CONTEXTUALIZING THE INHERENCE OF IDENTITIES IN CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI’S THE MISTRESS OF SPICE

Abstract

This paper traces the differentcountenances of identities of the characters in Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’sThe Mistress of Spice. It seeks to explore how the characters shape their identities to fit the circumstances and tends to emphasise the elasticity of identity. Her characters, particularly the female ones, have a strong desire to create their own unique identities and to have names that reflect those identities. Tilo, the main character of the novel, longs for her own identity from the start and desires a moniker that reflects her “true” nature - “the Mistress” - which is why she declares at the novel’s opening, “I am the Mistress of Spices.”Tilo, short for Tillottama, the essence of til, the source of life, health, and hope, is the name she selects for herself after completing the training when the Old One gives each girl a name. She is delighted to finally use her real name. Tilo is an Oakland resident who is proud, obstinate, wishful, self-driven, and impatient. She is eager to begin her new life under this name and with these spices. Identity has some intrinsic, immutable characteristics that give it fixity, and it also has some varying characteristics that give it fluidity. An effort has been made to pinpoint the circumstances and events that aid readers in understanding character identities and how they are navigated.