Exploring the Role of Places on the Formation of Self-identity in Thrity Umrigar’s Novel The Secrets Between Us

Abstract

A place is more than just a physical setting. It is produced with the influence of culture and society and shapes the identity of people. The article seeks to explore the interdependence of place and identity in the novel The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar. The article explores the role of places on identity through the character Bhima, a domestic help, using Harold H. Proshansky’s place-identity concept. Bhima’s identity undergoes significant development and changes from a housemaid to a human being as she moves to emancipating environments. She identifies her hidden acumen for business and presses onward with fresh optimism. She learns that she is more than a housemaid, that she is a woman with feelings, needs and a life like her mistresses. The article also explores the development of the identity of Parvati, who learns to identify herself as a woman at the very end of a life-time of identifying herself as trash and a whore.