Bharati Mukherjee's "Two Ways to Belong in America" summary

 Two Ways to Belong in America

Bharati Mukherjee

 Bharati Mukherjee presents the concept of multiple identities in the immigrant community. This essay presents her personal experience in America and the transformations that America has created on her. The title is significant to the essay as it is about the two ways of belonging by the migrants in America. One is an expatriate, imagining about their home country and second is as an immigrant, accepting the settled land completely.

Bharati along with her sister Mira went to America for education in 1960s. In India they both shared almost identical views on socio-political and cultural issues. They both left India with a decision to return home (India) for marriage after pursuing education in the U.S.

Unexpectedly Mira married an Indian student in America in 1962 and soon they got labour certificate which is necessary for the green card. Mira continues to live in the U.S. for more than 36 years as a legal immigrant with Indian citizenship. She lived with a hope of returning home (India) after her retirement. Bharati married her fellow student who was an American in 1963. By marriage she opted for fluidity, self-invention and renounced caste-observation. Her works are based on these themes and thus they are received as unapologetic texts for cultural and psychological mongrelisation (mixed kind)

Mira and Bharati stayed close over phone conversations. Though they both have differences of opinions, they maintained polite conversation probably that was out of pity. Bharati sympathised her sister Mira for her narrow perception and superficial understanding of the American society. Mira pitied Bharati for the consequences of her marriages like erasure of Indianness and unstructured life style. Later U.S. Vice President Algore’s drive ‘Citizenship USA’ and the increase of illegal immigration changes the tone of the conversation between the sisters. Mira was upset about the implementation of the new immigration policy forced upon the old settlers. She felt that she was manipulated and discarded by the American government. Mira complained that though she invested her knowledge for the development of the American pre-school and obeyed all the rules, America imposed its new rules even upon the legal immigrants. Bharati compares Mira’s interest to stay in America and at the same time her rejection of American citizenship with loveless marriage but which is comfortable and long lasting. Mira is determined to maintain her Indian identity in spite of her long stay in America and she is very particular about not transforming it.

Bharati enquired Mira about her decision (due to the anti-immigration bill of Congress) and her reply was a shock to Bharati. Mira decides to become the U.S. citizen but when she feels like returning India, she will change her citizenship to India. In spite of living for several years in the U.S., still she feels it as a foreign country and she senses a close attachment with India.

In a family, two sisters, who got exposed to the same kind of environment and situations, react in different manner with their immigrant experiences. One is ready to accept the new culture, to move from the expatriate aristocrat to immigrant nobody willingly, whereas the other one sticks with the old. Mira like the larger number of immigrant communities across the globe attached to her home country. However, there is some considerable differences exist between Mira and those hardworking, silenced documented immigrants due to her English fluency, anger and confidence.

Bharati too has undergone betrayal by the Canadian government some 20 years ago. She along with her husband lived in Canada and placed in a good job. In spite of her superior position in merit and job, she was discriminated by the local Canadian society. The feel of betrayal drove many immigrants out of the country. In spite of the disappointment with the settled society, Bharati feels to be like a part of the community wherever she lives (either in Canada or in America)

Bharati concludes the essay by projecting the difference between Mira and herself. Mira lives happily as an expatriate Indian with a hope of returning  India than as an American immigrant. On the other hand Bharati likes to put down her roots in the settled land. She is willing to undergo the trauma of self-transformation in order to become a part of the settled land. This trauma is experienced by the immigrants whereas the expatriates escape from this.