali, from different
parts of India who went to pursue an MBA at UCLA in the United States of America in her
novel The Invitation(2012). After the completion of their studies all settle as permanent residents
in America. Everything goes according to their plan until several years later each realize that
they have ended up in a difficult phase in their life and none had seen it coming during the
carefree, propitious college days. But their own individual nature and the events of the past life
both in India and at UCLA had led to their current state in life. The story revolves around an
invitation send by Vikram Jha aka Vic to all his friends to attend a party that he was hosting to
celebrate his son Nikhil’s graduating from MIT. When friends receive his invitation, they are
eclipsed by both excitement and apprehension. The story moves back and forth in time as the
characters narrate the past incidents interspersed with present events.
The willful diaspora imitates and shapes their lives in the mould of the white man’s life. They
reveal an intense yearning to assimilate and accommodate to the foreign way of life. Vic’s son
Nikhil, Frances and Jay’s daughter Mandy, Lali’s son Aaron is all victim’s of their parents’
obsession for the white man’s way of life. Anne’s narratives are about such struggles to conform
to a land and its culture which they have lovingly selected. Even their names are modified so
that it sounds more anglicized. So Suneel introduces himself as Neel, Vikram becomes Vic,
Jayanth is Jay, Srinivasan Thiruvengaram is Sam. Leila in A Good Indian Wife states the truth
when she says, “Men who changed their names and their countries were not to be trusted”(185).
The phenomenon of ‘white fever’ occurs frequently through both the novels. White fever refers
to the Indian’s obsession for the white-skinned English woman. This fetish for white women is
explained when Vic’s sexual exploits with white girls in the UCLA campus is narrated. He had
only single night liaison with innumerable number of white girls at UCLA. And it is his
patriarchal hypocrisy that drives him to the decision that he will only have an arranged marriage.
It is more evident in the novel A Good Indian Wife. Suneel’s love for Caroline is not true. In the
past when he was re-buffed by Savannah’s parents for his brown skin, he thought of his relation
with Caroline as the victory of his brown skin over her fair skin. So he continues the relation
with Caroline to get over the failure of his broken relation with Savannah. But it is his Indian
male hypocrisy that refuses to marry Caroline for she is a mere Secretary while he himself is a
Doctor and hence cannot marry below status. Thus Neel in A Good Indian Wife and Vic in The
Invitation reveal the phenomenon of ‘white fever’. Lali’s marriage to Jonathan Feinstein, the
Jewish-American doctor is another example of the infatuation towards the white people.
The injustices and inconsistencies are brought out further when the Indian male’s sexual
adventure with white women goes uncriticised and is regarded as passable and even seen as an
instance of the victory of the male ego, such behaviour from the Indian female is unacceptable.
Thus while characters like Leila is expected to forgive Suneel for his extra-marital affair and
continue to tolerate and respect him and Priya has to put up with Vic’s superior ego, society is
unforgiving towards the very same mistake committed by Frances and Lali. Lali’s loss of her
virginity jeopardizes her chance at an arranged marriage. Frances’ revelation of the past episode
with Rich O’ Sullivan unsettles her married life. But Vic and Suneel’s adherence to ‘white fever’
is by and large acceptable.

