"Anita and me" Meera Syal - Examine the ways in which the relationship between Meena and Anita changed during the course of the novel.

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Examine the ways in which the relationship between Meena and Anita changed during the course of the novel.

“Anita and me” is a novel by Meera Syal which partly reflects her own childhood. It is about a young Asian girl, who goes through many experiences to be accepted into English society. These incidents help her to discover her true identity, and accept that she is an Asian girl in an English culture. In the end she realises that she is too desperate to be accepted. Meena’s relationship with Anita goes through several stages: when Meena thinks of Anita as a role model; when they become like strangers; and finally when Meena becomes an independent ‘woman’. I will be explaining how this happened during the course of the novel.

The first stage of Meena’s and Anita’s relationship is when Meena thinks of Anita as a role model and copies her style. The first time Meena follows her, she starts to idolise her. When Meena steals the sweets from Mr Ormerod’s shop, Anita takes them. Meena sees this as a good opportunity to become good friends with her. She feels this is how she can become involved with the English culture.

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        “Yow coming then?” pg 38

Meena is really happy and is extremely glad that an English girl has started to talk to her. She finally feels as if she can fit in with the British culture. Meena truly feels Anita is great. Meena is a young mischievous girl but becoming friends with Anita boosts her confidence even more. She admires Anita for her independence and also the freedom she has that Meena doesn’t get from her family. Meena practically thinks of Anita as a goddess.

        “I had wondered what I had done to deserve it” pg 18

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