The Mango Season

By Amulya Malladi
(pp. 212 – 229)

Prepared by :
Vikneswaran A/L Adaikan
Nur Zafirah
 Part 5 – Leftovers
(Father Of The Bride)

Epilogue
(Ready To Eat)
 Characters
(Based on Part 5 & Epilogue)

• Priya  Adrash (Choice of

• Sowmya Bridegroom for Priya)
• Nanna (Ashwin, Priya’s  Vinay (Sowmya Fiance)
Father)  Mrs. Murthy (Priya’s
• Ma (Radha, Priya’s Neighbour)
Mother)
 Lata
• Thatha (Priya’s
Grandpa)  Jayant (Lata’s Husband)
• Nate (Priya’s Brother)  Tara (Nate’s (Ex-)
• Frances (Nick’s Mother) Girlfriend)
 FEMINISM CRITISM
Women’s liberty to voice out opinions
• Liberal feminism is emphasized.
• Priya was given a chance to voice out her
opinion about her marriage. At one point,
Priya admits the truth and her father forgive
her for being honest.
• He also listens to her and supports her to
marry Nick at last.
 “And you didn’t feel the need up until now to tell us
about this important person in your life? Even when I
asked you to your face you didn’t tell me. Why? What’s to
hide?” Nanna asked angrily. (p. 212, para 6)

“I am glad that you didn’t marry him in the dark…I am

glad you had the courage to tell us. I would have
preferred to hear about it earlier but at least you told us,
so many others just wouldn’t have…” (p. 214, para 6)
• Lata is also courageous to voice out her
opinion by rejecting to do the test of
knowing the baby’s gender.

“ ‘No’, she said looking at me, her eyes triumphant.

There will be no ultrasound and amino test.”
(p.221 , para 6)
• Sowmya expressed how she felt when
Thatha insisted an explanation from Jayant
about the baby’s gender.
• She thinks that if Lata did not want to know
the baby’s gender, they should not forced
her.

“Why?” Somya asked and surprised everyone with

her voice. “if she doesn’t want to know, we should not
force her. We are not that kind of family” (p.222, para.2)

“…..She had managed to corner the great old man

himself with a few words.”(p.222, para.3)
Men has prominent role in a family
• Thatha has always be the one who will make
final decision in the family.
• He demanded a baby boy from Lata and
Jayant.
• Portrays male-chauvinism

Thatha looked up at Lata and smiled. “It will be a

boy,” he said confidently. (p.221, para.4)
While she was gone, Thatha demanded an
explanation from Jayant. “What is going on, Jayant? If it
is a girl….. You know we want a boy.” (p.221, para.10)
• He has the thought of throwing Priya out of
the family if she still wanted to go with Nick.

“I will not accept it, Priya. If you marry this man,

then you are not my family.” Thatha said.
(p. 222, para. 8)
Stand by the choice and rights of a woman
(daughter)
• Nanna stands by Priya’s choice during the
confrontation between Priya and Thatha.
• He even fights with Thatha for the rights of his
daughter to marry whom she loved.
• He assures that Priya is no fool to make a bad
decision and she will be happy for living a life
with her loved one.
• Pro-feminism is clearly seen where men
support women.
 “Then that is your choice, I have no problems
with who Priya marries.” (p.222, para.10)

“I think that how she lives her life is her choice

and yes, I believe that she will be and actually she is
actually she is happy with Nicholas.” (p. 223, para 4)

“She is my daughter and this my choice to make,

just like you are making yours. I trust her. I believe her
to be a smart and intelligent woman. I think that if she
says she is happy with Nicholas, she is telling the truth.
Priya is no fool.” (p.223, para 7)
 POST COLONIZATION CRITISM
Perception of Easterners towards
Westerners

• Priya representing her family members’

thought said that Westerners are not cultural
and morally behaved.
• They are very open-minded comparing to
people living in the East.
• So, most Indians only befriend with Indian
people (same race) as they have the bad
perception towards the Westerners.
 “Growing up, the West and Westerners were
almost surreal beings. It was a given that “they” had
different morals and values than “we” did and “we”
were morally superior. Most first generation Indians in
the United States only had friends who were Indian. I
had never thought I would be any different. I had
started out with only Indian friends but my circle grew
as I grew. Now I was in the place where I didn’t think in
terms of Indian friends and America friends, just
friends. I had somewhere down the line stopped looking
at skin color.” (p. 213, para 4)
Being receptive towards advancement
• Writing long letters to communicate with
one another
• Priya’s Ma asked her to write letters instead of
making phone calls to tell what is happening
there.

“Write long letters, tell everything there, don’t

waste money on phone class,” she said. (p.228, para 3)
 READER RESPONSE
Unexpected ending (irony)

• Priya ‘s family finally accepting Nick into their

family.

• There is an unexpected ending when

Ammamma thought that Nick is white.

• Priya’s family might have another different

perceptions when they know Nick is black
American.
“And at least,” Ammamma said with broad shrug, “he is
white, not some kallu.”
I froze,
Damn it!
Had I forgotten to mention Nick was black?
(p.224, para. 7)
Pure love in a relationship
• There is a love-hate relationship shared by
the protagonist with her family.
• Despite all the conflicts between the family
members, they still stay together and
maintaining relationships with one another.
• Blood is thicker than water
“Nanna shook his head, “She is my daugther and this is
my choice to make, just like you are making yours. I
trust her. I believe her to be smart and intelligent
woman. I think that if she says he is happy with
Nicholas, she is telling the truth. Priya is no fool.”
(p. 223, para. 6)
Strong resistance of love between lovers
• Nick had never thought of leaving Priya even
though he knows about her family’s culture
and tradition.
• Nick and Priya are now planning for their
marriage.

“we come from different cultures , I understand

that’” he said. “ I was frustrated at times but never
enough to not want to be with you. This is who you are,
you’d not be you if you didn’t care about your family”
( p.227, para. 4 )
 New words

• Firangi = A foreigner,
especially a white person.

• Jalebis = An Indian sweet

made of a coil of batter
fried and steeped in syrup.
 New words

• Tiffin = A meal eaten any

time between breakfast and
dinner. It often comes in a
round metal lunchbox.

• Lassi = a sweet Indian drink

made from a yogurt /
buttermilk base with water.
Thank You!!!
THE END…