1. The narrator remarks about Mrs Dutta, "And so she has been putting off her reply [to Mrs. Basu] while in her heart family loyalty battles with insidious feelings of ---- but she turns from them quickly and will not name them even to herself" ( Charters 357).
After completing this story, what do you believe are those feelings she refuses to name to herself? What evidence do you have for your answer?
2. Here is the final paragraph of the entire story: "Pausing to read over what she has written, Mrs. Dutta is surprised to discover this: Now that she no longer cares whether tears blotch her letter, she feels no need to weep" (369 Charters)
Explicate these lines. Here are a few of my questions. Exactly what is Mrs. Dutta surprised to discover? Why doesn't she care about blotching her letter, and why doesn't she have any need to weep? What has happened to her? How? Why?
4. "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter" is the title of the story. Why is the writing of the letter so important? Note that from early on in the story, Mrs. Dutta spends a lot of time thinking about this letter and what to write, but the story is not called "Mrs. D. Thinks About a Letter." Also, why is the title so focused on the "letter"? Does the letter get mailed? Why is the letter so significant? Why doesn't Divakaruni name this story "Mrs. Dutta Overhears her Daughter-in-law"? Explain.
5. Connect this story and any character in it to any character in another story. State the specific connection you are making and, most importantly, the significance of that connection, and what you'd like us to see and learn from the connection you are making.