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The practice of ‘hypergamy’ or ‘hiergamy’ is observed in both the novels. According to the
socio-psychologist, it is the desire to marry above one’s socio-economic status. It is largely noted
in women who prefer rich male and this practice is highly prevalent in a male patriarchal society
like India. The Indian parents scheme and plot to find an eligible suitor whose every other
character flaw can be over looked if he is rich. Leila, Priya, Frances, Lali are all practitioners of
‘hiergamy’ who consider marriage as the definitive step to climb the social ladder. The Indian
parents are portrayed as worried over the marriage prospects of their daughters and consider an
NRI groom as a perfect jack-pot.
The feature of ‘benevolent sexism’ is another prominent theoretical framework found in these
novels. It refers to the over-protective nature of the male towards the female. But in reality it
only reinforces the patriarchal tradition of subjugation.
However, women are also faced with a more understated type of prejudice called
benevolent sexism, in which women are stereotyped as affectionate, delicate, and
sensitive (Glick et al. 763-775; Frye). Those who hold benevolent sexist beliefs
conceptualize women as weak individuals who need to be protected and provided
for (Glick and Fiske, The ambivalent sexism inventory 491-512). Although these
traits and attitudes seem to encompass behaviors that favor women, research has
shown that benevolent sexism is just as oppressive as hostile sexism (Glick and
Fiske, An ambivalent alliance 109-118).
Vic’s relation to his wife Priya, Neel’s attitude towards Leila expresses instances of ‘benevolent
sexism’. The over-concern for the well-being of their female counterpart is in reality the
Patriarchy’s classic attempt at restricting the women from actualising their true potential. Indian
females are laid down by the burden of guilt and are compelled by the Indian cultural upbringing
to feel grateful towards their male partners and consider them as ‘saviours’. The Indian male
characters leading a comfortable life in America see themselves as the benefactors of
‘benevolent sexism’ by acting over-protective towards their Indian wives. These ladies on their
part delight in being the beneficiaries.
Yet benevolent sexism placates women while still maintaining men’s power by
encouraging women to remain in traditional roles. Benevolently sexist attitudes
suggest that women are purer and nicer than men, but also mentally weaker and
less capable. Benevolent sexism has various intrapersonal and interpersonal
manifestations that have conditioned some women to physically, mentally, and
emotionally rely on male partners or family members, making it extremely
difficult for them to resist this oppressive ideology (Glick and Fiske 109-118).
Like Leila, who suffers in silence, “women who adhere to these stereotypes, which are rooted in
benevolent sexism, are rewarded with adoration” (Glick and Fiske 109-118). Leila’s personal
struggle and quiet suffering are conveniently overlooked when Neel returns to her unashamedly.
Thus “women are able to legitimize benevolent sexism even though it promotes their own
subjugation” (Becker and Wright 62-77; Connelly and Heesacker 432-443). By approving
benevolent sexism, society is promoting gender inequality.
Though Vic and Jay have denounced India, Indianness has not left them. It manifests itself on
several occasions when both prefer a virgin wife even though their own integrity has to be
questioned. The dictatorial nature of Vic is established when he openly declares that “This is an
Indian house”(133). Like a typical Indian male, he is bossy, orders everyone around and prefers a
submissive wife though he claims to be open-hearted. Vic is an epitome of Benevolent Sexism
whose caring and protective nature is a façade that hides his male hypocrisy. Vic strongly

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believes and repeatedly states that his family should be grateful to him because he is providing
every imaginable comfort to them. Again Jay’s longing for a boy-child after two girls and Vic’s
adamant decision that Nikhil, his son should inherit his business enterprise asserts the Indian
male’s patriarchal chauvinism.
The personal disappointments experienced by each character are the result of unfulfilled
expectations which in turn is the outcome of equating name, fame and money with success and
happiness. The four friends in the novel The Invitation gives in to the Indian pressure of
education and status and looks and makes their as well as others’ life miserable. Their whole life
had been one huge attempt to shake off past unpleasantness and satisfy long unfulfilled
yearnings. But in the process, they not only leave their own expectations unfulfilled but also fail
to fulfil the expectations of their loved ones. Jay’s quip over BMW as the abbreviation for
Brown Man’s Wheels and Frances’ take on MIT for Mighty Indian Triumph brings to the fore
their inferiority complex and jealousy. The metaphor of ‘yeast’ for explaining success confirms
the ‘rising’ disappointment. When Mandy fails her parents, it was Nikhil who consoles her
saying, “I guess you’re going against the stereotype of the superachieving, nerdy Indian
American”(169).
As Vic says, this “land does not allow us to rest” (83) nor does it gives contentment. Inspite of
staying in America for several decades, they have not become an adept at “playing the immigrant
game”(152). Life in America is equated with “bigger and better successes”(28) but their life
proves otherwise.
Diaspora is not always about the urge to return. It also tells stories of those who look down upon
one’s mother land and praises the alien country. Vic makes a constant attempt to hide his life of
drudgery in a remote village in India yet carrying with him the megalomaniac behaviour of an
Indian male. Nikhil’s dream to pursue a career in cooking and his intention of visiting India
infuriates Vic because it reminds him of the past that he had tried so hard to erase even from his
memories over the years. Vic constantly reminds that “We came here to excel, to give our
children opportunities they would never have in India” (23).
Anne Cherian comments, “I was interested in pursuing the notion of success in The Invitation:
how it is defined when an immigrant first arrives, and how it changes, depending on
circumstances”. They become adept at concealing their failures and hiding disappointments.
When Indians immigrate, the usual assumption is that they are living extraordinary lives, which
is why Frances and Jay want to project an ideal family in the novel The Invitation and Lelia in A
Good Indian Wife does not reveal her predicament to her family back in India. There are also
other not-so-minor episodes lurking in the margins. Indian American society is highly
judgmental and each character hides facts for fear of being gossiped upon and socially excluded.
Lali’s truth about her son’s year-off at college, Frances’ about her under-achieving daughter
Mandy, Lelia being secretive about Neel’s extra-marital affair are some examples of hypocrisy
and falsehood. Hence each character tries to figure out the hidden failure in other people’s stories
in order to feel better about oneself.
James Clifford who identified Diasporas as “double spaces or sites” was originally referring to
the native land as well as the foreign land of the forced diaspora community (302-338). The
classification characterizes willful diaspora community too. But the two spaces can be differently
interpreted. The foreign land which they have willfully chosen forms the first physical space
whereas a second space exists within their minds, an invisible thought-space forming the mental
configuration.

