One Amazing Thing

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-13

Chapters 14-16

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Themes

Storytelling as a Pilgrimage

In One Amazing Thing, Divakaruni gives a deliberate nod to Geoffrey Chaucer’s Middle Age narrative The Canterbury Tales. In Chaucer’s work, 29 pilgrims are journeying from London to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury. Each pilgrim is challenged to tell two stories on the way to the shrine and two on the return trip, with the prize of a free meal given to the best storyteller. In the opening scenes of One Amazing Thing, Uma is holding a copy of The Canterbury Tales and it is at her suggestion that all nine earthquake survivors tell a story of something amazing from their own lives. It could also be argued that the visa office in the Indian Consulate is the starting point for a pilgrimage, as seven of the nine are planning to travel to India for one reason or another, and the other two are hoping to return.

However, the idea of pilgrimage isn’t strictly a physical act. As they are trapped in the visa office, the stories that the group share take them on another kind of journey—one that traverses human prejudice, secrets, and destinies. Divakaruni purposefully brings together various ages, races, nationalities, and religions in this small assemblage of characters to demonstrate how being human is a universal condition. Initially, the diversity sets them apart from each other, causing misunderstandings and suspicions to develop. However, it is also this diversity that allows for such a wide range of stories to be shared, and ultimately gives each character a different perspective or insight into the humanity of his or her other companions.

Free Will vs. Fate

Fate plays an important role in One Amazing Thing, and several of the stories told by the group mention how fate has impacted their own lives. The novel begins with an earthquake hitting, showing how an unplanned natural disaster brings nine strangers from different backgrounds together at this particular moment in time. As the survivors tell their stories, they work their ways back into diverse pasts. Although unable to control the fate which has brought them to the visa office at the same time, the fact that each person is planning a trip to India for their own personal reasons demonstrates an attempt to exert influence over their own destinies. Mrs. Pritchett, for example, sees India as a place to lose her old self and begin anew. Cameron feels his future awaits him in the young orphan girl he has sponsored. Tariq, by going to India, may be cementing his fate as a Muslim extremist—or escaping that fate, which was lurking for him in America. This juxtaposition between free will and fate is best exemplified by the book’s ending, where it is unclear whether the group survives the aftermath of the earthquake. By making this ambiguous, Divakaruni seems to suggest that where we all end up, either through fate or own actions, doesn’t really matter. Rather, it is the journey we take and the humanity we display as we navigate through life, that means something.

Role of Familial Obligations

Several of the stories shared by the characters emphasize the role of familial obligations in shaping a person’s life, and how only by escaping these obligations can a person truly find happiness and personal fulfillment. Jiang, who left India years before at the urging of her father to begin a new life in the United States, will now have a chance to explore possibilities in the life she left behind. Her granddaughter, Lily, discovers that her love of music can be separated from her desire to please her parents. Malathi thwarted her family’s expectation of an arranged marriage by choosing to work in a hair salon. Mangalam, feeling pressure to honor his family, allowed his life to be ruined by his choices. Uma, although living thousands of miles away from her parents, is still deeply intertwined in their lives and wishes to return to India as a way to confront this relationship and try to change it. Despite the differences that exist in their personal histories, the characters all share a commonality in that they recognize the pressure of family duty that has been placed on them and have found the courage to stand up to it.

Divakaruni purposefully brings together various ages, races, nationalities, and religions in this small assemblage of characters to demonstrate how being human is a universal condition. Initially, the diversity sets them apart from each other, causing misunderstandings and suspicions to develop. However, it is also this diversity that allows for such a wide range of stories to be shared, and ultimately gives each character a different perspective or insight into the humanity of his or her other companions.