(no subject)
Larissa Copeland
English Composition II
Bride Burning
2 April 2008
Love Hurts
We as Americans are surrounded by choice. In developed countries like the United States, women enjoy the freedom to live their lives as they choose - they can choose which career to pursue, who to marry (if they decide to marry at all), and which politician to vote for, to name a few. Because of our cultural upbringing it’s hard for most Americans to imagine a world without this kind of freedom. Unfortunately, women are not allowed those kinds of freedoms in India, where violence and marriage often go hand in hand. Dowry-related crimes, committed when a woman’s in-laws attempt to convince her parents to provide them with an outlandish amount of money and gifts, are on the rise (“India” 67). For the most part, dowry violence is caused by three different factors: a socially-acceptable bias toward women, rapid commercialization in India, and a strong caste system that compels people to strive for higher social status, even if it’s at the expense of others.
. In India, dowries are the basis for a staggering number of injustices toward women. However, in Indian culture women are expected to be completely subservient to men regardless of their treatment. It is not proper for a woman to be a part of any decision-making, which is done by the husband and his family. In addition, the only rights she is allowed are those given to her by her husband and her in-laws (Samuel 207).
Despite recent legislation intended to further women’s rights there, women are still subjected to horrendous treatment by their husbands and in-laws due to dowries. This treatment can be mental, such as “cruelty or harassment” (Kumar 31) or it can be physical. In some cases, the domestic violence against women in India can be so extreme that husbands or in-laws even go so far as to attempt murder on the new bride in a practice that has come to be known as bride burning.
Newlyweds in India typically move in with the groom’s family. This contrast with the Western idea of a ‘nuclear’ family involves extended family living under one roof. In this type of living arrangement, the son and his mother have a very close relationship, allowing the mother to become an unquestionable matriarch to her daughter-in-law when her son marries. (Samuel 210). These dowries are typically large monetary gifts or, more recently, technological equipment or appliances. In traditional Indian society, women are expected to move in with their husband’s family when they get married. Gifts are given to the groom and his in-laws by the bride’s family to compensate for the “financial burden” the new bride poses on the groom’s family (Kumar PAGE). Even after the marriage, however, the husband and his family may continue to expect outlandish amounts of money and commercial goods. It’s when the bride’s family can or will no longer meet their demands that the abuse begins.