Chapters
If you are an avid reader, you would notice that there's often a relationship between the author and the themes embedded in their respective literary works.
It's more apparent if the book is a semi-biographical story like Anita and Me by Meera Syal, a GCSE English Literature selected modern text.
Meera Syal's personal experience as a British-born Indian who grew up in Wolverhampton helped her to effectively weave in some interesting themes in her story such as:
- Identity and self-discovery
- Friendship
- Cultural differences and integration
- Family relationships
Let's uncover these themes together in this article.
Theme 1: Identity and Self-Discovery
Anita and Me is narrated by nine-year-old Meena Kumar, who is struggling to embrace her dual identity as a British-born Indian. She reflects on her experience of growing up in a predominantly white neighbourhood, Tollington in the 70s.
Meena often tries to break out from the whole cultural expectation of becoming the "good Indian daughter" that her family has for her.
From her preference for English food to English friends, Meena longs to be like any other English girl in her neighbourhood.
She hates being compared to her Indian peers, especially Pinky and Baby, the daughters of her family friend, Aunty Shaila who were described as "polite and sweet and enjoy spending time with their family" by her father. Meena, on the other hand, is very different in terms of temperament.
I always got told off, but I was beginning not to care. I knew I was a freak of some kind, too mouthy, clumsy and scabby to be a real Indian girl, too Indian to be a real Tollington wench, but living in the grey area between all categories felt increasingly like home.
She is talkative, imaginative, and playful, with a hint of tomboyishness, which is seen as something odd by her Indian family and acquaintances.
While Meena acknowledges her Indian roots, she also finds herself more at ease with her English friends like Anita Rutter. Eventually, she accepted that her dual identity is something she'll have throughout her life.
Theme 2: Friendship
Longing for acceptance, Meera begins to befriend Anita Rutter, an older white girl who is entirely different from her.
Initially unbothered by Anita's bad influence and actions, she sees Anita as a powerful and daring leader who will not judge her for being odd.
And Anita never looked at me the way my adopted female cousins did; there was never fear or censure or recoil in those green, cool eyes, only the recognition of a kindred spirit, another mad bad girl trapped inside a superficially obedient body.
Wanting to impress her, Meena willingly follows Anita in engaging in all kinds of mischief, even stealing together from their old neighbour, Mr Christmas.
As the story progresses, Meena begins to question the true nature of their friendship when she notices that Anita is manipulative, racist and mean even to her sister, Tracey.
She eventually realised that Anna did not see her as a real friend and respected her after Anna admitted to being part of a violent act towards an Indian man in Tollington, together with her boyfriend, Sam Lowbridge.
Theme 3: Cultural Conflicts and Integration
Being the minority in a predominantly white community in Tollington, Meena and her family are not strangers to cultural tension and adaptation.
From being called racist remarks like "darkies" in school and "wog" near a Sikh temple in Birmingham, Meena begins to notice the underlying cultural conflict of the place where she is living.
At times, they even translated into unacceptable behaviours and actions like deception and violence.
Meena was quick to notice the disadvantage her maternal grandmother, Nanima was in when the shopkeeper, Mr Omerold tried to cheat her because she could not speak English.
At the same time, Meena's family are also aware that they should adopt certain practices and celebrations while living in the United Kingdom. The Kumars maintained their culture like the Diwali celebration while being open-minded.
Meena's parents celebrated Christmas and even sent Meena to Sunday School at the Wesleyan church even though they identified as Hindus so that she could meet friends and not feel left out.
Theme 4: Family Relationships
While the Kumars are not necessarily without flaws, they portray a genuine healthy family relationship.
Both Meena's parents, Syam and Daljit are responsible and loving to Meena and her baby brother, Sunil. The family often have conversations and communicate peacefully with each other even though they might have differing views on certain matters.
Meena was also comforted by Nanima's presence at her home as she got connected to her Indian roots.
As the story progresses, Meena begins to understand her parents better, in terms of why they behave a certain way and the challenges they face in Tollington when they leave their home in India.
I suddenly realised that what had happened to me must have happened to papa countless times, but not once had he ever shared his upset with me. He must have known it would have made me feel as I felt right now, hurt, angry, confused, and horribly powerless because this kind of hatred could not be explained.
Meena's solid family relationship is pivotal in her character's growth and maturity towards the end of the story.
This is a great contrast to Anita's family's. Anita's father, Roberto was implied to be abusive to her mother and sister, Tracey while her mother, Deirdre eventually chose to walk out from the family.
Anita's rude and loud behaviour could stem from her insecurity and prolonged loneliness due to her family, though she expresses her disappointment about being abandoned.
You'll notice that the key themes of Anita and Me are somewhat linked to one another and revolve around the growth of the main character, Meena.
To ace your actual exam, be sure to read through the novel and include relevant examples as you elaborate on the key themes. All the best!
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