Unaccustomed Earth

by

Jhumpa Lahiri

Deborah is Pranab’s American wife in “Hell-Heaven.” She enters the picture with openness and warmth, embracing both his Bengali culture and Usha’s family, who became Pranab’s surrogate family. Though her attempts to bond with Usha’s parents are sincere and Usha takes an instant liking to her, Deborah remains an outsider in Aparna’s eyes. Her background and personality contrast sharply with Aparna’s traditionalism, emphasizing the cultural and generational differences between them. After more than two decades of marriage, Deborah and Pranab’s relationship deteriorates, prompting Deborah to reconnect with Aparna for support and guidance. Despite Aparna’s longstanding resentment, believing Deborah is to blame for Pranab’s distance from Aparna and her family, she finally learns that Deborah had encouraged Pranab to remain close with Usha’s family, who she had come to see as her own.

Deborah Quotes in Unaccustomed Earth

The Unaccustomed Earth quotes below are all either spoken by Deborah or refer to Deborah . 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:
Cultural Identity and the Immigrant Experience Theme Icon
).
2. Hell-Heaven Quotes

I began to take my cues from my father in dealing with her, isolating her doubly. When she screamed at me for talking too long on the telephone, or for staying too long in my room, I learned to scream back, telling her that she was pathetic, that she knew nothing about me, and it was clear to us both that I had stopped needing her, definitively and abruptly, just as Pranab Kaku had.

Related Characters: Usha (speaker), Aparna, Pranab Kaku/Pranab Chakraborty, Deborah , Usha’s Father
Page Number: 76-77
Explanation and Analysis:
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Unaccustomed Earth PDF

Deborah Quotes in Unaccustomed Earth

The Unaccustomed Earth quotes below are all either spoken by Deborah or refer to Deborah . 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:
Cultural Identity and the Immigrant Experience Theme Icon
).
2. Hell-Heaven Quotes

I began to take my cues from my father in dealing with her, isolating her doubly. When she screamed at me for talking too long on the telephone, or for staying too long in my room, I learned to scream back, telling her that she was pathetic, that she knew nothing about me, and it was clear to us both that I had stopped needing her, definitively and abruptly, just as Pranab Kaku had.

Related Characters: Usha (speaker), Aparna, Pranab Kaku/Pranab Chakraborty, Deborah , Usha’s Father
Page Number: 76-77
Explanation and Analysis: