Haley Hunt INTL 3111 Mr.

Robert Arnold 31 January 2012 Microtheme 2 In Sandip Roys short story The Smells of Home focuses on the idea of what a person considers to be home. Roy addresses that what a person considers being their home, may not be apparent to them. The story also emphasizes that even though a person may not appreciate where they came from; it is always the place that they can call home. In the beginning of the story Savitri is obsessed with how wonderful England is even though she has never travelled there and she contrasts that the negative aspects of her homeland in Delhi. Throughout the story she still focuses on England, but after travelling to America she realizes that her true home is India and wants to return. In the beginning of the story Roy contrasts Delhi with England. She would feel herself falling through it and leaving the hot parched Delhi streets and the cruel blue Indian skies far behind. This is in contrast to the description of England and how the suitcase smelled cool and fresh. The beginning description focuses on Savitris need to leave India for England. She condemns India and focuses on this picture perfect idea of England. Everything related to India also had this demeaning description like the smell of her house or the sound of her mothers voice. It is all used to focus on Savitris unreal perception of England. As the reader you can almost feel how desperate Savitri wants to be able to call England home, even though she does not truly understand the depths and faults of England. Her father even tries to explain to her that the England she wants is idealized. Savi, Wordsworths England is long dead. She does not

realize that her version of England does not exist anymore, but instead remains in a fantasy within her mind. The entire story focuses on England being this place that Savitri wants to be able to call home someday. After moving to America she is trying to focus on making this a new start and bring herself away from India. Savitri makes dinner for her husband, but does not wait up for him as her mother would have done for her father. This is showing how Savitri is continually moving away from her Indian roots. She was also trying to decide how to name the spices in her cabinet. For a while she debated whether to write the Hindi names or the English ones. Her final decision was to name the spices their English names, which put more emphasis on her effort to leave behind her Indian life. After finding out devastating news, Savitri finally realizes what she considers to be her true home. She buried her face in the pillow and tried to summon up the old familiar smells of home. She then continues to recite the names of the Indian spices and focuses on how bad she wishes she could go home. Instead of India being this terrible place, it is the place of comfort. The author tries to bring the reader to the realization that sometimes what we are trying to run away from is our true home. Roy tries to show that Savitri considers England to be this wonderful country even though it is not her home. In the end, when trouble happens, the place where Savitri really wants to go is not England, but India. The author wants the reader to realize that a person may try to leave or disown their home, it will always be there for them.