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1. Unaccustomed Earth
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Unaccustomed Earth, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Cultural Identity and the Immigrant Experience
Family and Generational Conflict
Love, Loss, and Nostalgia
Loneliness and Isolation
Home and Belonging
Summary
Analysis
Though Pranab Chakraborty is not Usha’s uncle, her parents considered him a part of their family, and she was taught to call him Pranab Kaku—“Uncle Pranab” in Bengali. They met one afternoon in Cambridge when Pranab approached Usha and her mother, Aparna, hoping to befriend a fellow Bengali family. A new engineering student at MIT from Calcutta, Pranab knew no one in America. As he becomes a regular part of Usha’s life, she notices her mother’s spirits are generally higher. Eventually, Usha realizes that her mother has fallen in love with Pranab Kaku, with whom she shares far more in common than Usha’s father—a man Aparna married in an arranged union she never truly wanted.
For Aparna, Pranab is more than just a friendly face from Calcutta. He represents a bridge to her former life, where her cultural values and experiences are seamlessly understood. His presence fills the void left by her arranged marriage, where she has repressed her personal desires and identity. Pranab and Aparna’s relationship also impacts Usha, offering her a lens through which to observe complex adult relationships. Despite Pranab being an “uncle” figure in Usha’s life, she grows keenly aware of his influence on her mother’s emotional world.
Themes
Pranab Kaku is young, but closer to Aparna’s age than Usha’s father. Usha, Aparna, and Pranab spend free time together, picnicking and swimming at Walden Pond as Pranab captures the special moments on his camera. But, when he begins seeing a student named Deborah in 1974, the group dynamics shift. Usha’s mother disapproves of Deborah and regularly insults her behind her back. Usha, however, likes Pranab Kaku’s girlfriend. Gradually, Aparna distances herself from Pranab, allowing Usha to spend time with him and Deborah on her own. Later, Usha learns that around this time, her mother became pregnant but tragically suffered a miscarriage. Her doctor advised that she stop trying for more children altogether.
Pranab fills an emotional void for Aparna, providing her with companionship outside of her marriage. Her disapproval of Deborah exposes both her protectiveness over her culture and her own romantic longing for Pranab. Aparna’s resentment toward Deborah may also reflect her grief, especially in light of her miscarriage. Meanwhile, Usha’s acceptance of Deborah speaks to her adaptability, highlighting a common generational gap in the immigrant experience: the older generation clings to their culture of origin, while younger generations tend to adapt and navigate difference with greater ease.
Themes
As Pranab Kaku continues seeing Deborah, Aparna often tells her friends that he is no longer who he used to be, that the difference in his behavior is “hell-heaven.” When he proposes to Deborah, he asks Usha’s parents to write to his family in Calcutta, expressing their approval of his marriage to an American woman. Though Aparna reluctantly agrees, Pranab’s parents are furious, blaming Usha’s parents for allowing their son to stray from tradition. Despite defending Pranab against their harsh words, Aparna is unable to sway them, and they refuse to give their blessing. Unfazed, Pranab chooses to follow his heart, openly defying his parents’ wishes.
Aparna’s perception that Pranab has changed since dating Deborah reflects her feelings of personal and cultural betrayal. Pranab’s request for her approval is especially painful—and awkward—as it forces Aparna to choose between her Bengali values and her emotional connection to him. The backlash from Pranab’s family underscores the cultural tension between tradition and autonomy, illustrating a generational rift that the collection shows exists in many immigrant families.
Themes
Pranab Kaku slowly distances himself from Usha’s family and their Bengali friends following his engagement. Nonetheless, Usha’s family is invited to his small Westernized wedding, though Aparna complains about various annoyances through the entire celebration. The next year, Pranab and Deborah welcome twin daughters, Srabani and Sabitri, whom they call Bonny and Sara. Gradually, Usha’s family stops inviting Pranab to gatherings, blaming Deborah for “changing” him and for stripping away the independence they once admired in their adoptive family member. Aparna, for her part, is certain Deborah will one day leave him.
When Pranab marries Deborah, she becomes the scapegoat for all of Aparna’s anger, resentment, and grief. It’s easier for Aparna to blame Deborah, the symbol of quintessential Western influence, than to admit that Pranab has all but abandoned his former adoptive family and his Bengali roots. Heartbroken and unsure how to process her complex feelings, Aparna villainizes Deborah in the story of Pranab’s gradual disappearance.
Themes
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As Usha grows up, her relationship with her mother becomes strained. She rebels against the traditional Bengali image her parents hoped she would embrace, drinking beer and kissing boys in secret. Usha begins to view her mother’s existence with pity, dismissing Aparna’s loneliness and depression much like Usha’s father did. The year before Usha starts college, the Chakrabortys invite her family to celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a large gathering, full of family and people Pranab Kaku and Deborah had once known but lost touch with. While Usha flirts with Deborah’s younger brother, Matty, her parents mingle with the other Bengalis in attendance. Her parents leave early, and at the end of the night, Matty drives Usha home. She kisses him, hopeful he’ll call.
Usha’s teenage rebellion deepens her disconnect from Aparna. As Usha chooses a Westernized lifestyle and rejects many of the traditional Bengali values her parents cherish, she simultaneously mirrors her father’s dismissive attitude toward her mother’s loneliness. The Chakrabortys’ Thanksgiving gathering further establishes Usha’s integration into American society. In contrast, her parents remain bound to their Bengali community, highlighting divergent paths within their respective immigrant experiences.
Themes
After 23 years of marriage, Pranab Kaku and Deborah separate, as Aparna had once predicted they would. Pranab has an affair with a married Bengali woman, and a heartbroken Deborah calls Aparna to help her process the betrayal. Despite years of only occasional communication, Deborah always considered Usha’s family her in-laws, often pushing Pranab to maintain a connection to his Bengali roots. Deborah’s words surprise Aparna, and she tries to console her, neglecting to mention that, at one point, Pranab Kaku had broken her heart as well.
Pranab’s eventual separation from Deborah validates Aparna’s doubts about their marriage, but Deborah’s heartbreak is surprisingly moving. Deborah’s loyalty to Pranab’s Bengali culture despite his detachment demonstrates that even those who are not immigrants can understand the value of cultural ties. Aparna’s empathy reflects her growth, as she comforts someone who, like herself, loved Pranab deeply.
Themes
As Aparna ages, she accepts Usha as “a child of America” as much as India, making peace with her daughter’s American lifestyle and boyfriends. After Usha suffers an especially painful heartbreak in her adulthood, Aparna reveals that, shortly after Pranab Kaku’s wedding, while Usha and Usha’s father were out of the house, she had doused herself in lighter fluid, intending to set herself on fire. Ultimately, she was “saved” at the last minute by a neighbor who came by to discuss the sunset. Afterward, Aparna had cleaned herself up, cooked dinner for her family, and carried on with her day.
Aparna’s acceptance of Usha’s dual cultural identity demonstrates how her own experiences of loss and letting go have made her more compassionate to her daughter’s choices. Her confession about her suicide attempt reveals the extent of her despair immediately following Pranab’s marriage, a trauma she has carried silently for years. This moment brings mother and daughter closer, as Aparna’s revelation offers Usha a shocking glimpse into her mother’s hidden world.
Themes
