Dusk: Vicky, Line p, Henrik

1. Characterization of Lata:

a)     At the beginning she feels like a visitor in her new home, which we can see in p. 2, l. 50: ‘[…] my best friend back home,’ where she refers India as her home. Later in the story after they have seen the movie from her hometown, she refers her new home as home, as she says in p. 4, l. 150: ‘Let’s go home.’

b)     Her relationship to Anuj is arranged by their families. She does not love him yet, and we can see that in p. 1, l. 59: ‘She would learn to love him.’ Lata is described almost as if she was Anuj’s property. For example it says in p. 3, l. 83: ‘Anuj deposited her in a corner and left.’

2. Integration in the text

a)     P. 3, l. 92: A stranger asks her when she is thinking back on memories from back home while waiting for Anuj to come back from buying tickets.
p. 3, l. 98: Anuj asks her when he returns from buying tickets.
p. 3, l. 101: Lata asks Anuj what people mean when the say it.
p. 3, l. 104: Lata asks Anuj because she can see that he looks worried.
p. 4, l. 149: Anuj asks Lata when they sit in the car and she begins to cry.

b)     In the beginning she does not understand the use of the phrase, and takes it more literally than it is, as if it is a sincere question, but in the end she understands that it is more superficial, because she says that she is alright, even though we know that she is not because she has just been crying.

c)      At the end she accepts the new culture that she now lives in, and she knows that she has to learn the differences in the new language and the meaning behind the words.

d)     The way the language is used in a culture often reflects its personality. In Britain the people are maybe more superficial than in India and therefore a phrase like “are you alright?” may not be a sincere wish to know how the person you ask really feel.

e)     P. 2, l. 65-68: “They wore tiny leather skirts and tank tops, […]. They tottered on high heels that click-clacked as they walked. Lata looked down at her blue silk sari and black overcoat.” It shows the difference of what is normal to wear for girls from India compared to girls from Britain. She does not feel integrated in the way she looks.
P. 1, l. 35-36: Another difference is that in India the families often hire help for cleaning, cooking, washing and cleaning the toilet. In Britain you do it yourself, and Britain people are not social with others as much as the people are in India.

3. The ending

a)     As Lata and Anuj goes to the car she realizes that she is not home in India, and when they sit in the car ready to go home, she breaks down and cry, and Anuj asks her if she is alright, and she says: “Yeah, I’m alright. Let’s go home.” (p. 4, l. 150)

b)     Lata’s memories are brought back to her hometown while she watches the movie. When she comes out, she is realizing that she is not home in India, but that this is her home now. When she breaks down, she accepts that this is her new reality, and she refers Britain as her home for the first time in the text. This is the moment where she is about to get integrated.