BHARATI MUKHERJEE ORBITING

Who is narrating the short story, and why do you think the author has chosen this perspective?
The short story Orbiting is narrated by Renata, or Rindy, as she is called by her family, in the first person narrative. Rindy sells jewelry and semiprecious stones, which indicates a certain inclination or belonging to oriental cultures. This first person narrative gives the short story a more personal touch, and allows the very author to express her feelings better. Bharati Mukherjee herself was born in Calcutta, has a Canadian citizenship and is a resident of the United States.

Where does the action take place and what cultures intermingle in the text?
Rindy and her family live in New Jersey, the place where the action takes place. The text tries to present two different cultures. The first one is the American culture, as the action takes place in New Jersey and the time spam is one day, Thanksgiving Day, a powerful symbol of the American tradition. The other culture is the Afghanistan one, represented by Ro, Rindys boyfriend. The idea the author tries to express is that mixing cultures is difficult, as every being has his own identity.

Summarize the short story.

The main character and the narrator of the story is Renata, who is organizing the Thanksgiving dinner for her family, to introduce to them her new boyfriend, Ro, from

Afghanistan. Her family regards Ro as being strange because he is totally different from them. At a surface level, the plot of the short story might seem simple, but the text offers multiple discussions in what culture is concerned.

What are the main themes of the short story?

The short story focuses on presenting cultures. In the text the American culture is depicted, and there are some elements which represent it, like the walkman, Thanksgiving dinner, turkey, the discussion about sports. Other culture in the text is that of Ro, who is from Afghanistan. In the view of the other characters, he is strange. There are also obvious in the text Ros cultural elements, like the spices or the jewelry. Another theme might be that of immigration.

What are the main characters in the story and give a short description of them.
The main character of the story is Renata, or Rindy. Her sister, together with her husband, is present at the Thanksgiving dinner. Renatas mother is Calabrian and her father is very proud of his Italian origins. Another important character is Ro, from Afghanistan. He speaks English in a strange manner and he is seen as a strange person by Rindys family.

What is the connection between Bharati Mukherjees biography and her short story?
Bharati Mukherjee was born in Calcutta, in an upper-middle class family. She graduated the University of Calcutta. She took her MA degree in Ancient Indian Culture and then went to University of Iowa to attend the Writers Workshop. Bharati Mukherjee planned to study there and then return to India, to marry one of her fathers choosing in her class. But she impulsively married a Canadian, so 1968 she immigrated to Canada with her husband. She mentions those years spent in Canada were the most difficult, because she was treated as a visible minority.

Finally she moved to the States, California, Berkeley.

and settled in 1989 at the University of

Her biography strongly influenced her work, as she is preoccupied with Indian immigrants to America. This is the case of Ro, the character from the short story Orbiting. The author discusses the changes that take place in the immigrants personality in the new world.

How are the immigrants viewed by the American people, in the short story?
The short story discusses in detail the issue of immigrants and the way they are seen by the American people. There is a sense of ignorance regarding Indian culture when talking about Americans. According to Rindy, an American woman, they are all called Abdul something. Also, Abdul stands for a black man with goggles on. Thus, American people are quite indifferent regarding Indian cultures and people. Rindy, on the other hand, is aware of Indian culture. She sells seashells jewelry, she uses spices (a symbol of Indian culture), and even the way her room is organized, has an Indian influence.

In a more particular way, how is Ro seen by Rindys family?

Rindys family notice there is something strange about Ro. Compared to the typical American family, his clothes are wrong and even his posture is strange. They notice that even his handshake is foreign. Therefore, there is a clearly underlined difference between the American culture and Indian culture, in the sense that American people regard it as being strange and awkward.

Discuss briefly the fact that the narrator mentions that Ro has the body like wood.
To the typical American family, Ro is foreign, and everything foreign is also strange to them. The only one who is familiar with Indian culture is Rindy. She sees in Ro a certain passion, a certain connection with nature. That is the reason why she

compares his body to wood. Also, the comparison might symbolize the tough character Ro has, and the pain he had to suffer.

Identify a symbol in the short story and discuss its significance.

A very powerful symbol in the story is the scar. Rindys father and her brother-inlaw, Brent, have scars. Their scars are little, from football injuries, and they are very proud of them. Ro, on the other hand, is very shy when he is asked about his scars. His body has scars almost everywhere, and he becomes embarrassed and ashamed to come from a culture of pain. The author tries to delineate the pain and sufferings Ro went through, and to a larger scale, the pain all Indians had to put up with. Rindy concludes that Ro is a survivor, speaking thus not only about him, but about all Indians.