The novel we read this week includes a selection of six short stories from Jhumpa Lahirir’s Interpreter of Maladies. Within this novel, we read several fictional tales of global migration and experiences within India and South Asian diaspora in the United States. While reading each of these short stories, we explore several different experiences migration has on immigrants and immigrant families. Though all of these short stories tell different stories of immigrants’ experiences, they all illustrate the difficulties that immigrants face when displaced or distanced from their culture. This illustration of each story allowed Lahirir to paint a well rounded image of the impacts cultural displacement has on immigrants.
Immigrant displacement has several lasting effects on immigrants and immigrant families. Taking a look at the health and social effects of migration, we can explore many difficulties these immigrants may experience. An article from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health identifies several factors that affect mental health in premigration, migration, and postmigration in both adults and children.
The premigration effects on mental health for adults can stem from economic, educational, social, and occupational challenges within the new country. They can also experience a disruption of social support and even trauma due to exposure to harsh living conditions and violence in their travels. Postmigration effects include uncertainty about immigration, unemployment, social status, the loss of family and community, and the difficulties in language, learning, and adaptation. All of these effects of migration can deeply impact a person and their mental health and can have long-lasting effects. In the short story When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine, we can see the difficulties of having to leave behind one’s family to migrate and the possibilities of not having reunification. This can also create several lasting mental health effects as well.
Children are deeply impacted from immigrant displacement and can have several lasting effects on mental health, developmental delays, and social barriers. We can first look at children who are migrating during developmental stages and see the impacts of language, learning, and adaptation. We can also see the lasting effects of disruption of education which can put children behind in their education and developmental progress. Children are also often separated from extended family and peer networks which can impact a child’s mental health deeply. Highlighted by the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, children can experience poor nutrition, exposure to harsh living conditions, and exposure to violence during their migration that can have life-long effects on mental health and even physical impacts for these children. Postmigration for children can look different for all children, though a few common factors include difficulties with education in new languages, stress related to family’s adaptation, discrimination, social exclusion, and acculturation.
As we can see, there are many long-lasting effects on mental health and the difficulties these immigrants and their families experience. It is important to keep these difficulties in mind while reading Jhumpa Lahirir’s Interpreter of Maladies, to view the impacts migration has on the characters in their displacement or migration.
Works Cited
Kirmayer, Laurence J, et al. “Common Mental Health Problems in Immigrants and Refugees: General Approach in Primary Care.” CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal = Journal De L’Association Medicale Canadienne, Canadian Medical Association, 6 Sept. 2011, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3168672/.
Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. HarperCollins Publishers India, 2017.
I think your point that you presented about the lasting effects on children connects back to our reading the last couple of weeks with the Leavers and Persepolis. I think we saw with Deming in the Leavers the mental effects that it had on him as well as with Marji and the emotional toll that it took on her. Your example with When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine shows what happens to someone older and what it means to leave their family behind in a place that is ridden with war and death. Mr. Pirzada was able to escape, having to go back eventually, but those months away changed who he was with having to view his home only from glimpses on the news.
You are correct that immigration and mental health go hand and hand. Adult’s mental health can be impacted from the change and new things they are experiencing in a new country. Immigrant children are also impacted from social barriers and learning.
I definitely see these struggles with mental health play out in Interpreter of Maladies. Mrs. Sen’s story in particular shows symptoms of depression which, whether they were subclinical or full-blown, clearly impacted her experience in a new country.
I feel that your topic is one that is very important and should be recognized more often. Your point on the lasting effects of immigrant displacement on children is one that people do not think of often, but it truly does change the way kids are. Children experience so much and are considered to be resilient. This may be true for many situations, but a child who feels out of place is one that struggles very deeply. Mental health is a very important topic to talk about when it comes to these situations. A child who is still developing while migrating struggles with many things such as the potential language change. These things make a child feel alone and left out causing much deeper mental health problems later on. Overall, immigrants and their families have very difficult times in the transition stages and these can have long-lasting effects. Great post!
I really like the ideas that you presented in your presentation. I believe you did a great job explaining the lasting effects that migration has on immigrants. Children are greatly affected by immigration which effects their mental health as well as their overall well being. I like how you mentioned how these experiences can have long lasting effects that can disturb and alter the way people view their life and how they chose to live on. Overall, I really enjoyed reading your context presentation and believe you including great points and backed them up with valid explainations.
It’s no surprise immigrant children and children of immigrants are found to be deeply impacted by the event as we have encountered several stories in our reading now that embody this difficulty. Ortiz-Cofer, Adichie, Ko and Satrapi have all touched on the troubling events of immigration.
Thanks for sharing! It helped seeing the effects from both pre and post migration. It seems to be a continuous process of ongoing struggles while adapting to a new life. I really liked how you brought up the impact on the children, as this looked pretty evident with the characters in our earlier readings.
Thank you for sharing Kyle! I never knew that there were that many different kind of effects. It makes complete sense though because this is a huge life change, and with that, there are bound to be some consequences that come with it.
Thank you for sharing the effects immigrant displacement has on peoples livelihoods. My mother tells me sometimes about a family friend from South America who immigrated to America and was a succesful lawyer who for a long peirod of time had to result to cleaning pools in America to make a living. It is disappointing that immigrants can get displaced from their culture and then they have to face so many hardships.
Great post thanks for highlighting the lasting effects that immigrants can experience from migration and connecting to this weeks reading.
I think you did a really nice job on hitting the different aspects wee should expect to read about this week. It will definitely help us to know what to pay extra attention to this week and throughout the rest of the course.
Hello! This context presentation included great details over really important parts of Interpreter of Maladies. Mentioning the different types of disparities faced by different ages, even though they’re all technically immigrants is something I appreciated. The children of immigrants often get overlooked.
I think this is a very important topic that should be addressed in dealing with immigration and the effects it has on families. Although on the surface, moving to a new country with more opportunities sounds like it would improve the lives of those living in harsh conditions and in poverty. However, it is not discussed nearly enough how moving across the world and leaving behind your family and friends takes a toll on one emotionally. I like how you included facts from the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, who stated that many immigrants report having mental health issues from adjusting to a whole new culture and how it has affected their identity.
Immigration can affect mental health in many ways. The worst part about it though is that even if it is affecting you, you still have to keep pushing through. When you’re an immigrant, it’s incredibly hard to take a day off. You spoke very nicely on the topic that’s on hand. Every week we learn something knew about the struggles of immigration, and mental health is one that seems to slip away every time.