Desirable Daughter

 

Tara early life in Calcutta, “Our bodies changed, but our behaviour never did. Rebellion sounded like a lot of fun, but in Calcutta there was nothing to rebel against. Where would it get you? My life was one long childhood until I was thrown into marriage.” (page 27-28).

Tara is main character in novel Desirable Daughter, her childhood was in Calcutta, but moved to San Fransisco at 19. She was 19 years old when her parents arranged a mariage with a boy. His name is Bishwapriya Chatarjee, a college student who studying computer in Stanford University. She married Bish, a man she had never met, because her father told her it was time to get married.

Tara changes her personality from Indian wife to American. When she first arrived, she is only conservative, pragmatic Indian wife, who mantain Indian wifes culture. She must to serve her husband and do Indian wifes duties, such serving pakoras and freshning drinks while her husband and his friend watching a Sunday football game. (page 24)

Bish showing to his parent how well-trained Tara as an Indian wifes.

“... showing off for his mother, perhaps, how well-trained this upper-class Ballygunge girl had become, what a good cook, what an attentive wife and daughter-in-law. What a bright and obedient boy she was raising.” (page 82)

When Bish and Tara first arrived at Stanford as a young married couple, Bish wanted Tara to work in the library, then join him at the student pub. Tara wanted study in community college, but she must raising her son. She allocated whole her life time to raising their family, to support Bish. However, that is a Indian wife responsibilities from time to time.

“What a bright and obedient boy she was raising. I wanted to take courses in the local community college, but we had a child at home.”

After Tara married Bish she expecting to be Indian wifes, but in reality she must become American wife and she can not fullfill it. She must confront event makes frustation, in Indian culture it is taboo, divorce. She to take a big step in her life although it is against the Indian culture. 

“When I left Bish after a decade of marriage, it was because the promise of life as an American wife was not being fulfilled. I wanted to drive, but where would I go? I wanted to work, but would people think that Bish Chatterjee couldn't support his wife? In his Atherton years, as he became better known on the American scene-a player, an adviser, a pundit-he also became, at home, more of a traditional Indian.” (page 82) 

Tara sexuality changes over time as Tara becomes more familiar with American culture. In her first year married, Tara and her friends often read American magazines, and realize how different their views and american media’s views about sexuality.

‘Meena read the American magazines, and she would quiz us as we ate: Does your husband know how to satisfy you? ("First time I have heard 'husband' and 'satisfy' in the same sentence," giggled one of us.) Are you his breakfast, his snack, the main course- or the dessert? ("Definitely his Alka-Seltzer!" we giggled again. These American magazines and American marriages were not geared to the lives we led.) (page 83) 

The interaction between past and present give results into a new identity for Tara. Instead of refuse her new identity, she accepted it as a part of  her progress as individual to find a new identity.

“No one behind, no one ahead. The path the ancients cleared has closed. And the other path, easy and wide, goes nowhere. I am alone and find my way.” (page 1)

Parvati, Padma and Tara choose to live in their own way. They have different experience to find their identity. Parvati lives with her husband Auro and Tara lives in modern life as a divorce woman who enjoy her progress to find her identity. Padma lives in independent life with her husband, Harish Mehta and doesn’t altogether discard Indian cultural value. Padma lives in America, but conservative, she keeps up to Indian ways, friends, clothes and food. Padma and parvati lives in comfort zones, but Tara choose different ways, she choose her own way.