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Essay / The Legacy of Loss: The Influence of Western Culture on Indians by Kiran Desai
First, appreciation of Western culture and lifestyle is one of the main themes of the book. As we know, this book represents post-colonialism; it shows the effects of colonialism throughout this book. After colonialism, many Indians immigrated to Western countries simply because they were fascinated by other countries. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe majority of Indians are attracted by a desire for wealth that they believe Western countries could bring. For example Biju, who lives illegally in the United States to improve his life. Living in a Western country is a huge success for them. Biju's father, who is a drunk cook, is very proud of his son who lives in the United States. After his son gets a job in New York, the cook brags about it to everyone. My son works in New York [...] New York. Very big city, cars and buildings have nothing to do with here. In this country there is enough food for everyone. And each of them reacts positively to Biju's success and begins to cherish the United States. People like Jemubhai who studied in a western country and is rich subconsciously pushes other people to go to western countries to become rich. And this vision of wealth gradually rubs off on the children. They grow up sharing the same values and thoughts as their parents. Added to this are family expectations that push everyone to leave their own country. In Biju's case, he is his father's only child. His mother had died when he was little. His father, who is a cook, has only enough to eat and owns an alcohol business to earn a little money, has a desire for modernity. A modernity that only the rich could afford. He, on the other hand, is so poor that he cannot afford to keep his money at home for fear of rats. The cook's poverty makes him dream of wealth even more. Colonization divided India into two different classes: the poor and the privileged. The cook's poverty only brings him humiliation because he is treated without respect by the privileged. For example, Lola, who represents privilege in this novel, believes that poor people cannot be trusted, that they always commit crimes, which leads her to disrespect them. Because of these behaviors, people like the cook believe they can feel pride. only if they are rich. For example, the cook lies to Sai about her grandfather. They sent him to England and ten thousand people accompanied him to the station. He rode on an elephant! He had won, you see, a scholarship from the Maharaja. The cook's lies demonstrate how he imagines a rich person to be treated. Like most individuals in India, his father's expectations led Biju to move to the United States, although Biju also wanted to be rich. chapter four, Desai shows us how Western countries are superior to India according to Indians. For example, the author mentions the characters' belief in India and was sure that since his son cooked English food, he was in a higher position than if he cooked Indian food. Which means anything Western is better than anything Indian. The cook, who represents the Indians, also thinks that it is better to serve a white man than to serve an Indian. That's why he is disappointed to work for Jemubhai. The author also shows to what extent Indians are obsessed with the desire to leave. However, there is always this conflict between.