113 pages 3 hours read

Jhumpa Lahiri

Unaccustomed Earth

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 2008

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Essay Topics

1.

Choose 1-3 short stories in order to form a thesis about Lahiri’s depiction of gender in Unaccustomed Earth. In what ways does Lahiri signal both a resistance to gender norms through her narratives and/or characters, and in what ways does she lend credence to entrenched gender norms and expectations?

2.

Choose 1-3 short stories in order to form a thesis about Lahiri’s depiction of the Indian diaspora within Unaccustomed Earth. Paying careful attention to the experiences of the first-generation character(s), explicate Lahiri’s thematic message(s) about the experiences of the Indian diaspora in America.  

3.

Choose one story in order to investigate the notion of internal versus external conflict within Unaccustomed Earth. What is Lahiri’s message about the psychology of human relationships (both those with others, and those that we have with ourselves) within your chosen story?