ASSIMILATION vs MULTICULTURALISM: A close look at "A Father from Darkness" by Bharati Mukherjee

Ranchi, India: population 1,073,440 in 2011

When immigrants reach the United States they immediately must decide which category they will subscribe to that helps them adjust to the American way of life. Immigrants will either assimilate into their new world completely or practice multiculturalism so they maintain their individual cultural identity for generations to come. In the story, "A Father from Darkness" author Bharati Mukherjee presents the conflict of assimilation versus multiculturalism as the root dilemma effecting a family who immigrates to Detroit, Michigan from Ranchi, India. Mukherjee shows the mother and daughter as feeling secure in popular American culture, while the father has anxiety about this new culture and chooses to keep his Hindu traditions alive for comfort. It is through the father's devotion to the old Hindu traditions that he recognizes an omen alerting him to his daughters pregnancy. An unwed mother in this family's culture has two options; get rid of the baby or give birth and shame the family name. The father chooses to beat his unwed, pregnant daughter with conviction. As one reads deeper into the characters and symbolism it is clear that Mukherjee wants the audience to see how one's ego influences decisions and how the choice to assimilate into society or practice multiculturalism has real consequences. Whether or not you believe the father was justified for his actions or deserves to go to the jail is a result of one's decision to assimilate into American society or practice your own cultural traditions.

Chamar people of India: The men have passed down the crafting
skills of making leather shoes  from the skin of dead cows. 

This makes the Chamar people unclean or "untouchables." 

In the Indian caste system, it is unclean to work with the 

skins of dead cows. Cows are sacred animals in Hindu culture

The story takes place in 1985 and the mother commonly referred to as Mrs. Bhowmick is an educated, Agnostic and undeniably a contemporary woman. She was raised in a middle class family and her father was a barrister or lawyer. Mrs. Bhowmick saw herself in society as too progressive for the traditional Indian values held by most wives. In fact, she decides to hire a Chamar woman as a housekeeper, which is against the old Indian caste system. The father remarks about his wife that, "While other wives shopped and cooked everyday, his wife cooked the whole weeks menu on weekends." Its safe to say Mrs. Bhowmick hated life in Ranchi, India and cannot wait to reach the states. Mrs. Bhowmick assimilates into American society enjoying all rights of a modern married woman.   
  
The Bhowmick's daughter Babli is very interesting and integral to this story. For starters Babli is the only person given a first name in the story and the name Babli does not have a meaning in American, Hindu or Bengali culture although it is confirmed as a female name whenever mentioned.  In the Kabalarian Philosophy of Canada organized in the 1930's, the name Babli translates to: "Creates an independent, forthright, practical nature. Being consistent and stable in nature, you are decisive, capable, and efficient, though not always tactful in expressing opinions" www.kabalarians.com.

Gentleman wearing a traditional cravat around his neck.
The Cravat is an early version of the necktie worn

in the 1700's by men and originated in Croatia.

Babli is born in India and migrates to Detroit with her parents as a child. Over the years, Babli rejects her Hindu culture as foolish myths and fully assimilates into American culture by age 26. Babli would have had the hardest time during their early years in the U.S. because she straddled traditional life at home and popular culture in school. The father is proud of his daughter's intelligence and job title but admits she is not the ideal child when he states, "She is head-strong, and independent." Then father goes on to say, "she has yet to marry and produce grandchildren." In the latter statement the father is expressing resentment towards Babli for not being the traditional, nurturing, husband seeking girl, like back in India. Unlike Babli Mrs. Bhomwick exhibited some remnants of a traditional woman by preparing breakfast every morning for her family. 
 
When Babli is introduced into the story her work attire is carefully described in "a beige linen suit" also wearing a "polka-dotted cravat." This cravat symbolizes that she has accepted a non-traditional role in American society. Confirmation of this symbolism is Babli's work in a male dominated field, which is frowned on by traditional marriage seeking men. Babli does not need a man for anything including procreation. The father who is a traditional man has no way of passing down his culture and traditional values without her marrying and having children.

Mr. Bhowmick the father would be classified as the only one in the family celebrating multiculturalism by continually practicing his religious beliefs alongside American culture. Years ago in college the father used to be Agnostic like his wife but upon coming to America he returned to his old traditions. Perhaps he did this to keep him grounded within the stress of adapting to American popular culture.

Hindu Goddess: Kali-Mata. 

 

 

 

 

The story presents the father as a chief engineer at work and dutiful about his role as a father. Father is hen-pecked at home. His wife nags him about petty issues and he accepts it with sarcastic comments. One could say he has a little passive-aggressive side to him. He always threats to beat his wife with a shoe and never does. He refuses to buy a microwave although he owns a Rolex. The father does not come out and admit he likes his wife to cook everyday like his traditional mother and a microwave would spoil that.

The father prays every morning to the Hindu Goddess Kali-Mata. Kali-Mata symbolizes the removal of the ego created by the physical body to enlighten the soul. 

It cannot be mere coincidence that the writer says Kali-Mata is "...the patron goddess of his family, the goddess of wrath and vengeance." This explains the father's devotion to preserve his family by whatever means is necessary, even if it means beating Babli's illegitimate unborn child. In Hindu, Kali-Mata "liberates her children" and she is the key point in this story against cultural assimilation. Cultural assimilation that Mrs. Bhowmick and Babli have embraced like believing in  pop psychology magazines and abandoning marriage and children for a career makes them more attached to the physical realm. 

Sergeant Esterhous from the TV show, "Hill Street Blues" warned his officers at the beggining of every episode, "Let's be careful out there."  This is the same feeling the father felt when praying to Kali-Mata every morning except her warnings (premonitions) were not as friendly as Sergeant Esterhous.

When the father finds out his daughter is pregnant after a premonition from a neighbor's sneeze, the father was ready to accept the baby despite his traditional upbringing. Again this shows the father's willingness to embrace new concepts. It is not until Babli gives her final revelation she artificially impregnated herself because, "Men louse up your lives" and the damning statement "Who needs a man?" The father is not willing to compromise his tradition to this limit and in accordance to his faith and steadfast belief in Kali-Mata he beats Babli with a rolling pin to prevent shaming the family. 

Traditions keep all humans connected to who they are and their place in life. This is the reason why the father prays to Kali-Mata; he needs traditions to remind him of who he is and his role in the world as a father. Sometimes those beliefs are tested and our ego causes us to follow the traditions we identify with most. Various ethnicity of people have found themselves struggling to balance their old traditions alongside a greater foreign culture that is widely celebrated. Reading this story I could not help but sympathize with the father Mr. Bhowmick but at the same time I cannot ignore that he is beating an innocent fetus. Perhaps my sympathy is a result of my own beliefs in multiculturalism.