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Mrs. Meenakshi Bagchi
Ruma’s husband and Akash’s father, Adam, is a hardworking hedge fund operator who spends much of his time traveling for work. A supportive partner, he respects Ruma’s Bengali background but is somewhat disconnected from it, representing the western side of her blended identity. Adam values Ruma’s happiness, though his professional demands often mean he’s less present at home, which amplifies her feelings of isolation. The week that Ruma’s father stays with her in Seattle, Adam is out of town.
Adam Quotes in Unaccustomed Earth
The Unaccustomed Earth quotes below are all either spoken by Adam or refer to Adam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
1. Unaccustomed Earth
Quotes
Growing up, her mother’s example—moving to a foreign place for the sake of marriage, caring exclusively for children and a household—had served as a warning, a path to avoid. Yet this was Ruma’s life now.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Bengali had never been a language in which she felt like an adult. Her own Bengali was slipping from her. Her mother had been strict, so much so that Ruma had never spoken to her in English. But her father didn’t mind.
Get the entire Unaccustomed Earth LitChart as a printable PDF.
Adam Quotes in Unaccustomed Earth
The Unaccustomed Earth quotes below are all either spoken by Adam or refer to Adam. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
1. Unaccustomed Earth
Quotes
Growing up, her mother’s example—moving to a foreign place for the sake of marriage, caring exclusively for children and a household—had served as a warning, a path to avoid. Yet this was Ruma’s life now.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Bengali had never been a language in which she felt like an adult. Her own Bengali was slipping from her. Her mother had been strict, so much so that Ruma had never spoken to her in English. But her father didn’t mind.
