Culture and Perspective: The Path to An Identity

The path to a fulfilling life leads through our attitudes, outlooks, and identities. In Bharati Mukherjee’s “A Father”, Joy Harjo’s “The Path to the Milky Way Leads Through Los Angeles”, and Mituye Yamada’s “A Bedtime Story”, these stories all contributed the idea that a perspective can be a very important part of life, and the way you see things may be very different from others. The stories also show attitudes that reflect the way people treat their families, cities, and themselves. While we “wearily climb a hill” to find our lives, it is culture, perspective, and approach to life that dictates whether or not we live contently.
Bharati Mukherjee’s “A Father” is a short story that expresses an apathetic tone throughout much of the story, but has a clear, morbid ending which almost shifts the tone of the rest of the text to one that is possibly depressing and troubling. The portrayal of Mr. Bhowmick is that he is a quiet, religious/superstitious man that does not enjoy America. His attitude towards America dictates the fact that he lives a lonely, depressing existence. He appears very bitter towards his wife and daughter, and while he says he simply does not love them, the majority of his anger seems to stem from the move from India to America. His wife claims that his attitude stays bottled up inside, mainly due to his quiet disposition. However, by the end of the story, we clearly see that he has unleashes his inner emotions as “his wife called the police”.
Mitsuye Yamada’s “A Bedtime Story” shows how one’s outlook can dictate one’s life. In this old Japanese legend, passed down from one’s Papa, it shows an old woman finding the bright side in not being welcomed into any homes in the village. By resting on the hill, she was able to see the beautiful night sky and she found solace and splendor in this sight. While this seemed uneventful to the listener of the story, it is clear that perspective plays a big role in this story.
Joy Harjo’s “The Path to the Milky Way Leads Through Los Angeles” paints an excellent picture of the city. This contemporary, 21st century poem also shows that different perspectives can shape the way one sees the city of Los Angeles. Some people can look at the poverty and trash of the city and see conflict and danger; however, others may look beyond the trash, and see the City of Angels, big and beautiful, “revolving in the dark sky on the path to the Milky Way”.