Although the themes of the story are quite similar the endings are clearly different. At the end of ‘The Gold Cadillac’ we see a note of happiness, as the family are brought closer together giving us closure. At the very end of the story we see Lois who has been telling the story say: ‘ I would remember that ride and the gold Cadillac all my life’. While on the other hand Pritam chooses to complete her story with a note of irony and tension: ‘ take him away he stinks of kerosene’ This is ironic because the reason that Manak’s wife Guleri killed herself was because his mother wanted him to have a baby boy and arranged another marriage for him meaning she felt betrayed. It is also ironic because she killed herself by soaking herself in kerosene and setting herself alight. When Manak sees the baby it reminds him of this. These dissimilar endings leave the reader feeling different. In ‘The Gold Cadillac’ we are left resolved, as we know that the family are no longer having problems. However, in ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’ the reader is left with a sense of disquiet, as we are unsure as to whether Manak accepts the baby. These endings make both stories effective especially in ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’.
Although the stories are set in different cultures they both concentrate on discrimination and prejudice. In ‘ A Stench Of Kerosene’ Pritam elucidates the effects of discrimination against women in India. In ‘The Gold Cadillac’, which is set in America, Taylor concentrates on bringing the effects of racism to our attention and although not a main theme in the story shows us how women are treated as equals as Dee has some power within her family.
In ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’ Guleri represents her gender in her culture. She represents women who do not have as much right and respect as men. In this story Guleri is disenfranchised. She is treated as a piece of property: ‘Someone came to fetch her from her parents’ village’. We see this denial of her volition again when Pritam writes: ‘Guleri was allowed’. Both of these lines are phrased in a passive voice, which creates an emphasis on Guleri’s objectification. This is also evident during the conversation between Guleri and Manak: ‘but he did not reply’ and ‘Manak did not ask again’. From the repetition of ‘not’ in both of these quotes the reader gets the impression that Manak is neglecting his wife Guleri.
Although Guleri represents women from the culture portrayed in this story Manak’s mother has more power than Guleri as she is a matriarchal figure and they live in a matriarchal society where all children must listen to their parents: ‘Obedient to his mother’ However, we could also get the impression that Manak’s mother has simply internalised the cultural misogyny. We get this impression from when she says; ‘ Why do you croak like an old woman…be a man’.
‘The Gold Cadillac’ can be seen as quite similar to ‘A Stench Of Kerosene; where the mother appears powerful as Dee has the power to stand up to her husband. This is portrayed after Wilbert has just brought the new car and Dee says: ‘That Mercury wasn’t even a year old’. And when she refuses to ride in the car: ‘ …mother refused to ride anywhere’. From Dee’s character we get the impression that she has power not only as a mother but also as a woman. However in Pritam’s story only mothers have the power and only mothers and wives are respected in society because they are believed to be the women’s roles in society. This is shown in ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’ where Manak’s mother is referred to only as Manak’s mother giving us the impression that she is only considered as a mother in society and nothing more. By calling her this she is being robbed of her identity, individuality and in some ways of her freedom. On the other hand in ‘The Gold Cadillac’ it seems that even black women have power which is surprising as when this story is set there were many racist states in America. We get this impression from when the mother is constantly referred to as Dee giving her, her own personal identity and not limiting her to her role as a mother or as a wife like Manak’s second wife who we only know as Manak’s second wife. At the start of the story the father Wilbert is completely against the idea of selling his car. However, by the end of his story he has had a change of heart and decides to sell the car. This is a very surprising change in his attitude, considering his attachment to the car at the start of the story. His decision may be down to fear, which his daughter was put through whilst riding in the golden Cadillac and how much of a risk he realised they were all at after being arrested by the police: ‘driving this car any further south with you girls in the car, it’s just not worth the risk’. This could be seen as similar to ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’ in the sense that Manak’s mother is concerned about what is best for him just like Wilbert and Dee are concerned about what is best for their two daughters.
In these short stories both authors show different approaches to the prejudice issues of different cultures. In ‘ The Golden Cadillac’ Taylor shows us this by telling the story through the eyes of an innocent and confused little girl. By doing this Taylor makes the effectiveness of racism all the more clear to the reader. In ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’ Pritam uses a completely different approach. She shows how women are not treated equally through Manak’s treatment of Guleri. She also shows how women are not treated fairly through Manak’s second bride, she is bought by Manak’s mother, Manak does not love her and it is as though she is a piece of property. Also Manak’s mother does not seem to care if she hurts Guleri or the second bride as long as her son benefits from it. Guleri feels betrayed as she was in love with Manak and he took a second bride, which is why she kills herself.
In these short stories two very different cultures are displayed. In ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’ we see an Indian matriarchal society where mothers have the most power within their families. We also see that the women who are not married or mothers do not have much power. In ‘ The Gold Cadillac’ we see that the story is set in America where it appears at first that black people have equal rights. However, it is clear that in the south they do not. We also see that mothers have the freedom to challenge the decisions of their husbands and are respected just like all the men. The ways in which the two stories are set are similar. ‘ A Stench Of Kerosene’ is set in India; we get the impression that people get on well in this society. However, as the story progresses we realise the disadvantages faced by women. We are similarly misled in ‘ The Gold Cadillac’ in fact it is not immediately that the family in the story is black until we get further into the story. At first we think that black people are equals in society until the family travels into the south and receives much discrimination.
In both of the stories ‘The Gold Cadillac’ and ‘A Stench Of Kerosene’, the authors Mildred Taylor and Amrita Pritam attempt to convey the harsh realities of their respective culture. In Pritam’s story women are not always treated as equals and in this case they are not respected unless they are married or are mothers. In Taylor’s story she is attempting to show us that in America black people have not always been treated as equals. In each case the authors appear to be pitiful of the ways in which women and black people are belittled in society. We as the readers are shown this through the strong imagery, brevity of structure and the narrative impact. Both authors give us meaning and the reader is left with a wider knowledge of how culture informs the way in which people are treated depending on race and gender.