My Two Lives, by Jhumpa Lahiri

            Not long after Jhumpa Lahiri was born, her parents decided to leave India and travel to America. Lahiri was raised in Rhode Island during the 1970s. At home Lahiri’s parents lived by their culture’s traditions. As a first generation family, the transition between cultures proves to be difficult, as you will read in, My Two Lives, by Jhumpa Lahiri. Life outside of home was complicated for Lahiri, she struggled trying to find her identity.

            Even though Lahiri was born in India, she grew up in America. Her parents, and generations prior, were born and raised in India. When they came to America they brought their cultural roots with them. This culture will be with them for the rest of their lives, it isn’t something that can change or be replaced. As cliché as it may sound, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I believe Lahiri’s parents made adjustments to live in America, but they will never fully understand the American culture. Lahiri, however, will lead a different life than her parents.

            Lahiri struggled to find herself, she didn’t know who to be. She mentioned frequently, “Which side of the hyphen do I belong to?” referring to the term Indian-America. People of different ethnicities try to keep their families happy, while at the same time, building new relationships. They want to hide who they are because they worry about others picking on them and looking at them differently.

            I also come from a different culture, I’m Italian-American. My parents came to America after living in Italy for 30 years. They keep their traditions going so my brother and I know who we are and where our family came from. They speak Italian at home, make traditional pasta sauce every week and wine is made once a year. I think Lahiri made a mistake of hiding her culture she should be proud of what she is and not embarrassed. If someone were to judge me because of my culture I wouldn’t consider them as a friend, people should like you for who you are.