The Cost of Prosperity: Familial Fragmentation in Jai Chakrabarti’s ‘The Import’

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In Jai Chakrabarti’s “The Import,” Raj, the protagonist, hires Rupa, a caregiver from his home country, to look after his son in the United States. However, Raj soon learns that Rupa has left her own daughter behind in India to earn money and provide for her. This scenario reflects a growing reality where women migrate for caregiving labor, driven by economic necessity and limited opportunities in their home countries. Such separations come at a cost, often straining the bond between parent and child and creating emotional challenges for both the mother and daughter both now and in the future.

Two psychological frameworks can provide insights about how this separation functions in the story. Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which outlines the motivational forces driving human behavior across levels of necessity (“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs”), provides insight into Rupa’s difficult decision to leave her child behind to care for another’s. John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory—a concept emphasizing the innate human need to form close emotional bonds with primary caregivers, typically mothers (Hazan 68-69)—helps us examine the emotional toll of familial separation on Rupa and her daughter. Together, these theories shed light on the complex interplay between economic survival and emotional sacrifice in Chakrabarti’s poignant narrative.

Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, focusing on the first two levels—physiological and safety—helps explain Rupa’s motivation to separate from her child to provide for her. The first level, physiological needs, encompasses essential requirements for survival, such as food, shelter, and warmth. For a mother, the instinct to meet these needs often extends beyond herself to her child, as ensuring her child’s well-being becomes paramount. This prioritization can lead to sacrifices in the mother’s own mental and physical health, as she focuses on securing a stable foundation for her family. The way Raj and Bethany, his wife, talk about Rupa shows some of the sacrifice that Rupa has to go through. Despite being referred by Raj’s mother, Raj and Bethany undermine Rupa’s efforts and dehumanize her by mocking her behind her back and calling her “the import” in a derogatory manner (Chakrabarti 21). This disrespect underscores the social and emotional costs Rupa bears as she navigates her dual responsibilities as a caregiver abroad and a mother at home.

In some cultures, where the phenomenon of immigrant mothers leaving their children is common, the separation is often normalized, mitigating feelings of overwhelming grief or helplessness. Such mothers may be “less likely to experience the separation as a total loss with consequent overwhelming feelings of grief, depression, and helplessness” (Schen 237). In “The Import,” this perspective is reflected in Rupa’s actions. At the start of her caregiving job, she makes an effort to maintain contact with her daughter, underscoring her maternal bond. However, as time progresses, she refrains from frequently mentioning her daughter or expressing emotional distress over their separation (Chakrabarti 24, 28). This detachment suggests her awareness that the caregiving role is temporary and that her primary role as a mother remains intact. This temporary acceptance of emotional separation is a small sacrifice for short-term, because in the long-term, Rupa is creating financial security, which fulfills the first two levels of the hierarchy of needs. Rupa also finds solace in knowing her daughter is being cared for by extended family, allowing her to focus on earning money to ensure her child’s long-term stability and future.

While Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs offers insight into Rupa’s economic motivations, Bowlby’s Attachment Theory allows for a deeper exploration of the psychological ramifications of her separation for both mother and child. Attachment Theory explains how the early bond between a child and their primary caregiver, typically a parent, profoundly shapes emotional and social development throughout life. Bowlby observed that infants often protest intensely when separated from their primary caregiver, highlighting the importance of this attachment for a child’s sense of security and well-being (Hazan 69). In “The Import,” although the details of Rupa’s conversations with her daughter, Lakshmi, are sparse, the reader can sense the deep love and excitement they share during their interactions (Chakrabarti 24). For mothers, such separations can evoke significant anxiety, particularly for first-time mothers.

However, in cultural contexts where transnational caregiving is common, this separation anxiety may be less pronounced. These mothers often frame their sacrifices as acts of love, emphasizing the long-term benefits for their children. In some cases, distance can even strengthen familial bonds, as it underscores the mother’s dedication to providing a better future. As Frenyo observes, transnational families often maintain a sense of “collective welfare and unity, namely ‘familyhood,’ even across national borders” (Frenyo 297). Rupa’s bond with her daughter reflects this dynamic. Despite her physical absence, her caregiving work abroad symbolizes her commitment to Lakshmi’s well-being and future opportunities. This perspective suggests that attachment, while strained by separation, can endure and even grow stronger when rooted in mutual understanding and love.

By intertwining the pursuit of basic needs with the ongoing effort to maintain emotional connections, Rupa’s actions in “The Import” showcase the conflicting motivations between her deep desire to be with her daughter and her overwhelming need to provide for her. This tension is encapsulated when Raj’s mother, who introduced Rupa to Raj and his wife, remarks, “She has a history. All people do. That is why she is doing the job. With the money she gets, she’ll start sending Lakshmi to private school.” Rupa’s response to being asked if she likes America further reveals her internal conflict: “I do, but I miss my Lakshmi” (Chakrabarti 24). These moments highlight the dual burden Rupa faces, balancing her emotional longing to be near her daughter with her financial drive to secure a better future for her.

Rupa’s reliance on her family and Raj’s mother to care for Lakshmi back home helps sustain their attachment, illustrating how familial bonds can persist across physical separation. This reflects Bowlby’s Attachment Theory, as the emotional connection between mother and child is maintained even at a distance. At the same time, Rupa’s decision to work abroad aligns with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as she prioritizes meeting the physiological and safety needs of her daughter, such as education and financial security, over her own emotional well-being. However, Rupa’s sacrifices are further complicated by the treatment she receives in her caregiving role, as noted above.

In “The Import,” Jai Chakrabarti illustrates the profound challenges faced by mothers who leave their home countries and children to provide for them and create opportunities that would otherwise be unattainable. Rupa’s story highlights the sacrifices mothers make—not only in terms of their personal needs but also in the potential strain on their emotional bond with their children. By applying Bowlby’s Attachment Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we gain a multidimensional perspective on the complexity of these sacrifices, balancing the psychological and economic forces at play. Ultimately, this story opens readers’ eyes to the lengths a parent will go to ensure their child’s happiness and security, underscoring the universal, enduring power of a mother’s love.

Works Cited:

Chakrabarti, Jai. “The Import.” Ploughshares, vol. 49, no. 1, Spring 2023, pp. 19–32. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.cwi.idm.oclc.org/10.1353/plo.2023.0024.

Frenyo, Edit. “Transnational Families.” Routledge Handbook of International Family Law, edited by Barbara Stark and Jacqueline Heaton, Routledge, 2019, pp. 295–315.

Hazan, Cindy, and Phillip R. Shaver. “Deeper into Attachment Theory.” Psychological Inquiry, vol. 5, no. 1, 1994, pp. 68–79. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1449089.

“Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Corporate Finance Institute, 15 Oct. 2023, corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/management/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/.

Schen, Cathy R. “When Mothers Leave Their Children Behind.” Harvard Review of Psychiatry, vol. 13, no. 4, July 2005, pp. 233–243. Taylor & Francis Online, doi:10.1080/10673220500243380.

AI Acknowledgement:

I used ChatGPT to create a creative title for the essay, to choose a psychological theory or two to focus on and how I could use it, and it created an outline that I could follow, but still be able to change things as needed. I also used generative AI to refine the language and flow of my work, making it sound more professional and knowledgeable. I used generative AI because there are times when I need help refining the language I use and to help. Used November 22, 2024-December 2, 2024.