Orbiting by Bharati Mukherjee -- Summary and Analysis

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Summary

Renata/Rindy DeMarco is in her apartment thinking of Vic who does drugs and cooks. She is an aspiring jewelry designer but works in sales. Her father comes from Verona to drop off a turkey for thanksgiving. Her apartment is small. They are Italians. Her dad was a minor league catcher. Her father's father is a second-generation immigrant which makes her dad third and her fourth. Vic is self-involved. Renata and Carla, her younger sister, changed their names to Rindy and Cindi in junior high. Vic is Italian. Dad's recently retired and Mother's concerned about him. Dad feels lost because he never felt right about his profession working in an office. Vic stole the deck chairs from a restaurant or store.

For much of her life, Rindy's mother stayed at home because it was a nice change from mountain village life. She now is starting to find herself and takes classes. Her dad wants to talk about this. Her mother was always earthy and open but not vulgar. Cindi got married on a cruise ship. Her apartment's shabby and it makes her father uncomfortable. They talk.

Her father leaves. She is now dating Ro, an Afghan. She thinks about her breakup with Vic. He left her out of the blue and took the car. She makes the stuffing and gravy. She calls the number Ro gave her but the voice says it's wrong. Her sister comes and brings a dish of food. She leaves. Ro calls. He likes it when people hit on her and then asserts his relationship with her. His cousin Abdul is detained to be deported and he needs to go see him.

Rindy's sister, sister's husband and child, and her mom and dad arrive for thanksgiving. Ro seems to Rindy super foreign as she sees him through the others' eyes and to the others as well. Then he starts talking third world politics and about the torture he underwent which makes everyone extremely uncomfortable except the twelve-year-old Franny who had been unsociable up to this point. He has many scars.

Analysis

  • Different generations of immigrants have different attitudes toward America
  • Minorities being treated badly and hunted by America
  • Idealizing the relationship with Vic
  • Ro's macho attitude towards her
  • Concern about Rindy's being hard up
  • Celebrating thanksgiving
  • Being politically influenced by those around her
  • Cross ethnic marriage/relationship
  • Same ethnic relationship
  • Ro puts down American things
  • Foreignness
  • Assimilation
I shall teach him how to walk like an American, how to dress like Brent but better, how to fill up a room as Dad does instead of melting and blending but sticking out in the Afghan way. 



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