The culture appears to be traditional as fairly primitive methods are employed throughout the story. “Then the ox, who was a rather stupid fellow and unaware of his impending end as meat for the wedding feast” tells me that the meat used in the wedding would be that from an ox killed only a few hours before being served as food in the ceremony. “In between ululating, now and then the women bent over and shook their buttocks in the air” shows that traditions feature quite highly in a Botswanan ceremony, as these are, of course traditional methods. The fact that aunts “formally hand over the bride to the maternal aunts of the groom” shows that this is a traditional technique as it is the modern procedure for the father to give his daughter away.
Botswanan society appears to be largely agricultural, too. “He was rich in cattle” and “during the year he prepared the huts in his new yard” show me that the huts are for him and his wife to live in and the yard for his cattle. This shows that large importance is given to animal farming. This made him “loved and respected by all who knew him” shows that he gets a high social status by becoming a farmer. He is required to “plough and supply the family with corn each year”, too, emphasising the demand on agriculture.
There appears to be a large domestic role for women as “two girls started to ululate and dance in front of the bride”. However, this is changing, as it seems that women are beginning to impose themselves on society itself. Before, when it was a more matriarchal society, women were given a more domestic role. But now, with women more prominent, they “are the big money-earners” and they “had endless opportunities – typist, book-keeper or secretary”.
Finally, the society appears to be impossessive as there is freedom before and after marriage, unlike western culture. I get this idea as “the bride was six months pregnant”, “girls like her offered no resistance to the approaches of men” and the order given to the bride was “let him feel free to come and go as he likes….” This makes me think that there is an immense amount of freedom on the groom before and after marriage, as he is allowed, culturally, to be unfaithful.
Now I shall move onto the cultural and social impacts of Indian culture on the story “The Young Couple”.
The primary thing that strikes me about Indian culture is that it appears to encourage patriotism as “They had so many ideas about the things Naraian would do for his country once he got back there” gives me this idea.
It appears that it is not the custom for women to go out on their own either in Indian culture as “she was questioned about these excursions of hers”, the mother says “one word, and I shall come myself with the car to take you” which indicates that women are meant to be in groups when they do venture out to the market. In addition, she does not have “the independence customarily enjoyed as a right by English girls” as the mother adds “Our (Indian) girls don’t go to the bazaar alone. It is not proper for us” and Naraian adds, “It’s not Oxford Street you know. You can’t just saunter down the road as you please”. Perhaps the reason for this is that “sly men with dirty fingers touched her surreptitiously from out of the crowd”. Perhaps women are seen as easy targets in India and so must stick in groups or not go out at all, as she is pregnant, which adds to the concern.
The society seems to be rich and almost materialistic as there are various references to her “long blonde hair” and at one point, there is an image of her lying “on the bed, on her stomach, one foot with a silver slipper dangling from it up in the air, her fingers twisting her golden plait”. Blonde, golden and silver are all adjectives describing material things, rich in wealth and quality. This may be reflecting the style of the society.
It seems that in India, the society and culture encourage women to be covered and not exposing various parts of their bodies to entice men. I get this impression because there is particular emphasis on her “low-cut pink nylon nightie with a lace top” and a contrast to her “pretending to merge with a crowd of modestly veiled women”.
There is a communication problem, too. This is most magnified when the “sweeper-woman came and there was no other language but smiles and nods by which she and Cathy could communicate”. However, when Naraian speaks to the sweeper-woman “rather too rudely and loudly, Cathy thought, the sweeper-woman never seemed to mind, on the contrary, she showed her pointed teeth wider, whiter than ever”. This appears to show that she does not understand the manner of the language that they are conversing in. It seems to loud and brash compared to Cathy’s native language (English). However, it is not the case, as the sweeper-woman does not mind the tone Naraian is using to talk to her as she is used to being treated like that. This shows the lack of understanding of the society’s language shown by Cathy.
There is also evidence of a class or ‘caste’ system. This appears to be the case when “Naraian pointed mistakes out to the sweeper-woman occasionally (rather too rudely and loudly) but the sweeper-woman never seemed to mind, on the contrary, she showed her pointed teeth wider, whiter than ever”. This shows that she is used to being ill-treated and she knows her position in society. Her position, I assume will be low in the hierarchy system, and so she relies on working for rich people for her income. Therefore, she does not show her frustration at being corrected so brashly.
It appears to be an integrated society at a glance as “everywhere they met friends” and it is so easy “to merge with a crowd of modestly veiled women, sick cows, pickpockets and obtrusive hawkers”.
