“Only Goodness” traces the impact of parental expectations on a sister and brother. What is the significance of the title “A Choice of Accommodations”? What does it imply about Amit and Megan’s marriage? Why do you think Lahiri chose to set the story at Amit’s old prep school? Do you think the events of the weekend bring Amit a better sense of who he is, what he wants and needs from Megan, and his role as a husband and father? Will the weekend change anything for Amit and Megan and their relationship?ĥ. In what ways does “Hell-Heaven” echo the themes explored in “Unaccustomed Earth”? How does the way the story unfolds add to its power and its poignancy? What parallels are there between the narrator’s mother’s “crush” on Pranab and her own infatuation with him and Deborah?Ĥ. In “Unaccustomed Earth,” what underlies the tension in the relationship between Ruma and her father as the story opens? What aspects of the family’s history inhibit their ability to communicate with each other? How do their memories of Ruma’s mother and the life she led influence the paths they choose for the next stages in their lives? Do you feel more sympathy for either character’s point of view?ģ. In which stories do the children successfully “strike their roots into unaccustomed earth”? Why do others find themselves unable to establish roots? How do their feelings of restlessness and insecurity stem from growing up in two cultures? What other more universal problems do they experience? In what ways does their lack of attachment to a place or culture reflect a more general trend in society?Ģ. Discuss the relevance of the epigraph from Hawthorne’s “The Custom-House” not just to the title story but also to the collection as a whole.

Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 17:14:30 Boxid IA176901 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City New York DonorĬityofsausalitolibrary Edition 1st Vintage Contemporaries ed.

Unaccustomed earth book