810 Mukherjee, Bharati
migration. On both sides of the border, the reader
discerns a similar range of responses toward others.
Xenophobia, denial, grudging acceptance, sympa-
thy, and, finally, integration are evident in both
immigrants and citizenry. In this way, the reader is
introduced to a more balanced perspective of both
groups in diaspora and the text avoids becoming
propaganda for either side.
This collection offers a raw, unflinching per-
spective about immigration, an outlook that is well
supported by Mukherjee’s clear, precise prose and
the short story format. The open-ended nature of
these stories attests to the immigrant’s life as being
in perpetual flux, subject to the whims of larger
forces and learning to deal with their judgments.
In the end, the reader is left dissatisfied, hungry
for more immigrant vignettes and insights into an
invisible world that lies just beneath the surface of
mainstream society.
Saadiqa Khan
Freedom in The Middleman and Other Stories
In this collection of short stories, Mukherjee
explores freedom from the migrant’s perspective.
The desire to leave the developing homeland
constitutes the first freedom for the migrant. The
opportunity of a better life in the developed society
often motivates this departure. With money and
connections with other successful migrants, Ro,
Jasmine, Rosie, Alfred, Mr. Venkatesan, and Blan-
quita cross borders illegally. Marriage, education,
and even adoption provide the legal options for
Mrs. Bhave, Panna, Maya, and Eng in Canada and
America respectively.
The manner of the migrant’s entry determines
his relationship with his new society. The illegal
immigrant discovers that borders are paradoxically
imaginary and real simultaneously. If he is successful,
the illegal migrant has to deal with several changes.
Because of his status, he is forced to become invis-
ible, which limits his physical freedom and he is
dependent on the goodwill of others to protect him.
Mr. Venkatesan is instructed on “the most prudent
conduct for undocumented transients” that turns
out to be imprisonment in Queenie’s flat until he
can escape. Ro’s roommates protest his invisibility
over the phone. In the case of Jasmine, Rosie, and
Blanquita, they are often sexually exploited by their
“protectors,” which they endure in order to survive.
The land they live in is “ . . . America through the
wrong end of the telescope.” On the other hand,
they believe they have gained freedom from their
constricting pasts, a freedom that Mukherjee often
reveals as illusory and half-realized. Jasmine leaves
her home from “the middle of nowhere” thinking
she can pursue her ambitions (which are never iden-
tified,) only to end up repeating those stereotypes
of the exotic, promiscuous island girl that she dis-
parages. Even when she thinks she has abandoned
all the aspects of her old life, she keeps returning
to them unconsciously, thus living within a state of
ambivalence and uncertainty. What does the illegal
gain? It is access to a new culture, new people, new
relationships and the perspective of viewing their
culture from outside its borders.
The legal immigrants also share this ambiguous
freedom. They attempt to shape their futures in their
new society. Maya and Panna free themselves from
Hindu tradition as they pursue their goals of higher
education; they break taboos of caste and religion in
their new relationships while Mrs. Bhave is able to
discover a new life after widowhood. However, they
are never allowed to forget their past. Mrs. Chatter-
jee subtly informs Maya that her scandalous past is
no secret to the Indian community. Panna confronts
her own past when her husband visits her in New
York and tries to assume his traditional role as her
caretaker, only to grudgingly surrender because of his
ignorance in the new land. Eng’s nightmares of war-
torn Vietnam migrate with her to her new home,
denying her any chance of a new life. Whether legal
or illegal, the migrant finds himself in limbo as he
is suspended between two worlds, enjoying a tenu-
ous relationship with both. Very few migrants ever
achieve the freedom of the eponymous middleman.
Alfred the Jew is a perpetual transient; he has no
loyalties to any border or to anyone. He knows how
to survive by keeping an emotional distance from
his past and by deriving profit from the worst of
circumstances.
The legal citizens have a diverse relationship
with these new migrants. On one hand, there are
xenophobes like Jeb who feels trapped and enraged
by the fact that his country is overwhelmed with