From Tradition to Transformation: Empowerment through Dress in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s “Clothes”

Abstract

“Tradition” usually refers to a protracted-installed custom, perception, or practice passed down through generations, frequently maintained through oral history or repeated behaviours instead of formal documentation or fabric proof. It implies continuity rooted in cultural or communal norms.
The phrase “lifestyle to transformation” shows a procedure of exchange wherein enduring customs, beliefs, or practices are reshaped to align with new societal contexts, values, or needs. This evolution can take region across diverse domains, together with religion, way of life, social structures, and technology.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, a famous Indian-American writer, is pleasant regarded for her works such as The Mistress of Spices, Arranged Marriage, and The Vine of choice. Her writing frequently centres on reports of Indian immigrants, mainly girls, navigating unfamiliar environments. Her brief story “Cothes,” from the gathering Arranged Marriage, makes use of garb as a effective image to trace the protagonist’s adventure from conventional roles to self-realisation. Through this metaphor, Divakaruni highlights how outwards change mirrors inner transformation, especially within the context of cultural displacement and emotional loss.
The story “Clothes” explores the journey of an Indian woman, Sumita, who moves to the United States for an arranged marriage. The story uses clothing symbolism to represent her transition between traditional Indian and modern American identities and her eventual, independent awakening after her husband’s death. These changes in apparel replicate her inner warfare, in addition to her evolving connection to her Indian roots and her edition to lifestyles within the United States of America.