If certain books are to be termed 'immigrant fiction,' what do we call the rest? Native fiction? Puritan fiction? This distinction doesn't agree with me.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
They've lived here now for more than half of their lives, and they raised a family here and now have grandchildren here... It has become their home, but at the same time, for my parents, I don't think either of them will ever consciously think, 'I am an American.'
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects the complex relationship between identity and belonging, particularly for immigrants.
In this quote, Jhumpa Lahiri illustrates the deep emotional ties that individuals can develop to a place, despite their cultural or national identity. The parents have built a life and family in a new country, forming a sense of home, yet their identity as Americans is not something they fully embrace, signifying the nuances of belonging for immigrants and the duality of their existence between their roots and their present.
Themes
IdentityBelongingImmigrationFamilyHome
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the immigrant experience, this quote could highlight the emotional nuances of identity.
More from Jhumpa Lahiri
All quotes →When I sit down to write, I don't think about writing about an idea or a given message. I just try to write a story which is hard enough.
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When I am experiencing a complex story or novel, the broader planes, and also details, tend to fall away.
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I think each time you start a story or novel or whatever, you are absolutely at the bottom of the ladder all over again. It doesn't matter what you've done before.
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The sky was different, without color, taut and unforgiving. But the water was the most unforgiving thing, nearly black at times, cold enough, I knew, to kill me, violent enough to break me apart. The waves were immense, battering rocky beaches without sand. The farther I went, the more desolate it became, more than any place I'd been, but for this very reason the landscape drew me, claimed me as nothing had in a long time.
Jhumpa LahiriRead
On the technical side, I hope that my writing is evolving and maturing, ripening, deepening.
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