“Two Kinds” and “The Young Couple” Free Essay Example

How can a clash of cultures provoke the breakdown of a relationship? -With reference to “Two Kinds” and “The Young Couple” “Two Kinds” proves there is no relationship more complex in this world then the relationship between two women – and more importantly – between a mother and a daughter. The relationship between a young girl the guiding force in her life, her mother’s expectation for her daughter to be a child prodigy. A newly married couple and their struggle to be independent are portrayed in “The young couple”.

A rocky relationship what changes with the surroundings. In the young couple the relationship changes as the family become more involved in Cathy and Naraian’s relationship. In “The Young Couple” as the story progresses it becomes clear that the husband will not be able to find work without the help of his parents. Though the culture is still traditional and affectionate as families still provide “plenty of pocket money (to their relations) to spend in restaurants, cinemas and record shops”.

This helps to support the Indian culture is very materialistic.

Another aspect of Indian society is the fact that is appears to cover your affection towards your partner. This is quite the opposite of a western culture “Cathy was rather a demonstrative girl and liked kissing and holding hands with Narain when other people were looking, and indeed in England he had enjoyed that, too and they sat there in coffee bars and on park benches with their arms slung closely around each other.

But here, when they were in public places, Naraian took care to see that there was a decent few inches between them”.

What’s more, “if her dress had crept up her knee or a button had come undone, he was quick to notice” compared with “modestly veiled women” shows that the culture is to be fully clothed and not exposing various parts of your body. Coming to India, Cathy had to change her behavior and her feelings had to change her affection had to go undercover because of the disapproval of the culture around them. There is a traditional role of women in society Cathy is frustrated by the way she is treated by her husband’s family and friends.

She is viewed as his possession and is further angered by the way, in which her opinions are not ignored nor sort after. Her reaction to this is to shut herself away in her “tower” . She didn’t care for these friends of his, she thought they were silly and spoiled: and besides, or most of all. This shows the rich and proud life Narian’s Indian friends lived. It seems Cathy did not have a closeness with her friends and family, there fore the overwhelming “affectionate” response she got from Narian’s family was too much, showing the difference in cultures.

When Naraian speaks to the sweeper-woman “rather too rudely and loudly, Cathy thought, the sweeper-woman never seemed to mind, on the contrary, she showed her pointed teeth wider, whiter than ever”. This appears to show that she does not understand the manner of the language that they are conversing in. It seems to loud and brash compared to Cathy’s native language (English). However, it is not the case, as the sweeper-woman does not mind the tone Naraian is using to talk to her as she is used to being treated like that.

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