ESSAY CEMETERY

Themes ·        Racism ·        Sexism ·        Racist, sexist jokes ·        Insulted by racism and sexism ·        Behaving coolly in the face of adversity ·        Theater ·        Criticism of theater ·        Indians referred to as "Patels" ·        America offers opportunities ·        Traditional Indian wear ·        Arranged marriages ·        Traditional relationships vs. liberal relationships ·        Commercialism and consumerism ·        Adhering to vs. rebelling against tradition ·        Acculturati...

The narrator is an Indian female. She plans to write to playwright David Mamet about the content of his plays that are offensive to Indian women. His plays are also racist, portraying Indians as stingy and ugly. In India, she thinks, this would not have been accepted. She is at the play with Imre, a Hungarian refugee whose English is not very good. He is very protective of women. He is married with two children and is petitioning for their emigration. She too is married- her husband is in India. Imre does not understand why she is so upset and advises her to relax. He breaks into a dance, and since she is too embarrassed to dance in public she hugs him, taking him by surprise. She notes that her family members, educated in English facilities, would never do anything so silly. She mentions that her son has died. Her marriage was arranged. She feels light, almost free. She is in New York getting a Ph.D. in special ed. She has a small scholarship. She has a family history of beatin...