Dusk

Characterization of Lata: 

A. Lata´s development

Lata is a young Indian woman living with her husband in Cardiff(UK), where she has only been living for four months.

Lata is living in the shadow of her husband Anuj. She is trying to learn how to love him, but finds it quiet hard; ”Lata stared at Anju, and then at her hennaed hands. It was true, she was his bride and wanted to love him desperately, but he made it so difficult for her at times”. Page-two, line 55-56.

Lata is missing her old life in India, and finds it difficult to adjust to her new life in the UK. She boosts her bad mood for the better, by focussing on Indian things, like her memories from India, Indian food and the background of a Bollywood film, that is filmed in her home town; “Lata stared greedily at the screen, her eyes devouring the background images of her home town, where the film had been shot”, Page-three line 118-120. and P-four, line 135;” They Walked out of the theatre, bright eyed and tired. Lata was happy, having spent three hours in sunny Mumbai, reliving her past.”. Afterwards she speaks about buying a DVD player. So that she can refresh the feeling of home, through her favourite films, as often as she could.

But when they go out site the theatre, she undergoes a development; ”as they stepped out the parking lot, the bitter wind struck her face with a resounding slap. She was brought back to the present.....”. Page-four, line 140-141, she is brought back to reality, back to UK with her husband. And again a little later she Chooses to accept UK as her new home, and she surrenders her self to Anuj; “Lata sat in the car and burst in to tears. Soon black rivers streamed down her cheeks. She shook as she wept....He waited till she dried her eyes and then started the car. “You alright?” He asked quietly. She patted his hand and replied, “yeah, I am alright. Let´s go Home.” Page-four line 145-150. This is Lata realizing that she is not going back to India and, that her new home is here in Cardiff with Anuj.

B Lata´s relationship with Anuj:: Lata´s relationship with Anuj is what I would call a practical marriage/arranged marriage. Lata does not love her husband, but she desperately wants to love him and she finds it difficult to do so; “Lata stared at Anju, and then at her hennaed hands. It was true, she was his bride and wanted to love him desperately, but he made it so difficult for her at times”. Page-two, line 55-56. The reason why I say that it is a practical marriage/arranged marriage, is that her father chose it for her and that she chooses not to express her independent fillings and thoughts; “She looked at here husband still attacking the crossword.....She could finish it in forty minut minutes, but of course she wouldn´t tell him that”. Page-one, line 28-30. Lata is felling a bit superior, but fears the consequence of telling, which she would not if they really loved each other. A little further down the text she is still looking at her husband, and she associates him with the thought of how her father chose him fore here; “He had the red passport, hadn´t he? wasn´t that the reason Baba got her married to him? Good future for you, beti, he had said. How did Baba know? He had never stepped out India ever”. Page-three, line 32-35. Lata reminds her self, that her father chose her marriage by practically reasons only, not asking what she thought. But non the less, she must be felling quit well in her new life with Anuj somehow. She desperately wants to love him, so he can not be that terrible to live with if she desperately wants to. Other than that, I can simply not find any quotes of her being forced directly against her will, or that Anuj is doing some thing bad to her.

2.Integration:
1. The phrase; ”you alright?” is used five times in the story, four on page three, and one time on page four. The first time on page 3 is just a pun, Lata is laughing out loud while thinking of a memory, which a man next to her responds to. (Line 90-93)
Second time it is said, it is Anuj who says it. Lata is still thinking at the first time she heard the phrase, she has not understood the meaning of it, she asked what the answer is to that.(Line 98-100)
Third time it is used, Lata asks if there is something visibly wrong with her, because she dos not under stand the pun. And Anuj does not understand what she is talking about at all. (line 101-102)
Fourth time the phrase it is used, it is Lata who asks Anuj if he is alright, to cheek how he responds to the question. He responds with a; “Yeah”, and looks baffled”. (line 104-105)
The fifth time it is used, is in the end of the of the story. Lata has been crying, and gets the question from Anuj. Where she replies; “Yeah, I´m alright. Lets go home”. She has learned the meaning of the phrase, and she has accepted here current situation. I think the phrase is used so many times, because Lata is anything than alright, and I think the reason why she reacts on the comment “are you alright?” is because she knows that she is not “alright” at all.
3. The ending.
A. Lata realises that she is not going back to India, and that her home is in Cardiff with Anuj
B. Lata accepts that she belongs with Anuj, and that she must adjust to her new home in the UK. She surrenders, and lets go of her Indian loss, and with the phrase; “Yeah I am okay she shows that she has become a bit more British. She suddenly understood the meaning of it, and used it the right way.