Unaccustomed Earth hwk questions

12. Why does Hema find the idea of an arranged marriage appealing? How has her affair with Julian affected her ideas about romantic love? What does her description of her relationship with Navin reveal about what she thinks she wants and needs in a relationship? What role do her memories of her parents' marriage play in her vision of married life?
Hema has been in a relationship before with Julian and it turned out bad and it hurt her really badly. As a result an arranged marriage is more appealing to Hema because the guy is not only more innocent and more conservative compared to Julian but also he was screened by her parents. Therefore she feels more secure marrying the guy- Navin. The description reveals that she wants to meet and marry men she knows and like, but since she was hurt she is looking for a secure relationship that won't hurt her. So instead she tries to hypnotize herself, into believing that she knew and likes Navin for a long time, and that it isn't an arranged marriage but they really did fall in love for each other. Her parents were really dedicated to her family. Her father would go to work everyday and earn as much money as he can trying to make his family live a better life, while her mother stayed at home, dependent of her husbands income, tried to make the house as comfortable as possible for the family, even reading Good Housekeeping. So her parent's marriage had a lot of influence in her vision of married life. So when Julian was unable to provide that same type of relationship she was upset. As a result with Navin her view of marriage changed the vision of having a marriage similar to her parents shattered now she wants to be independent. Therefore when she married Navin she chooses to stay in Massachusetts and work instead of moving back to Calcutta.

13. What motivates Kaushik's Decision to become a photojournalist? In what way does the peripatetic life of a photojournalist suit his idea of himself? In addition to the many moves his family made, what other experiences make him grow up to be an outsider, "away from the private detritus of life"
As a young kid Kaushik had to move many times, from Massachusetts to Calcutta and back. Every time he was about to fit in and make new friends he had to move again. Also, he was thought to be an American in Calcutta and an Indian in America. These two reasons combined made him always feel like an outsider. And with the camera every time he looks through the photo lens he can understand the world can an outsider no affected by the scenes, and he feels happy this way. So he wanted to a photojournalist since he like looking at things with emotions unattached. Another experience that made him grow into an outsider is possibly his mother’s death, during the time he knew that her mother was sick and was going to die but still her mother acted strong as a result Kaushik might feel that he is an outsider to the sickness. He wants to help his mother but he really can’t do anything about it. Also his living at a friend’s house may have also caused him to feel as an outsider, since he was sort of invading their live and house.