Language and Communication
How is silence used to communicate important information in the book?
Silence can show an intense moment between two characters.
Who counts as "family"? Does "family" have to be based on blood?
Anyone you want consider family is your family. No husbands, wives, close friends are family
How does the American Dream help determine the story arcs of the characters?
Usually the characters have a dream and life gets in the way of them achieving that dream.
Is a dissatisfied character necessary for a good story?
No, because there are many good stories where the character reaches every goal he set out to accomplish
Why does a community need a scapegoat?
Because when things go wrong people need someone to blame.
Why does the second generation Bengali/Indian-American couples have such a tough time communicating with each other? Think about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Because they don’t have a place to call home they are still on the belongingness step of the hierarchy of needs and have low self esteem
What does it mean to put family first anyway?
Family is number one unconditionally.
Why is it so difficult for some of the characters in the book to be happy once they've achieved their goals?
Because there “dream” is not what they truly wanted.
Is it impossible to be truly satisfied in a capitalist system?
No, because a capitalist system gives people the opportunity to do what they want to do and once you find that thing that makes you truly happy you can do that for the rest of your life.
How can being alone and being in a community feel the same?
Because people blend in communities surrounding themselves with people they don’t know and maybe don’t want to know. So they are alone in a community.