Theme and message

The main theme of “Day Trippers” by Raman Mundair is the impact of culture on the individual conscience. Through this story, the author argues indirectly that culture (represented through food, traditions, religion, etc.) exerts a magnetic influence on people. People might willingly reject their culture, but sooner or later its influence catches up with them.

The impact of culture on the individual

In the short story, two characters who come from India (a man and a woman) reject their culture. Their rejections are manifested in several ways. They begin by rejecting Asian partners. They both marry Western people and act like Westerners (taste in food, clothes, etc.). Furthermore, Gurpreet’s wife and children reject the traditional Indian clothes the grandparents send from India, while Parminder scolds her mother for sending her family sweets that stain clothes.

However, both feel like something is missing in their lives. Parminder has “begun to wake up feeling numb, with a longing for silence” (l. 8), while Gurpreet begins to question his and his wife’s consumerist attitude (ll. 33-34)....