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The central characters around which the novels develop don’t encounter any ‘outword’ struggle
concerning their life in a foreign land because they themselves have chosen America, as the land
of opportunities. Their struggles are turned ‘inwardly’ and have to fight it out with the mounting
pressure from the accumulating interferences by other Indians in USA and India. In these novels
the characters are unable to free themselves from the expectations and pressures of the Indian
culture as well as the American culture. All are troubled by their choices made and decisions
taken. Leila resolves to follow the Indian tradition to ‘keep quiet’ for fear of annoying her
mother. She also does not want to thwart the future of her younger sisters. Thus as she says, “we
absorb, pretend and soldier on”(187). America is a land of promise and hope as many assume.
They try to assimiliate to the American way of life but the country views them as aliens. In the
case of their children, however, the kids encounter troubles to assimilate with the American
culture into which they are born. The younger generation faces cultural issues of racism.
For Nikhil and Mandy, the struggle of growing up in America is far greater than that experienced
by their parents. They are ‘outsiders’ in the eyes of the whites. But they also donot belong to
India as their knowledge and understanding regarding the Indian culture is remote owing to their
parents’ emotional distancing from India. They live forever in a No-man’s land, a territory of
social distancing and emotional estrangement. This accounts for Mandy’s bouts of depression
and Nikhil’s yearning to follow his dream. America does not sympathise with them nor can they
relate to India. It is they who struggle in order to gain a purpose and direction in life.
Priya’s cousin Rajesh’s untimely death reveals the ugly picture of the hard working Indians in
America whose death is as insignificant as their life. Jonathan, the doctor who had sensed the
symptoms in Rajesh is agitated when he thinks that he had not taken any steps to avert the
catastrophe. Jonathan is shoved aside by other Indian doctors present at the party “as the odd
one” and this act puts the whole thing in a newer perspective. Though Jonathan, the white doctor
has married an Indian woman and is loved by all, in a moment of crisis, “Indians sure close in on
their own” and “had refused to let him be part of their fraternity”(222).
Anne Cherian’s biographical details provide the skeletal framework upon which she has
structured her diaspora characters. Anne Cherian was born and brought up in Jamshedpur, India
and has moved to California but visits India regularly. Her mother is a Jewish American and her
father an Indian. Anne Cherian is thus successful in articulating “the new nuances of cultural
disparities and discontinuities of the immigrant world” through her novels. Though the several
characters were successful to cross-over the geographical boundaries of a nation, they could not
transcend their own past life which constantly haunts them and demeans their current status in
life, be it on a personal level or in relation to others. Thus America, the new metaphor for a
Perfect life, has not fulfilled all their expectations and left them imperfect.

Conclusion:
Compared to the literary classics in disaporic writings, Anne Cherian’s novels appear
shallow. Yet the limited world view portrayed is true in accordance with the cross section of the
Indian society. These novels bring to the fore certain behavioural traits of middle class Indians,
both female and male. Indian men may be educated and cultured yet their Indian patriarchal
upbringing reflects in their words and deeds. Their attitude towards the female counterparts
oscillates between dictatorial nature and over-concern for their well-being. Also, their
association with the white women show the cultural hostility. Indian women are figured as
educated and sophisticated. Still they revel in the over-protective embrace of the men thereby
perpetuating the patriarchal subjugation. The behaviour of all the Indian women characters in

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both the novels supports the argument. As the narration progresses, each of the character reveals
his/her hidden selves and as we reach the end, we find them breaking their ‘outward appearance’
and coming to terms with their ‘new found self’. It can be summed up that though the different
characters have left India and settled into a life of luxury and comfort in America, they could not
shake off the patriarchal conceptualisation of Indianness.

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