[The Other Family – Essay Questions and Answers
🔵 1. How does Himani Bannerji portray the struggles of immigrants through the mother and daughter in “The Other Family”?
Answer
“The Other Family” by Himani Bannerji explores the loneliness, insecurity and identity crisis experienced by an immigrant family living in Canada. The conflict between the mother and her young daughter reveals the challenges faced by people who live away from their homeland.
At the beginning of the story, the mother watches her daughter walking home alone through the cold, snowy streets. The unfamiliar Canadian landscape is entirely different from the warmth, sunlight and crowded streets of her native country. She feels that she has taken her daughter away from her own people and language. The sight of the lonely child makes the mother conscious of her own isolation.
The mother is absent-minded during dinner because she is worried about work and disturbed by letters from home. The ordinary conversation about their cats cannot hide the emotional distance between them. Her anxiety increases when the daughter shows her a picture of a white family with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes. The picture does not resemble their dark-skinned and dark-haired family.
The mother fears that her daughter wishes to become white and may eventually feel ashamed of her parents. However, the girl explains that she copied the picture from a schoolbook and that everyone in her class drew the same family. This shows how the dominant culture presents the white family as the normal or ideal family.
The mother soon realises that it is unfair to blame the child. She herself brought the girl to Canada, where she naturally wants to be like the other children. Overcome by guilt and fear, the mother bursts into tears.
The story shows that immigrants often feel caught between two cultures. The mother fears cultural loss, while the daughter struggles to understand her identity. However, the completed picture at the end offers hope that immigrants can preserve their cultural identity while living peacefully within a multicultural society.
🟣 2. Trace the little girl’s journey towards self-discovery and acceptance in “The Other Family.”
Answer
The little girl’s journey towards self-discovery forms the central action of Himani Bannerji’s “The Other Family.” At first, she unconsciously accepts the image of a white family as the standard representation of all families. Gradually, she recognises and proudly includes her own identity.
At school, the girl is asked to draw a family. She copies a picture from one of her books and draws people with white skin, blond or red hair and blue eyes. She does not realise that the picture excludes families like her own. The teacher appreciates it, and all the other children draw similar pictures. Therefore, the girl believes that she has completed the task correctly.
Her mother reacts with anger and sadness because the drawing does not resemble their family. She asks whether the girl wants to become a white “memsahib” and no longer wants her real parents. The child is initially frightened but later becomes defiant. She defends herself by saying that the picture came from a book and had been approved by her teacher.
The mother’s emotional breakdown deeply affects the child. After her mother goes to bed, the girl quietly stands before a full-length mirror. She carefully observes her brown skin, black hair, dark eyes and the scar on her nose. The mirror becomes a means of self-examination. For the first time, she consciously recognises her physical appearance and understands that her family is different from the one shown in her books.
The following day, the girl returns the picture to school and tells her teacher that it is unfinished. Looking at the children of different colours and appearances in her classroom, she adds a dark-skinned family beside the blond family. The woman wears clothes from her homeland, and the little girl has a scar on her nose.
When the teacher asks who they are, the child confidently answers, “It’s the other family.” Her final picture does not reject the white family; instead, it creates space for her own family beside it. Thus, her journey ends in self-recognition, cultural pride and acceptance of diversity.
🟢 3. Discuss the major themes, symbols, title and ending of “The Other Family.”
Answer
Himani Bannerji’s “The Other Family” examines cultural identity, racial inequality, displacement, alienation and multicultural acceptance. The story uses powerful symbols to reveal the emotional struggles of an immigrant mother and her daughter in Canada.
The snowy Canadian landscape symbolises the mother’s loneliness and cultural isolation. The cold, dark streets are entirely different from the sun, trees and crowded streets of her homeland. As she watches her daughter walking alone through the snow, she feels guilty for separating the child from her native people, language and culture.
The daughter’s first drawing symbolises the influence of the dominant white society. Her schoolbooks contain only pictures of white families, and the school treats this representation as normal. The word “they,” used by the girl, represents the authority of the school and the larger social system. The mother understands that this powerful external world can shape her daughter’s mind and make her feel inferior.
The mirror is another important symbol. When the child examines her brown skin, dark eyes, black hair and scar, she begins to recognise her true identity. The mirror helps her see herself clearly without the influence of books or social expectations.
The title “The Other Family” is highly significant. At first, the immigrant family is absent from the picture and treated as the “other.” After recognising her identity, the girl adds her real family beside the blond family. Her words, “It’s the other family,” expose how society labels people who do not belong to the dominant racial group.
The ending is hopeful. The girl does not erase the white family; she places her own family beside it. The completed picture represents inclusion and coexistence rather than hatred or separation. It also suggests that a person can adapt to a new society without abandoning their original identity.
Thus, the story challenges racial and cultural stereotypes. It teaches that every family deserves equal recognition and that educational materials should represent people from different backgrounds. The final picture offers a vision of a tolerant multicultural society in which no family is excluded or considered inferior.]
[The Other Family Note Summary Essays Paragraph Questions Infographics Fill in the Blanks]
[Prepared by Sindhu.P,HSST English,GGHSS Kallai]