Adolescence & Adulthood in The Inheritance of Loss

The Inheritance of Loss is the domicile for the reclusive, vulnerable, and yearning characters introduced elegantly, honestly, and tenderly by Kiran Desai. The novel is set against the lofty misty mountains of Kalimpong, a quiet hill station in northern India. At the heart of the tumultuous text is Sai Mistry, a serene yet deeply concerned young girl, beginning to understand herself physically and emotionally. This is a theme that deeply resonates with all women at some point in life-myself included.

Sai’s life unfolds in multiple inter-weavings of change, punctuated by discontinuous transition. Her passage into adulthood is disturbed and complicated by specific circumstance(s) she finds herself deeply implicated in. But then again, I think it can be adptly concluded that we have all found the road to adulthood to be a thorny one at times. Throughout the literary piece, symbols and metaphors are used to convey the essence of Sai’s pursued path of development, which is marked by several transformative experiences. Although we do not all share the same experiences we all are transformed as a result of them.

Desai subtly employs the use of intricate allegorical language to form a visible relationship between the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a vibrant butterfly and Sai’s transformation from an innocuous, naive young girl to a prudent, experienced woman. The caterpillar that metamorphoses into a captivatingly striking butterfly is the most enduring symbol of Sai’s unique transformation from her adolescence to her unrecognizable adulthood. 

The Complexities of Youth: The Catcher in the Rye & Tina’s Mouth

I, like most American teenagers who went to public school, read J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and fell unequivocally in love [for a number of reasons].

Jim Dixon describes Salinger’s novel as an “unforgettable, sensitive, coming-of-age tale with varying levels of moral complexity; a story that make adults ponder the mysteries of their youth, and helps adolescents come to a deeper understanding of the common ground of their own perceived insanity”.

I related to Holden Caulfield, the angsty protagonist of The Catcher in the Rye, in more ways than one. Like Holden, I was (and still am!):

• an intelligent student

• sensitive and vulnerable

• sarcastic

• cynical

• jaded from the ugliness of this world
  

However, unlike Holden, I was (and most definitely still am!):

• a girl
• an Indian girl
• an Indian girl born, raised, and living in America
• an Indian girl born, raised, and living in America with parents born and raised in India

Needless to say, that complicated my transition from childhood from adulthood. Quite a bit, if I may add.

Teens who come from a similarly complicated background may want to replace J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye with Keshni Kashyap’s new book, Tina’s Mouth.

As written by Republic of Brown, “Tina’s Mouth is an utterly charming story about a thoughtful and intelligent 15 year old girl (Tina Malhotra), negotiating an existentially trying spring semester at her Southern California prep school. She’s desperately trying to find the meaning of life amidst her quirky family, betrayal by her best friend and an intense crush, all the while on a quest…for her first kiss. She finds solace in writing letters to Jean Paul Satre where she poses all her questions and eventually finds her way to the answer”.