Structure

The short story is structured around two characters who begin to have an affair. The narrative presents the characters’ lives alternately and then follows their process of rediscovery of their culture through their affair.

The plot of the story only loosely respects the elements of a traditional plot. The story includes an exposition and a rising action. However, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution are replaced by a zero ending.

Title

The title of the short story, “Day Trippers”, suggests the story might be about tourists. However, it is a metaphor for the way the main characters act. Parminder and Gurpreet begin to feel like tourists in their own culture: “The days and weekends were no longer enough. Gurpreet and Parminder knew they didn’t want to be tourists - day trippers into their own cultures - anymore.” (ll. 137-138)

Initially, the two characters reject their Indian culture and the idea of having a romantic partner from the same culture. After they marry outside their culture, they begin an affair with each other that helps them rediscover their culture. The rediscovery of their culture through their love makes them long to embrace their Indian culture all the time.

Beginning

The story begins with two parallel stories of Parminder and Gurpreet, which mirror each other and function as an exposition: “Parminder didn’t like to admit it but she had a type. For as long as she could remember she had an ...