Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali focuses on the morphed societal pressures and expectations. In her novel, she highlights the life of a Muslim woman and shows the injustices women still face to this day. Layla, the main character, is presented with many real life situations that show how at times it is easier to slip into a world where you do what is expected of you, not what you want to do or believe in. Although Layla was exposed to the western culture of liberation and a world of opportunities, she decides to move back to India where her family has set up an arranged marriage. The marriage does not work because her husband ends up being gay, so Layla is not able to fulfill the role of being a mother which is society, especially her parents, expect from her. Because Layla is torn between two worlds, America and India, she has no real sense of belonging. She has experienced the freedom of the western culture however her roots and traditions lie in India. With this in mind, Layla conforms to societal pressures but deep inside she is different.
To represent a sense of societal pressures, I chose to draw out a line of people (note: please ignore the fact that they are stick figures – I can not draw). In this line, all but one of the people are colored yellow. The one person that is colored pink represents Layla and her vision for a different culture however with the societal pressures she conforms to, she is still standing in the line with the others. The different color represents the fact that she knows and wants something else, but due to an abundance of pressures from her family, she must stay with her heritage.
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