Critical Analysis

The Inscrutable

Americans
By-Anurag Mathur

Name: Brandon Ambosta

Roll No: 02
Stream: B.M.M
College: Bhavanss College
Facilitator: Ms. Manju
 INDEX
Sr.no Title

1 Name of the novel

2 Author
3 Publisher
4 Publication Date
5 Pages
6 Theme
7 Premise
8 Genre
9 Plot
10 Characters
11 Review
12 Grade
NAME: The novels name is The Inscrutable Americans
AUTHOR: Anurag Mathur
PUBLISHER: Rupa Publications New world library
PUBLICATION DATE: July 1991
PAGES: 250

THEME:
It is a Comedy Fiction which focuses on the socio-economical clashes
between the Indian and American culture.
PREMISE:
The Author chose to portray stereotypical characters from both the Indian
culture and the American culture. The interactions between them and the
lead characters endeavor to accept and understand the American culture
overall makes it a humorous book.
GENRE:
It is a Comedy Fiction.

PLOT:
Gopal, the son of a hair oil factory owner in Madhya Pradesh, arrives in
America to study chemical engineering in a university in Eversville, Already
having a very impressive knowledge in his field. He begins to get exposed to the
American Culture slowly from different discovery of American girls, naked
billboards, and new gadgets and continues on with telephone and the multi-colored
channeled T.V. He meets Randy, who starts introducing him to the American
society and culture. As the story rises into action Gopals priorities that I am only
going to classes, library and home begins to change. Randy takes him to
restaurants, on double dates and different places through the story. He starts getting
absorbed by the American ways of life where he asks for a cigarette to impress the
lady at the bar. Later on Gopal has some intra-personal conflict that he faces
whether to continue or go home because of the unexpected events that took place
outside the bar. Further ahead he gets exposed to the actual reality of America, The
Dark or the Grey side of a society that many people are not aware of its existence.
He gets shocked on seeing the poverty in the most promising and richest lands.
Christmas vacation begins and he starts feeling lonely and depressed. In the mean-
time he tries a lot to get laid but unsuccessful after many failures. Finally his one
year comes to an end and he departs from his campus. The climax comes when
Gopal meets a women in the plane where he begins to discuss his adventure with
the women in America, his fear of a plain and bored future in India as the
American culture clawed its addicted upon him. In this plan, his fantasy finally had
been fulfilled and got laid 30,000 feet above the ocean.
CHARACTER:
Gopal: Gopal is the village boy from a place known as the Paris
of Madhya Pradesh, who was entangled in the pure India culture. He was a person
who would obey his parents and grand-parents wished too like; eat food that was
cooked by bhramins only or dont mingle with girls and many more. In the start he
was an innocent guy who loved coke. Later he became hypnotized or dragged into
the American culture as he smoked cigarettes just to impress a lady at the bar or
further in the story has a desire to get laid.
 Randy: Randy is a cheerful American with curly brown hair. He is like
the side kick of Gopal and is like the perfect & complex spice that merges his
thoughts with the protagonist. After meeting Gopal, he prepares this one ambition
or The Mission of his life that is to get the innocent fool laid.
Gloria: Gloria is the manager of a double- storey apartment complex
and it is the place where Gopal is going to stay. She is a fat lady with no facial
characterization except having a small nose which is staying afloat atop of the fat.
She doesnt have any kids but has a lot of affection for her flowering vases and
treats each one as little babies. She is a poet and she writes amazingly like:
The twitch of my hip; Can make a man sick
The glow in my soul; Can burn a big hole
Andy a.k.a Anand: Anand is a short, thin and is long haired with a
moustache. He is an India who foolishly stylishly speaks in the American accent
but it feels as if an illiterate India is trying very hard to adopt the accent and fails in
it miserably and unknowingly. His Character becomes very hilarious when he calls
Gopal as Goh-Pahl. He always criticizes India for everything and compares it
with America. He fantasizes of developing India by once becoming the president
and shooting all the ministers one-by-one.
REVIEW:
Its my first novel that I have ever read and I thought that it was
hilarious. Gopal, the village boys innocence had been portrayed very convincingly
and his obsession with the Jajaus Hair Oil Factory is a laugh out loud! I really
loved the part when Gopal bargains with the casher and the manager in the mall
and succeeds in it & was a very cute scene. This book made me laugh a lot and I
really enjoyed reading it. There are many scenes that made me laugh till my
stomach pained and maybe made people around wonder whether I have gone
Crazy.
 I felt the problem with this arise mid-way! It gets monotonous and I think
that the author tries too hard to hold the readers attention. It is as if two different
individuals have written the two halfs of the book. The story abruptly stops being
funny and gets a little annoying. There was too much of details and absolutely lack
of direction. It Ruined my interest in Gopals fate. I stopped Caring for Gopals
fate anymore as he only wanted to get laid for the last eighty pages or so.
Was it a waste of money? I think that for 90 bucks it was something that many
Indians would say Paisa- Vasuul i.e. that I enjoyed reading this book too.
Was it Expected? I thought that it was pretty unexpected with different Twists &
Turns. For example after he comes out of a bar the trouble that he goes through
was like a shock to me.
GRADE:
I would give it STARS.