Negotiating Cultural Borders: Gendered Perspectives on Migration and Assimilation in Jhumpa Lahiri’s Mrs. Sen and The Third and Final Continent

The literary work of Jhumpa Lahiri addresses topics of migration, cultural identity, and the difficulties encountered by people relocating between different cultural contexts. The experiences of Indian migrants struggling with the challenges of integrating into Western communities have received much attention within this paradigm. The gendered aspects of this phenomenon, especially the unique difficulties faced by women during the acculturation process. By comparing and contrasting Mrs. Sen and The Third and Final Continent, two of Jhumpa Lahiri’s short tales, this essay aims to close this gendered divide by examining the subtle differences between gender in migration, assimilation, and identity development. This study discusses the gendered aspects of migration and assimilation in Lahiri’s works by combining literary analysis, gender studies, and diaspora theory. We hope to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the intersections of gender, culture, and migration in forming personal identity and belonging in transnational situations by highlighting the experiences of female characters such as Mrs. Sen.