Hold All Judgements

         Near the end of class today, eighth period got into a heated discussion about Ashima. Some claimed that she should have adopted the American culture sooner or not at all, rather than flip-flopping her values at the end. First of all, I really do not think Ashima drastically changed any of her values. Secondly, we cannot fault her for taking such a long time to adopt and appreciate select American practices. When Ashima and Ashoke first moved to the United States, Ashima did everything in her power to hold on to Indian culture. She felt scared and isolated within American society, thinking that the only way for her to maintain her culture was to reject ours. By then end of the book, after Ashima begins working and socializing with Americans, she realizes that she can somewhat assimilate into American culture without losing her own. I do understand why people wish she could have accepted that fact earlier, rather than suffering for so many years in America. However, it took her just about 32 years in America to realize that she could compromise. Throughout most of the book the only emotion I had felt towards Ashima was pity. Now, for the first time, I admire her. The fact that she has already gone through so many significant life changes, yet, is still willing to learn new lessons and adapt really impresses me. She could have locked herself up in her house after Ashoke's death. She could have completely written off American culture and refused to open up to new ideas. Instead, she took baby steps and eventually came around to compromising between the two cultures, such as serving Bengali food at a Christmas party. I think we sometimes forget how greatly Ashima’s upbringing differs from that of a typical American. Just to put her situation into context, Ashima has never even had her own bedroom before. Therefore, she naturally feels frightened about starting a whole new stage in her life and about facing a whole new culture. For that reason, now, more than ever, Ashima's character requires not sympathy, but empathy.