Put Yourself in Their Shoes

For the second night in a row, I find myself blogging about the class discussion. After hearing many opposing thoughts about Ashima and her assimilation into the American culture, I began to form my own opinion on the controversial matter. I acknowledge the fact that Ashima's acceptance of the American culture took quite a while, maybe even 30 years too long. On the other hand, Americans are not the most accepting bunch either. Take for example Judy, Ashima's neighbor, disapproving of her decision to give birth at a hospital. Since when do people just head on over to their neighbor's house to criticize the delivery of their child? In my neighborhood, we don't do such things.  Therefore, I believe we should put ourselves into Ashima's shoes before we assert opinions in regards to her assimilation into the American culture. I am not saying we should all show up to school one day wearing a sari, because that would be slightly offensive. But we should all think back to a time when we felt slightly out of place. I can think of many moments myself, all of which I would not like to relive anytime soon. I understand Ashima and her hesitation to incorporate the American culture into her life, as she finds it hard to express herself among such different people for a long time. It seemed as if she would never embrace the American way of life. Then, it seemed as if suddenly, she did. Rather than feeling happiness and pride, many people felt frustration, while thinking 'it only took you 32 years.' Though maybe 32 years is quite a bit of time, think about if you were in Ashima's situation. Imagine getting married to someone you hardly know, then hearing that you will be moving to a foreign country for their job. Sounds exciting to me. The furthest place I have traveled from home is Disney World. Therefore, I can not empathize with Ashima and her long-term seperation from home. I can only sympathize with her when I consider the circumstances of her life after her marriage to Ashoke. Ashima took many years to appreciate the American way of life, but I can not bring myself to fault her, as she overcomes so much conflict with herself and the American way of life. Can you?