Literary Analysis of Jhumpa Lahiri's "My Two Lives"

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Literary Analysis Essay: Navigating a Bicultural Upbringing
Cultural experiences in a multicultural environment such as America can be confusing for immigrants in their attempts to establish their American identity. Hyphenated identities, for instance, on the one hand, could be perceived as a way of recognizing the multiple racial, cultural, or ethnic heritage of an individual, while on the other hand, it could be a way of making some groups of immigrants feel less of Americans. Navigating the bicultural identity can be quite a challenge for young people trying to find themselves and create an identity that recognizes their present cultural environment while also appreciating their family origin and heritage. These issues have been exploring aptly in Jhumpa Lahiri's article 'My Two Lives', in which she highlights her experiences in settling in America with her Indian background. Her first-person story prides her personal experiences in coming to terms with her hyphenated identity. She concludes that having a hyphenated identity does not make anyone less of an American. Instead, it makes one appreciate the two or more sides of their cultural heritage. Based on this premise and her experience, this essay argues that hyphenated identities are part of the American culture that is founded on cultural diversity and should, therefore, be celebrated.
Most immigrants often struggle to live with their two identities because the wider American society has not appreciated the significance of having multiple identities. When Jhumpa Lahiri's family first moved to the US, she had her first cultural shock as she struggled to fit in her new society while still retaining some elements of her family's heritage. As she says, 'I felt that intense pressure to be two things, loyal to the old world and fluent to the new.' This statement indicates the ...