Which of these excerpts from “hell-heaven” by jhumpa lahiri most clearly celebrates cultural diversity?
pranab kaku listened to these stories with interest, absorbing the vanishing details of her past. he did not turn a deaf ear to her nostalgia, like my father, or listen uncomprehendingly, like me. at walden pond, pranab kaku would coax my mother through the woods, and lead her down the steep slope to the water's edge. she would unpack the picnic things and sit and watch us as we swam.
i remember vividly the sound of his exuberant laughter and the sight of his lanky body slouched or sprawled on the dull, mismatched furniture that had come with our apartment. he had a striking face, with a high forehead and a thick mustache, and overgrown, untamed hair that my mother said made him look like the american hippies who were everywhere in those days.
he was from a wealthy family in calcutta and had never had to do so much as pour himself a glass of water before moving to america, to study engineering at mit. life as a graduate student in boston was a cruel shock, and in his first month he lost nearly twenty pounds.
the answer to his question was clear, given that my mother was wearing the red and white bangles unique to bengali married women, and a common tangail sari, and had a thick stem of vermillion powder in the center parting of her hair, and the full round face and large dark eyes that are so typical of bengali women.