The culture is still traditional and affectionate as families still provide “plenty of pocket money (to their relations) to spend in restaurants, cinemas and record shops”. This helps to support the notion that the Indian culture is very materialistic.
Another aspect of Indian society is the fact that it appears to be uncouth to show your affection towards your partner. This is quite the opposite of Western culture. This is emphasised when the author explains “Cathy was rather a demonstrative girl and liked kissing and holding hands with Naraian when other people were looking, and indeed in England he had enjoyed that, too and they sat there in coffee bars and on park benches with their arms slung closely around each other. But here, when they were in public places, Naraian took care to see that there was a decent few inches between them”. What's more, “if her dress had crept up her knee or a button had come undone, he was quick to notice” compared with “modestly veiled women” shows that the culture is to be fully clothed and not exposing various parts of your body.
Finally, I think that the normal Indian family lives together as one big family with all the relatives integrated with each other. It appears to be the culture that families provide for their relatives and look out for them. I get this idea because “some of them had jobs, found for them usually by the influence of some relative, others were like Naraian still looking for jobs and meanwhile living at the expense of their families” and “the family house was large enough to absorb a number of married sons with their young families”. Simultaneously, it seems that there is almost an obsession for providing for the relatives of the family. This is emphasised when the family had “even helped them to find his flat and pay a year’s advance rent on it”, “what the family discussed most vigorously was Naraian’s refusal to enter any of the family’s business concerns or to accept any jobs they kept arranging for him” and “he ended up with a job in his uncle’s firm”. Moreover, the families and the culture appear to be rich in quality and in materialistic terms. There are references throughout the story towards various items of value. Such examples are “rich, abundant food”, “physical heaviness”, “brocade curtains”, “honeyed”, “great quantities of food”, “too rich” and “too thick and fleshy”.
Now I shall move onto various comparisons between the two cultures. The Botswanan culture appears to be changing to become more modern. “This is going to be a modern wedding” and “no one had been awake all night preparing diphiri or the traditional wedding breakfast,” tell me this. However, the Indian culture remains traditional with the relatives remaining to stay with their families and “some of them had jobs, found for them usually by the influence of some relative, others were like Naraian still looking for jobs and meanwhile living at the expense of their families” and “the family house was large enough to absorb a number of married sons with their young families”. The families provide for their relatives in the Indian culture.
Next, the Botswanan society appears to be largely uneducated as “she was the only one with O-levels and she never failed to rub in this fact” and “she had endless opportunities – typist, book-keeper or secretary”. However, in the Indian story, “she had been a receptionist to a Harley Street specialist, a sales assistant in an airlines office, once for a brief while a waitress in a coffee bar”. These are sophisticated jobs compared with the more simple jobs found in Botswana.
The society appears to be agriculturally based and dependent in Botswana. I understand this because you get a high social status if a farmer in Botswana. “He was rich in cattle” and “he was loved and respected by all who knew him,” tell me this. However, Indian society is more developed, as there are “various sorts of jobs that this social standing and background permitted her to do”.
In Botswanan society, the role of women appears to be changing. They seem to be gaining more prominence in everyday society as “she had endless opportunities – typist, book-keeper or secretary”. However, Indian culture appears to be the same as in previous generations as it remains that women stay at home and do household work as housewives. “Our girls do not go out into these bazaars alone. It is not proper for us,” tells me this.
Finally, in Botswanan society, there is freedom before and after marriage for men as “let him come and go as he likes” tells me this. However, there are no such offers in Indian society.
However, there are also similarities between the two cultures or ways of the society. Such an example is the concept of large families in both the stories. In the Botswanan story, this is backed up by the fact that “she became pregnant (with their second child) six months before the marriage” and in the Indian story, “the house was quite large enough to absorb a large amount of married sons with their young families”.
Both societies appear to be matriarchal as, in the Botswanan story, “he prepared the huts in the new yard and “was rich in cattle”. In the Indian story, “Our girls (Indian girls) don’t go into these bazaars alone. It is not proper for us.”
Finally, in both stories, there is a traditional feeling, as, in the Botswanan story, there are references to “diphiri”, “traditional wedding breakfast” and “women weaving about the yard in the wedding dance; now and then they bent over and shook their buttocks in the air”. At the same time there is “ululating” and “they handed over the ox” which is traditional. In the Indian story, it appears to be traditional as the families still provide for them indirectly. For example, “some of them had jobs, found for them usually through the influence of some relative” and “meanwhile living at the expense of their families”.
This is how the society impinges upon the story in these two cultures.
