[The Other Family – Summary
“The Other Family” is a thought-provoking short story written by Himani Bannerji. It explores the experiences of an immigrant mother and her young daughter living in Canada. The story deals with cultural identity, racial difference, loneliness, displacement and the need for acceptance.
One winter evening, the mother watches her daughter returning home alone through the snowy streets. The unfamiliar surroundings remind her that she has taken her child away from their homeland, language and people. She feels lonely and guilty about raising her daughter in a foreign, white-dominated society.
During dinner, the mother is disturbed by her thoughts and does not listen carefully to her daughter. Later, the girl shows her a picture of a family that she has drawn at school. The family in the picture has white skin, blond hair and blue eyes. It bears no resemblance to the girl’s real family, who are dark-skinned and dark-haired.
The mother becomes angry and asks why her daughter has not drawn her own family. She fears that the girl wants to become white and may eventually reject her parents and cultural identity. The daughter explains that she copied the picture from a book and that everyone in her class drew the same family. Her teacher also appreciated it.
The mother soon realises that the child is influenced by the authority of the school and the images presented in her books. She understands that her daughter is under pressure to accept the white family as the normal or ideal family. Overcome with fear, guilt and helplessness, the mother bursts into tears.
That night, the girl secretly stands before a mirror and carefully examines her brown skin, black hair, dark eyes and the scar on her nose. This moment helps her recognise and understand her own physical and cultural identity.
The next day, she takes the picture back to school and tells her teacher that it is incomplete. Looking at the children of different colours in her classroom, she adds another family beside the blond family. She draws a dark-skinned father, mother and child. The mother wears the clothes of her homeland, while the little girl has a scar on her nose. When the teacher asks who they are, the girl proudly replies, “It’s the other family.”
The revised picture represents the girl’s acceptance of her own family without rejecting the white family. The story ends with the hope that different races and cultures can live together with dignity and mutual respect. It teaches us that no family or culture should be treated as the “other”; everyone deserves equal representation, recognition and acceptance.][The Other Family Note Summary Essays Paragraph Questions Infographics Fill in the Blanks][Prepared by Sindhu.P,HSST English,GGHSS Kallai]
One winter evening, the mother watches her daughter returning home alone through the snowy streets. The unfamiliar surroundings remind her that she has taken her child away from their homeland, language and people. She feels lonely and guilty about raising her daughter in a foreign, white-dominated society.
During dinner, the mother is disturbed by her thoughts and does not listen carefully to her daughter. Later, the girl shows her a picture of a family that she has drawn at school. The family in the picture has white skin, blond hair and blue eyes. It bears no resemblance to the girl’s real family, who are dark-skinned and dark-haired.
The mother becomes angry and asks why her daughter has not drawn her own family. She fears that the girl wants to become white and may eventually reject her parents and cultural identity. The daughter explains that she copied the picture from a book and that everyone in her class drew the same family. Her teacher also appreciated it.
The mother soon realises that the child is influenced by the authority of the school and the images presented in her books. She understands that her daughter is under pressure to accept the white family as the normal or ideal family. Overcome with fear, guilt and helplessness, the mother bursts into tears.
That night, the girl secretly stands before a mirror and carefully examines her brown skin, black hair, dark eyes and the scar on her nose. This moment helps her recognise and understand her own physical and cultural identity.
The next day, she takes the picture back to school and tells her teacher that it is incomplete. Looking at the children of different colours in her classroom, she adds another family beside the blond family. She draws a dark-skinned father, mother and child. The mother wears the clothes of her homeland, while the little girl has a scar on her nose. When the teacher asks who they are, the girl proudly replies, “It’s the other family.”
The revised picture represents the girl’s acceptance of her own family without rejecting the white family. The story ends with the hope that different races and cultures can live together with dignity and mutual respect. It teaches us that no family or culture should be treated as the “other”; everyone deserves equal representation, recognition and acceptance.][The Other Family Note Summary Essays Paragraph Questions Infographics Fill in the Blanks]
[Prepared by Sindhu.P,HSST English,GGHSS Kallai]